ATV recommendations

If you are looking for a firewood mule, buy a used Honda Foreman.

 

Thanks for all of the replies. Since I am just starting in the research phase I will take all of the advice here and chew on it for a while. I will also do as brenndatomu suggested and read back through some older threads

 

Nice...best part is that they run on cookies and apple juice too

 

I have a '14 Can Am Outlander 1000. I work with it in winter and play with it in summer. Almost 9,000 miles on it.

Here it is in winter form:


Everything you see here is what I carry on the ATV all winter (my water jug and can of Fisher peanuts are not shown...LOL):


Here it is setup for play and getting ready to tow my buddies Yamaha Viking, he blew a belt which only had 2,000 miles on it (belt and machine).

 

Get a Honda foreman or older full time 4x4 rancher. If you use it as a work tow rig they are long lasting machines.
Newer quads 2008-10+ started introducing auto shift you don’t want any of that crap on a work quad. The grizzlies look cool with big displacement but it’s all belt driven

I abuse and neglect my foreman and it just asks for more

 

I have a Polaris Ranger 570 epi (dump bed) and trailer often. I love it, but if looking at new, I'd give the Can-Am line a good look. Great machines for reasonable price.

 

The side by sides really do look nice. I looked at the Kubota RTV’s and the Kawasaki Mules, but you’re talking 15-20 grand. Guess the old garden tractors and trailer it is. The finance committee is on board with getting a used 4 wheeler though.

 

I have to recommend the Can Am. I had a 600 XL two-up and it was one great machine. Mine also had a set of Can Am tracks and it really pulled hard and everybody knows how tracks suck the power out of any machine. The fit and finish was 1st class and I never had a problem the whole time I had it. Just couldn't get time to give it the use it needed. Sold it to a lad here locally and he loves it.

 

I have a Yamaha Grizzly 450. Bought it new in 2009 and it only has about 700 miles on it. It is used only for deer hunting, ice fishing and maintaining our trails, which also means hauling firewood. I pull an Otter trailer behind it. I suspect I won't ever have to buy another ATV. I like this size for maneuvering in the woods, and it is light enough to be able to move around by lifting one end or the other. The front/rear differential lock options is nice and works well. Chained up, it goes through a lot of snow and slush, and pulls my darkhouse around well on the lake. It starts well in the cold, which is really important to me.

A winch is nice for hanging deer, getting unstuck, or getting other things unstuck. I pulled out a friends Suburban from a mud hole on a logging road by chaining the rear of the machine to a tree and winching him out.

Granted I don't have a lot of miles, but I have beat that thing in the woods getting to deer in clear cuts to extent that the front fenders have pieces of plastic missing from hitting stumps and trees. With all the bush I have gone through and rocks and stumps I have hung it up on, I am surprised that I have not damaged anything underneath. I only have changed out the battery once, and keep it on a tender when not in use in the winter. I change the oil every year or two. I just changed all the other fluids for the first time last summer.

Ditto on the Hondas. My friend had a fourtrax 250, and that thing was amazing in terms of reliability and pulling for a small machine. He worked that thing, and don't think he even did any maintenance on it, besides changing the oil occasionally. I know he went years without doing that and it always ran great, albeit a little cold blooded below zero.

 

That's a nice towing rig you got there

 

Thanks, but all three are history. That picture was taken in 2015. A lot as changed since then.

 

Not only is it for picking up wood, but its for picking up the ladies...

 

Dennis uses his Kubota for picking up the ladies...................................

 

My dad has a 1994 Polaris 350 4x4. This thing has been a warhorse, with minimal upkeep. Consumables only (chains, sprockets, brakes), though it did require a carb a couple of years ago. It's rough as heck, beat to death, but won't die. He uses it to blade their rural driveway in the winter, haul deer out of the woods, etc. That being said...the thing could die at any minute. Things have been jerry rigged on it, etc. Not worth anything to sell, but works too good to just discard. Dad decided last year he wanted a new quad, so we did some searching.

Dad purchased that Polaris used, from the local Polaris dealership. In the decades since, that Polaris dealership has gone away, and the closest Polaris dealership is now 1.5 hours away. There are Honda and Yamaha dealerships closer, as well as Kawasaki and Suzuki. I've got an extensive motorcycle background, and IMO, Honda and Yamaha are "tier 1" manufacturers as far as reliability and value. I always viewed Kawasaki and Suzuki as tier 2, along with Polaris. Just my opinion.

We have a 2008 Honda Foreman 500. It's a good quad, but it certainly highlighted some things we -didn't- like, compared to the old Polaris. Shifting, for one. Shifting on a quad just sucks. Particularly when you find yourself in a tricky situation on a slick hillside. I'm completely sold on the CVT trans idea, though I guess lots of heavy towing could burn one up. Secondly, all brakes with 1 lever. The Polaris can do this (with the foot pedal for the rear only). On the Honda, the brakes work like any other motorcycle...the hand lever is front only, the foot pedal is rear only. You can "cheat" by putting it in 4wd...then either brake slows all 4. We really like the 4 stroke of the Honda, vs the 2 stroke of the Polaris. However, I believe that's a non-issue, as I think all utility quads are 4 stroke now.

First, we decided on the things we liked from the Polaris. CVT trans (no shifting). Single brake lever to engage all brakes. "Real" locked-in 4x4 (vs the open diff on the front most ATV's have). Shaft drive (no chains). Not only does the shaft setup require less maintenance (and is removed from the elements), but the shafties are SOOO much easier to push around when needed! Also, having looked at some of the ATV forums, I felt the power steering would be a must-have for my dad. Everyone who had it seemed to love it.

We narrowed the search to Yamaha or Honda. Dad found a good deal on an unsold 2017 Yamaha Kodiak 700, w/ EPS. It didn't have the pushbutton 4wd, which we had become accustomed to on both his Polaris and our Honda. The lever-actuated 4wd seems REMARKABLY 1980-ish, considering we're in 2020. Dad didn't seem to mind, though, and parts were found on eBay to convert to push-button 4wd if needed. All the reviews we found on the Kodiak were great. Comparing the Kodiak to the Grizzly, I came away with the impression that the Kodiak is more of a "utilitarian" machine, with the Grizzly more of a "sport" machine. The gearing on the Kodiak is optimized for slower, heavier duty use, whereas the Grizzly has higher speed, etc. The Kodiak was the better fit for my dad's use, and it is cheaper to boot. The Kodiak has a CVT, which was good. No single brake lever for all brakes, but I told him how to "cheat" that using the 4wd, as I do on the Honda. No front locker on the Kodiak, but dad didn't seem to think that would be an issue for his light duty use. If it is, lockers are available aftermarket, or used OEM on eBay.

Dad has owned the Kodiak for nearly a year now. He pampers that thing, and rarely rides it. He can't justify scratching up the Yamaha, while the Polaris is still kicking. I will say, though, the EPS is AMAZING. I'm super happy we went with it, and dad agrees that it was worth the extra money. It's incredible how it smooths out the ride. Speaking of smoothing out the ride, the IRS of the Kodiak is also awesome. His Polaris and our Honda are both solid rear axle. The Yamaha rides like a Cadillac in comparison. I imagine the solid rear axle is better for heavy duty towing, though.

All in all, we're both very pleased with his Kodiak, and certainly would be willing to recommend it. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with a Honda or Yamaha. It's just a matter of finding the one that suits your tastes best.

 

Thank you for the very detailed and thorough review.

 

Marvin, I'll post up more soon, but we just pulled the trigger on a new leftover 19 yamaha Kodiak 450. I pick it up tomorrow and deliver it to my mom at the cabin up north.

It depends who's operating it, but cvt and straight gear tranny's both have pros and cons.

We'll now have a 92 Kawasaki bayou 300c , an 05 Polaris sportsman 500ho, and a 2019 Kodiak 450. The cvt tranny's work very well. Honda's are typically very good, but they have their disadvantages too.

Honestly, I think the best ATV line out there is yamaha.

 

I saw that you posted a thread about it last night. I have been reading through it as replies/updates come. Congrats on the new toy/tool/wheels

 

I'll give you all an update this weekend, but as good as the Polaris cvt tranny's are, I think the yamahas are better. Heck, yamaha even has a 10 yr belt warranty on their cvt's. Nobody else has that. Yamaha also uses marine grade electrical connections, which in my experience is a huge plus. With most things going to electronics, you need the best connections. Look at the machines you are pricing out to be contenders for your money. Check out ergonomics. Honda's reverse engagement on the ES or base regular shift machines is not very user friendly. To go to their automatic tranny, it's a huge price increase. So much so that I eliminated the Honda machines from earning a sale to my family. Kawasaki goes from a very small 300cc to a 750 v twin. Nothing in between. Suzuki, I didn't consider, because of a lack of dealers up wherever the machine will be. That's a shame as we nearly bought a Suzuki instead of the sportsman in 04. The can am, I liked them, but for the machine class I was looking at, it seemed a bit cheaply made. All in all, each had pros and cons. I just saw way more pros than the couple of minuses with the yamaha.

The IRS machines will ride better, but for heavy towing, you can't beat a solid rear axle.

If buying used, well there's a ton of options. If you can narrow down the price range you're looking at, then I can offer a bit more insight.

 

Ditto.
That said, overall, tier 2 is not that far behind tier 1 these days...and I think a person could possibly make an argument for certain individual models being standout in any one if the 5 brands.
Now years ago...Honda was the hands down winner, no contest needed...but the rest have really caught up since those days!