I've got 16+ acres of woods now. Wife and I have been thinking of adding an ATV to our fleet. As of now we have a JD x304 for a mower and a Silverado 1500 4x4 truck. We're thinking an ATV would be a nice middle ground for light landscaping and skidding logs, etc. The only thing is... I know next to nothing about ATV's and I don't have enough budget to buy new. BTW, we have several neighbors with various sized tractors for heavier landscaping and skidding really big logs. Thank goodness, we all get along and share our toys in my neighborhood.
We bought a new Suzuki King Quad 300 in 1995 that our son has now. It runs as well now as the day we first bought it. Rugged little unit. If you could find one in good shape, I'd sure go for it.
For this type of work, he would want a 4X4 ATV yes? If I correct, they are not all 4X4's? Does a quad indicate 4X4?
There's plenty that are only rwd. Then again, not all that are "4wd" are true 4 wheel drive. I like Polaris, but Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki are all good. If you want a well built cheap 4wd quad, a Kawasaki bayou 300 4x4 is a good choice. The Honda's are good, but go for more $ due to their name recognition. What have you found locally for used units, and how much are you looking to spend?
I bought a Honda Foreman 400 4x4...it has been an amazing, dependable machine. We use it on the farm and have had good luck with it. Honda is hard to beat
I've owned and raced Polaris, Yamaha and Honda.... If buying used I'd say Honda, most of them are bomb and dummy proof... If new Yamaha, best warranty coverage and great quality.... I've owned more Polaris.. But won't own another... 9 can drive to the factory and it takes longer to get parts from them then Japan Just my 2 cents ~Nathan
My favorite two brands are Honda & Yamaha. I've ran the snot out of my Forman & big bear and haven't killed them. I've liked the Polaris & Suzuki's that I've road they had good power. I just don't have enough experience with them to recommend them. And you couldn't give me an artic cat. Biggest money pit I've had on 4 wheels.
I posted a thread about this same topic at the end of Dec. I picked up a Polaris 500 Sportsman 6 x 6 with lowish hours (356). I had electrical issues at first, but then traced the 2 stupid small wires that had disconnected and once re-attached, no problems. Whatever you choose, once you start using it, you'll kick yourself for not getting one sooner.
Ditto on the Hondas. Have 2 two wheel drive ATV's that I got off CL and they are as reliable as gravity. Could not find a used side by side so I ended up with a Polaris Ranger. After 3-4 years no issues. It's super handy on my 10 acres. Was pricey. At work.
Definitely get 4x4. I personally like it switchable instead of all time 4x4. Without knowing your budget, it's hard to know what would fit you best. All that said, I own a 2000 polaris I bought used and ran hard put away wet. I changed all the fluids, cleaned carb, new ignition, and it's been bulletproof since. I'm all in for about $1200. 900 for atv and 300 for fluids and parts. That's about as cheap as they come without being stolen. $2000ish should get you a used Honda foreman which is what I recommend to all 1st timers. Reliabile doesnt describe them. Bombproof maybe. Im pretty sure honda atvs survived chernobyl. Change the oil when recommended and it will run forever. I'll say again, don't buy a 2x4. You will be kicking yourself stuck in the woods while unloading whatever you are trying to pull out. Take your x300 in the woods and see what happens if you want to taste 2x4 in the woods.
I used to have a 2010 Polaris 850 that I used a log in my wood cutting operation (2 of us). I had a pretty big and quick splitter that I used the atv to haul it around, and a Tahoe to move the trailer around in the woods. I had an unfortunate happening that my atv caught on fire while I was riding it and well it burned to the ground (track kit and all). I'm now really looking at a Ranger 900. I want the box in the back, and easily fits 2 people comfortably. I know the newer ones have a turn mode so it won't tear up your lawn, and then you can have both rear wheels drive, and then there's the AWD or 4x4, but the fronts don't engage till the rears slip a little. It's all about how much you want to spend. For me a Ranger is perfect, as well my new splitter that I'm getting this spring will be pushing the 2k pound mark and the atv struggled to move it around but it would do it. Might even look into a 2up, and you and your other half can ride together.
Only thing I can think to recommend is to pick a brand with a reasonably close dealership that is known for good after sale support. Ask around. Oh, and 4x4. Definitely 4x4.
If your budget allows, consider a side by side... you can get smaller CC units reasonably cheap in this world of "I gotta have more power". My in-laws just got a new Polaris Ranger 900 last fall, cab, radio, heat, windshield whispers and power windows... 99% of that things life will be spent puttzing 300 yards up the lane to do chores, then back again... total waste of power.... BUT... dang is that thing fun to blast around in! Gobs of power. I bought the first camo Yamaha Rhino when it got to the local dealer when they where introduced, best buy I ever bought... dang I miss that thing! ~Nathan
We have two Honda Ranchers all time 4x4 2005s. I ride the heck out of mine. Wife like to see the scenery.(rides a little slower). Oil change and they have been bullet proof. Bought both in 2009 with an echo trailer. 6000.00 cheaper then buying one new 4x4.
I'll echo getting a side by side, I think they're a little better for work. A buddy of mine picked up a Rhino 450, which is the smaller engine, but it could go anywhere we wanted; hill climbs, creek crawling, and carry a cooler of beer while doing it! Either way, I'll put Honda at the very top of the list, followed very closely by Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha in no particular order. Below that's Polaris, it seems some Polaris units are super reliable, while some can be nightmares to own. I wouldn't consider any other brands. To pull logs with, get a 4x4. To just use it to carry yourself and your tools into the field, I don't think it matters, a 2x4 quad will do some amazing things as long as you're smart. I think the 400-450cc's is the sweet spot for quads too. They're still small enough to maneuver in tight woods and be able to manhandle yourself if you need to. I know some guys that have the big 600 & 660 cc quads, and while they have tons of power, they can be tough to fit in between trees on trails.
Mike, I see you are in PA, about the center. That no doubt puts you in some mountains or at least hilly. This can have a bearing on what you need. In addition, what about mud? Do you want the atv for anything besides hauling wood? What about plowing snow? As many have stated, there are many good brands. We have had 3 so far, all Yamaha. Our first one, I still wish we had. It was a small 250 so only 2wd but it had gears rather than just one and it was really quiet. So quiet I could go right past a bedded deer and it would lay still. That little thing is still going and we know this because a niece bought it. Our second atv we decided to go with a 4wd and a snow blade. It was a 500 and did the trick but the blade turned out to be a bit lighter than I wanted. Still, I could raise and lower it by hand rather than having to have a winch. I don't remember how many hours it had but we sold it to a neighbor who loves it and still uses it a lot. Our present atv is a 700, the biggest Yamaha has or had at the time we bought it. The snow blade is much heavier and we do have a winch. We have a couple thousand miles on it. We generally caulk up about 600 miles per year and almost all of that is on our own land. I do go to a neighbor's occasionally but have never rode trail. After having the 3, I have to say a 500 would be the smallest I would go. It would have to have 4wd and 4wd with lock. In addition, one thing I laughed at when I saw them coming out with power steering, well, I'm no longer laughing. Ours does have power steering and we absolutely love it. For sure when you have a snow blade it is nice. But the best for me is when cutting firewood, most times I find we back the trailer in to where the wood is (we have a lot of brush to contend with in places. Backing up the atv and trailer, I tend to sit sideways on the atv. My right hand is on the handlebar and throttle and I can see the trailer nicely that way. So, backing up is one handed and the power steering is the greatest! When we bought our present atv, we looked at both the classic and then the side-by-side models. It turns out that the trend today is for the side by side models. Yes, they can be nice if 2 people want to go somewhere. But that is something we don't need and although we tried some, I have to admit that I was not turned on to them. Yet for others they are great. It depends upon wants and needs. They are higher priced for sure. Another thing to look at is how much gas these things will burn and they can burn a lot. I remember when we went from the 250 to the 500, we found that it pretty much did double the amount of gas burned. The 700 is a bit more than the 500 but not that much. I have never kept track of the hours to see how many hours per gallon but perhaps I should one of these days.
When i was 13 ish i bought a 87 our 89 Honda foreman fourtrax. I think it was 1999 or so when i bought it. I put a ton of hours and miles on it rolled it twice sold it too my brother he's had it rolled a couple times used it to plow snow on a bigger driveway every winter. The thing has seen it's days, dad still has it in the garage and it still starts like brand new, the motor has knocked and ticked for the last five years but still keeps chugging along! You could blow those old Hondas sky high with an atomic bomb and i bet when it landed you'd be able to start it right up!
My only real recommendations to look for in an atv are this, spend the extra money on a good quality winch and make sure whatever it is it has a secondary start method. The Honda we have has kick start abd electric start. We needed the back up more than a few times! Also go with 4wd. My preference would be full time 4wd. The option to switch is just more stuff to fix. Best of luck!
I have had 3 ATVs- a Kawasaki 220, a Honda 250 2wd and a 2004 Honda Foreman 450. There were old good units- I still have the Foreman. I would recommend any Honda-they seem to be indestructible. I have a Kubota RTV now, so I don't use the ATV that much any more, but it sets there ready to go. Will
ANY decent Honda foreman should do the trick. I can't even begin to explain how hard I am on mine. My dad always say he can't believe that it has made it this far. It's an 03 450. We also have others, but the wife gets to usee the Ranger crew most of the time.
