Calling All ATV Owners...

I've had and ridden quite a few, currently have an 05 Polaris sportsman 500HO, and a 92 Kawasaki bayou 300 4x4.

The bayou is simple, Stone reliable, and smaller. That small 3/4 frame size is great for manuevering through tight woods. It's plus it's weight, and a lot more. The straight rear axle really does pull better than IRS.

The IRS Polaris is faster bigger and heavier, and more complicated. It also rides better. But, the bayou pound for pound/ hp for HP I out works the bigger Polaris.

Now that Polaris really rides well and is a full size machine. Fitting 2 adults on the bayou is very tight. 2 adults on the sportsman is no problem, and it's not a 2 person ATV.

So what really are you wanting a quad for?

 

Nope. I Put a plow on the truck... flying snow pretty much disappeared. Much nicer dryer ride.

Anybody want to buy a Moose plow for a kodiak?

 

This thing is a beast! Came with a plow on it but I ditched it because of the factors mentioned. It pulls logs, trailers ice shacks you name it You can practically drive it up a tree. But you better have something big to pull it out if it get stuck. Best of all it’s fuel injected no gummed up carb to deal with. This reminds me she is due for an oil change

 

Nice machine!

Turn that hitch over and your splitter will be almost level.

 

Thanks. It tows several trailers around the yard that set up works for all.

 

I'm working on getting all my attachments to use the same height hitch and ball latch.
That will save time changing out the draw bar/ball mount

 

We used to plow the parking lot of the dealership with a well, then it was a 660 Grizzly, among others, and our snow piles where just as high as the lots plowed by a truck...the difference was that theyjust pushed it into a big pile, and we actually drove the quad up on the pile so the new snow could be pushed to the top and over the backside...you can make a mountain of snow this way! I can see how 148" could be an issue though!
I think they are using a Rhino to plow now...I've never done that...it would be nice having the cab though!

 

I have a Canam Outlander L 450 that meets all of my needs. The reason I went with the Canam over the Honda was simply because the Canam/skidoo dealer has always treated me great in the past when I have had issues with my sleds. As always price was also a big factor and the price was right, I believe I paid $5500 for a brand new leftover 2016 model earlier this spring. I initially planned on buying used but everything thing I found seemed overpriced or over used and not maintained.

I believe almost all the manufacturers make a great ATV now, so I would buy simply based on the dealer and their service department because all ATVs are great until something goes wrong, breaks or needs warranty work done.


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Thanks Horkn! Plowing snow, moving firwood around, scouting for down trees in the forest. Stuff like that.

 

Now that you mention a 5k budget, I will recommend again the used Hondas. I have heard good things about other models that are similar-the Kawasaki Horkn has, some of the Yamahas, and I'm sure others.

Don't misunderstand, many of the other models have many more nice features for someone who uses an ATV daily or for recreational riding-I think if I ever took up riding as a sport, like I did snowmobiles 30 years, I'd strongly consider a Can-am.

 

Welcome mark.nowak ! I have the same machine in a 2017 and like it so far.

 

Woody, I think we are relatively close to each other. Anyhow, my neighbor told me, "plow for the season" last year the end of our drive was necked down considerably.

 

Sure, your only a hour from me. I’m off of highway 70 in Winter WI. Cold enough for ya? Lol...

 

I have a 2001 Honda Foreman 450. No complaints at all other than the electronic shifting needs to warm up to work decently in the winter and the lack of 2x4 option. Other than that I wouldn’t change anything. Crawls over pretty much anything in first gear. Hauls a small trailer loaded with wood and doesn’t complain. Ligjt and maneuverable compare to a tractor in the woods.

Came with a plow that I have used a couple of times to try it and it worked well. I use the tractor and rear blade as it’s quicker. We use it for all sorts of things around the farm and forest. Has a 2 up seat with lots of storage for tools. It’s great for running around fence lines and making repairs.

 

Yeah that’s another thing I like about my Honda Ruby 500, it’s not real big. I’ve been on some that were too big to maneuver in some areas. It seems like Polaris has made their machines more compact lately though....?

 

I have a Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4, and it's a monster. Kawi's are great ATVs, but in my opinion they have one big drawback- they hate getting started and warmed up on freezing mornings. I mean they HATE freezing cold mornings! If I want to start mime tomorrow morning when it's 3 degrees, the choke is going to remain on for a minimum 5 minutes. Once that's over and they are warm, the Kawasaki will work great. They, along with Yamaha and Honda are the top tier in my opinion. TurboDiesel made a great point that having a good dealer for sales/service close by should get factored into the purchase too. The number one thing I tell folks about handgun shopping when they ask my advice on what brand/model to get is "whatever fits good in YOUR hand. If it feels good you'll want to shoot it more often and you'll shoot well with it. The same goes for ATVs- sit on one and check out the features. If its comfortable to you and the buttons n switches are easily reachable you might have a winner! For your stated needs, don't get what I have. A 750 is way overkill. As a matter of fact it way overkill for my needs too. A 450/500 would serve you well.
Now, most importantly- used ATVs really need to be given the once over. Many if not most have been beat to hell and only traded in on a new one when problems start popping up. First thing, look at the air filter and surrounding box. If you see dirt/mud inside, walk away fast. It was used for mud boggin'. Best thing is to take it do a dealership and have them do a head to toe on it. It will save you some heart (and wallet) ache in the long run. And, any good owner that took care of their stuff shouldn' have any issue with having the machine checked out at a dealership.

 

Your Rubicon is the same physical size as our sportsman 500HO. There are some newer bigger ones, and I'm not talking UTV. The sportsman is 25% physically bigger than my bayou. I can get to places in the woods with the bayou, that the sportsman can't go due to it's width.

 

VOLKEVIN , I wouldn't say that all kawi's are cold blooded. Is yours EFI? If imagine so, and then that's not really a choke, it's a fast idle. My bayou started on 2 pulls at 5° the other day. Yes, pulls. I wanted to see if it would pull over easily from dead cold and not run in 2 weeks. Yep. Push the choke over 1x, it sprang back to choke off, and it was running like a top. 30 seconds top to let it get some heat in it and she rode right off.