What 4wheeler do you use and why?

[Tikkamike]

I am thinking about buying a 4wheeler, primarily to make checking/restocking my bear bait a faster process and getting on some of the trails that are for ATV's only.
I am looking at the Honda fourman and the rubicon but am also interested in the Arctic cats. What do you guys use and why? How dependable is what you use? any issues?

 

[MTBULLET]

have owned
suzuki-------OK
yamaha-------OK
kawasaki------brute power, not very dependable
honda----------"clunky", slow,last forever
after hunting in canada for bear 2 yrs ago and using guides Can-Am, I traded off last yamaha Grizzley and bought 650 Can Am, love it. the best of all of 'em for me. Just wish I'd have gotten the "power steering" after driving a buddies with it, wish mine had it also.
also, 400 cc is to small
650-700 is just right, 800cc and above is wasted power.

 

[kcebcj]

Any where you go in this part of Idaho all you see is Polaris. I had a 1996 Polaris 500 and rode the crap out of it and in 2007 bought a new Polaris 500. Here on the ranch for me and my neighbors the quad is the main transportation. Ride every day. Most of the working quads are the 6 wheel type with the older 500's and the newer 550's right there with them. The bigger 800's and such are more of a fun quad then a working machine. My buddy runs the local quad shop and he says expect 5000 hours out of the new machines. I average about 200 hours a year so if his statement is true have a ways to go.

Good luck with your choice. A neighbor had a two Can Am's for awhile and I was not impressed. Neither was he.

 

[300 ultra]

I have a Yamaha big bear 350 4x4 I bought new in 1999. It has never had a problem. On its third set of ITP mud lite tires. I think it's the best because it's paid off. If I were to buy a new one now it would be a Polaris sportsman 800. My buddies all have them and they haul ***!!

 

[HARPERC]

Mostly we run Polaris. My partners 6 wheeler is great once it's off loaded, kind of an awkward size for transport, but sure wish we had it back in our bait days. My 500 goes as good as I need. My girlfriend has the 800, you're a big guy I'm betting just sitting on the 800 you'll like it better. If you going to ride summer check out some of the reviews regarding heat to the right leg on the 800, it can be significant, great plowing snow, but if it was a summer ride I'd have to figure out a fix. Couple of Yamaha's have given good use, smaller Arctic Cat has given good life. 2 Hondas 1 got stolen before much use and the other gave up a bit early. I can't recall the size but it was smaller. gave a couple of good seasons, and has been out for long enough I don't remember the size. I think the Polaris rides a bit comfier for an old guy. Just seems to be more Polaris here. I think my 500 has about 4000 miles on it, my partners 6 wheeler about 8000. He put tracks on it this last winter, spun the transmission can't say how/if the tracks played into it. Got that replaced made it 27 miles and the engine seized. Likely cause was the service guy failed to put oil in it. So much for wolf season.

 

[Clint Idaho]

Have to throw my vote to the Polaris. I have a 500 that has seen alot of use coyote hunting. Never given me a bit of problem.

 

[Franklin]

I would stay away from the cats, seen lots of problems with them. Polaris is good, but there bigger and heavier than most others, which I find a big negative. I've owned a kawasaki prairie 700 since 04, it has 7400 miles on it now and the only thing I've ever done is regular maintenance. Another big + for the kawasaki's is they have a lower center of gravity than most all the others. I think they're all good, just a few things to think about.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

I have two Suzuki's, depending on how fast I want to go & how bad I want to hurt myself But only one is usable for hunting I guess..


I have a 2007 Kingquad 700, this dumb thing is all but bullet proof. It's been flopped over backwards a couple times (yeah it will pull wheelies) ran into trees, rode hard & put away wet. It doesn't care. I'm set up with handwarmers, grillguard, 2" lift kit & 27" Swamp Fox Tires, I've got 2k miles on the tires alone, only thing I've replaced is the battery (which seems to be the weak link) thank got it's got a pull rope which isn't offered by all manufacturers.

Last year it we were busting well over a foot of snow to get to our camp sight, pulling trailers. Interesting times, here's a couple of pics.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

BTW- That's MUD on the throne you see in the first pic up there ^^


Here's a full frontal shot of the ole girl & our camp packed ready to leave.

 

[Daveinjax]

The hondas will run forever. You need to look at a mule , rancher type atv. My friends and I swore we would never have something like that . Then my friend got one used just to resell it asit was a steal of a deal. Long story short is we all have mules and leave the old four wheeler bikes at home. Just so mich more useful for carrying gear ,deer , bait. The roll up cab sides and windshield is soooo nice when its really cold. I am what I eat and that makes me a ***** . The big mule often carries 800lbs of corn and two big guys (275lbs) with no problem. No tying deer or feed on , just toss them in the bed and go. I think its been about three years since I cranked up the old foreman.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Had a Yamaha grizzly always felt like I was missing out. Now have a Polaris ranger and it is more usefull than words can describe.

 

[J E Custom]

This will be like the Chevy verses ford debate but I will chime in anyway.

I have been around many 3/4 wheelers and they all have there strong points but having
said that I have came to one conclusion that is best for my type of use. Honda !!

The features,dependability,controllable power,usable traction,and quietness all add up to a very
fine machine.

I also like the Foreman series for there all round power and controllability while working them.

I believe in the manual transmissions because of different powder/speed uses.

Honda made the first ATV and it is still one of the best all round ATVs available IMO.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Outlaw6.0]

We also have a Yamaha Rhino that we use, as stated before, the UTV's are really nice. The one downside is, for guys that hit the mountains all the time, they are too wide. Trail restrictions are 50", the Rhino, Teryx, Commander, Ranger, Prowler etc are wider than that. The only thing narrow enough to "legally" travel some trails is the Razr, which is useless for hunting.

 

[specweldtom]

I have had two 3-wheelers and three 4-wheelers. The 3 wheelers were both Hondas, one 4-wheeler was a Suzuki, and the other 2 were/are Hondas. I've never ridden in snow, but lots of mud, rocks, stumps, etc, and worked them in temperatures from the low teens to over 100 deg. All the Hondas in camp would start on the cold mornings. Some of the Polarises, Kawasakis, Suzukis, and Yamahas would not.

Since 2001, I have had a 1996 Foreman 400 that is heavy, slow, has limited suspension travel, a weak rear brake, and no 2-wheel drive select. However, nothing has ever fallen off, broken, or quit. It is wide, stable, predictable, has a live rear axle and a recoil-starter I've never needed. It would climb a wall if you could hold it against it. I'm the 3rd owner, I bought it from my youngest brother, who bought it from our middle brother, who bought it new and immediately put a bigfoot kit on it. 26 x 10's in front and 26 x 12's in back. Not sure how many sets of tires and how many batteries it's used up. West Texas and the Hill Country are hard on everything. The best hunting is always the hardest to get to.

I don't ever expect to buy another 4-wheeler. Too many of them have independent rear suspension, that feels squirrely to me, particularly on side-hills.

You can discount what I say because I'm obviously not objective, and I can't vouch for the new Hondas because I don't know anything about them, but I'd take my chances with them because of what I know about the old ones. Good track record. If for some reason I did decide to buy a new one, it'd be a Honda.

No surprise I've got an opinion about sit-ins and sit-ons. The Utes are really handy, but I don't believe I could ever get one to some of the places I've been on the ATV. Maybe a skillful rider could, but I doubt it. I don't like being strapped in either. On the plus side though, if you go on your head, the Utes do have a rollbar.

Good hunting, Tom