What size 4-wheeler?

[thinkxingu]

OK, so I'm thinking of buying a 4-wheeler, but I need to know what size I should be looking at. I used to own a Yamaha Warrior 350 and Honda 300EX and both would move be, but I'm assuming I'll want something bigger for pulling and 4-wheel drive.

SO:

Brands I have dealer support for: Yamaha, Honda, Polaris, Kawasaki, Suzuki
4-wheel drive
Utility: pulling trees out of the woods, yard trailer towing, yard work, camper trailer moving, etc. (probably not plowing)
Fun: basic trail/pit riding.

What size should I be looking for?

Thanks all,

S

 

[djblech]

I have a Polaris X-2. This is a 2-up that the seat converts to a pick-up box that dumps. I love it and have had no problems in the 3yrs I've had it. It has a 500 cc engine that has more than enough power. the longer wb is smoother riding. the 2-up is nice for the wife. Box hauls bear bait really well.
Doug

 

[bogydave]

I like one that can go in & out of 4 W drive, tears up the yard less on turns in 2W.
Around a 500 plenty big for me.
My 450, (mid size) when loaded & pulling spins the tires, so more power don't do much, but more weight would help.
Manual shift 400, just gear down.
Bigger they are, they're heavier, when stuck, harder to get out.
Bigger have bigger tires & more clearance, stuck less. Can do more work.
Smaller ones are lighter & better trail riding, & handle more sporty.
Brands are kinda like chain saws, go with the brand you like.
Tires are the best thing to upgrade, stock tires for most things & then a set for your type of terrain,
Alaskans like the deep tractor tread for muskeg, tundra, swamps & mud but are a rough ride on good trails.(but they go where you can't walk)
I only have stock tires & buddies with the big swamp tires pull me through the bad spots. Of course when they get stuck, I can winch them backwards
If I bought a new one today, I like features of the 550 or 450 Grizzly. 3 position drive: 2W / 4W & 4W lock http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/products/modelfeatures/609/1/features.aspx
for my various terrain. There are some other very good quads out there.
Every year, there us some brand/s testing their NEW machine in the Ureka area trails 200 miles N/E of me. They keep improving them.

 

[RowCropRenegade]

I really like my Polaris X2. It has a 500 cc in it. It's 3 years old now. It has 4x4 on demand, one wheel drive for turf and regular 2wd. I pulled a wagon in soft grass with half a load of soybeans in it. Over the scale it weighed 12,000. The dumpbed has enough space to do lots of jobs with. The ATV weighs double what most weigh, so they are more expensive too.

 

[bogydave]

One more consideration, my buddy works remote west coast Alaska,
The natives like the Honda cause it don't rust out as fast as others on the salt water beaches.
Honda & Yamaha top machines in Alaska, Lots of Polaris 6 wheelers too.

 

[quads]

I used to have a Sportsman 500. Traded it off with 10,000+ miles on it. It was a real workhorse.

This is what I have now, 4x4 Hawkeye 300cc. It does everything I want it to, and I trail ride with it. Now has almost 3500 miles on it. It's not as fast as the Sportsman (not important to me anyway) but pulls loads just about as good. Anything over 300cc is a bonus. Anything over 500cc is probably more for bragging rights than necessity.

 

[thinkxingu]

Great comments, thanks. Keep 'em coming!

S

 

[RowCropRenegade]

Yeah the X2's being so heavy aren't as good for trail riding. I'd classify it as a "work ATV." You also have to make the decision of carburator versus fuel injection. You will be able to start fuel injected easier but it requires a fancy computer. Whatever you go with, get a winch, you will find multiple uses for it. I'd also look at the battery sizes. I run that sprayer and most ATVs couldn't handle the weight or electrical requirements to do the precision I'm doing.
Determine your uses for it and finding the right quad will be easy!

 

[Adkjake]

I bought a Yamaha Grizzly 500 last fall, mounted a plow on it. Guy at the motorsports shop where I bought the plow said he has the same Yamaha with the same plow and loves it. We haven't had a ton of snow up here yet this winter, but it has done great with what we've gotten so far. Had one storm of 8 -9 inches of wet heavy snow and pushed it no problem, even on the uphill push. Have also used it to skid and winch some logs and pull down a couple of small snags. Hooked up the utility trailer to move the rounds and splits to the stack. Starts right up even when below zero.

Based on that limited use, good machine.

 

[firefighterjake]

At a minimum you want a 300-350 cc ATV . . . but I suspect most folks would recommend a 450-500 cc ATV. You can go bigger with the motors . . . but a) you'll pay more and b) you will rarely if ever need that much power or speed from that large an engine . . . and unless it's fuel injection will pay for the larger engine with a loss in mpg.

I would also go with a selectable 4WD feature as mentioned by a previous post . . . a) switching to 2WD can save some fuel, b) switching to 2WD can reduce in less damage when turning on the lawn and c) it is easier to steer with the 4WD disengaged . . . although some ATVs now are coming through with power steering (i.e. Polaris Sportsman.)

I'm an unabashed Honda lover who went from a Honda 4Trax 350 to a Honda Foreman 450S. I went with the Honda mainly due to its reliablity. Since I was also buying this as a work machine (and in truth I do more work with it than I play even though I am president of the ATV Club in town) I prefered the Honda over many other makes due to its lower center of gravity, solid axle, no belt transmission, manual/automatic shifting and as mentioned the reliability.

The flip side of these advantages however is that it also can be disadvantageous . . . in other words . . . If you sit on most Hondas you will feel lower to the ground which is good for a lower center of gravity and reduced risk of flipping but the truth is most Hondas do not have as much ground clearance as other ATVs . . . which for some folks being an inch or two lower may or not be a big deal. Solid axle = great for working vs. trail riding is not as plush as it would be with independent rear suspensions offered on Polaris Sportsman or the Yamaha Grizzly. No belt transmission = no worry about getting the belt wet (a rare issue incidentally in my experience) vs. a damaged transmission in a Honda will be much more expensive to replace. Manual/automatic shifting = you can shift up or down depending on the grade and not have to rely on engine braking vs. a fully automatic transmission means you don't have to think to shift up or down. Reliability = less chance of breaking down vs. the trade off being Hondas often lag behind other manufacturers when it comes to implementing new techn (i.e. disk brakes, IRS, etc.)

Another significant negative with Hondas is the cost . . . they are pricey compared to similar models. That said, I love my Foreman and it has been a tough machine . . . about the only issue I have with it (and it's an issue faced by many Honda owners) is the brakes often need adjusting. I plow with mine in the winter, move leaves/gravel/rock/firewood in the trailer and this past summer used it to twitch out several trees cut up in 4-foot lengths. It is an excellent work machine and a fair trail riding machine (the lack of IRS definitely takes this machine down a few notches in my opinion.)

If I was to buy an ATV mostly for working, I would probably go with another Foreman . . . maybe a Rubicon if I was to buy Honda. However, I would be sorely tempted by the Honda Rincon (IRS) and Yamaha Grizzly (which has a very nice ride, low center of gravity and IRS). Truth be told though . . . there are many good makes . . . and I think any one of the makes you mentioned would have a good ATV that would work for you and be dependable . . . a lot will depend on what you want for features (i.e. what is important or more important to you), what you're willing to pay, etc.

 

[K2Orion]

I've got a yamaha 350cc warrior. It is too small to do what I want. But it is a 2wd sport quad. Traction is my problem 90% of the time.

 

[Adkjake]

I second firefighterjake's recommendation to get switchable 2wd to 4wd on whatever model you get. Also consider differntial lock. I just came in from skidding that load of logs I had delivered the other day. It was too icy for the truck to make it up the little hill next to the house to my wood yard, so half the load was on the driveway.

Even in 4wd I was slipping, put on the differential lock, sweet. Walked them right up the hill. Mad a huge difference.

Plus us Jakes stick together!

 

[Henz]

I have a 2003 honda 450 Foreman. It is all time 4WD which for me is ok cause I dont use it aroudn the lawn onloy going into hunting camp and in my woods and plowing. I haul alot of wood with it too, it has plenty of power and a great engine break which is very important. I do not like the automatic atv's for real work, mine shifts via button on handlebar. in first gear its a ton of power and slow. going down a steep hill in 1st gear it was darn near come to a complete stop, kind of like your 4 low in a truck.
I have ITP mud lites on it with heavy tread and a drop basket for putting all of my gear in it and I would highly recomedn this. I have a cabelas ATV trailer too. here is the pic.

 

[thinkxingu]

Hey There,
I notice Yamaha makes a 400 and 450 Grizzly/Big Bear: will the 400 with standard transmission be as peppy as the 450 with automatic transmission? Specifically, is there some HP loss with automatics?

S

 

[Henz]

I do not know, but Iwould test them to see what the low range is. The standard could have more pulling power. Aslo, like i ahve stated, check engine braking

 

[forvols]

I have a 2005 Honda Foreman 500/ES/on demand 2wd or 4wd, with 27"mudlites. No other mods...It is pretty stout. Never had an issue with it, and about always amazed at where I get it and just how much work this thing can do( mainly towing/dragging).
Lots of good ATVs out there. I can without reservation recommend the FOREMAN 500.

 

[cre73]

I think any mentioned will work for you, I am partial to my Polaris 600. I have put it in some situations where I think I used every bit of power it had. The only thing that bothered me about your question was moving a camper, almost any camper will have to much tongue weight for a four wheeler.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I have a Yamaha Kodiak with a button selectable 4 wd. Starts easily and works great. The only problem I have had is trying to climb the big hills around here with a trailer full of wood when there is snow / ice on the ground. I imagine better tires would help, but for the most part it will just take better weather. I have 2 trailers, one is a 4 by 8 foot trailer. on not too steep a ground in will pull a huge load of wood without a problem. The Grizzlys are more powerful but I understand they are harder to manuver on the trails.

 

[Jamess67]

Here is what my 450 Yamaha Wolverine will do.

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[thinkxingu]

cre73, it would only be a tent trailer (pop-up), which has a tongue weight of 100 pounds or so.
I liked seeing that Wolverine in action--I'll have to check out YouTube for more vids.

S

 

[WoodMann]

So many variables that it's just about impossible to give you a shot from the hip recommendation. When I was looking for a 4x4 ATV in 2007 I sure drooled over the 700cc V-twin Prairie; but maintenance enginewise steered me to single cylinder. I entertained the 300cc Prairie, but concluded with it having the same engine as my Dad's Lakota with even more docile camshaft it wouldn't be feasable with the extra 150lbs of heft to lug around. What I untimately went with and I'm sure glad I did, the 400cc Prairie has the cajones to get me tru the accumulated snow as well as tug that wagon full of wood (they say it can hold it's own up against a 700 in the mud). And yeah- it's full time 4wd but in my climes that's fine.
As to the transmissions, a manual will allow you to employ engine braking to a greater degree, yes I entertained Yamaha's and their CVT systems are superior. My personal preferance it CVT because there's no shifting and when plowing thru snow momentum is not lost...........

 

[thinkxingu]

Well, it looks like it doesn't matter too much for now: 4-wheel drive/utility quads seem to fetch a much better re-sale than sport quads, which means we're looking at around $4K for a decent used one. New looks to be around $6K, so I'll probably end up going new in a year or so.

For now, it looks like I'll be replacing my Rolex Sea-Dweller (sold four years ago for our house downpayment) with an Omega Seamaster. I'd like the automatic, but I can't justify the price ($1k more) or inaccuracy (I'm a teacher who lives by 'the bell') so I'll be getting the quartz. Black face, steel band. And I need to buy it now because the price increases $250 or so in the next month.

Sa-weeet!

S

 

[fyrwoodguy]

i love my bombardier traxter max 2 passenger.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o8/WILLIAMFGREENE/conwaylakelot005.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o8/WILLIAMFGREENE/conwaylakelot045.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o8/WILLIAMFGREENE/FORREST015.jpg
go light and go often, go heavy on easy flat ground.

 

[MNBobcat]

I professionally evaluate and review ATVs. Honda's are the most bullet-proof and reliable of any ATV made. However, Honda utility ATVs ride like a tractor. The Yamaha Grizzly rides like a lumber wagon. The Polaris ATVs are fun to ride but have too much body roll in the corners for my taste and they have weird things break.

I would highly recommend taking a look at the Kawasaki Brute Force. Punch the throttle and it will easily loft the front-end. It has push-button 4wd and handles like a dream. Sporty enough to ride fast yet is a real workhorse, too.

 

[thinkxingu]

MNBobcat, thanks for the quick breakdown--I had seen a couple Brute Force postings on Craigslist but had assumed they were knock-off brands. I'll look a bit more closely, now.

S