What are you riding

[-JR-]

I am looking for an atv for hunting ,so far I looked at a
2008 Polaris 500 Ho on sale for $6,999.
1986 fourtrax 350 ,under 1000km for $2500.
My hunting has changed alot ,from going out every weekend to only one sold week every year.


What are you guys riding and what would you stay away from.

I stay away from Polaris,since in my experiences,they are the most likely atv to break down and they require more maintenance.They ride very smooth,but they are too heavy,and have too many moving parts compared to other atvs.I find Honda and Yamaha to be the most reliable quads.

[*savage270*]

i would stay away from honda,just make sure you go with something with a independent rear suspension makes a world of difference and you dont get stuck nearly as easy

i would stay away from honda,just make sure you go with something with a independent rear suspension makes a world of difference and you dont get stuck nearly as easy

An independent rear suspension will provide a smoother ride and in an unloaded machine,more ground clearance.However when you load up a machine with an independent rear suspension,the suspension sags which greatly reduces ground clearance.With a solid rear axle,the ground clearance at the rear differential is constant as load is added.I also find machines with a solid rear axle more stable on side hills when heavily loaded. Since the original poster mentions that the quad is to be used for hunting,one can reasonable assume that it will be used to haul out animal carcasses,and will be heavily loaded at times.
By the way,there is a honda model with independent rear suspension that rides as smoothly as the other manufacturers if you really want independent rear suspension.

[*savage270*]

2008 Polaris 500 Ho on sale for $6,999.

yeah i would still go with a polaris or kawasaki,and your point on a sidehill the straight axle would be more stable,welll cantt see it,see that if youu have independent rear the side that is up higher will squish up and the side that is down with stretch out

[243 Killer]

An independent rear suspension will provide a smoother ride and in an unloaded machine,more ground clearance.However when you load up a machine with an independent rear suspension,the suspension sags which greatly reduces ground clearance.With a solid rear axle,the ground clearance at the rear differential is constant as load is added.I also find machines with a solid rear axle more stable on side hills when heavily loaded. Since the original poster mentions that the quad is to be used for hunting,one can reasonable assume that it will be used to haul out animal carcasses,and will be heavily loaded at times.

Hit the nail on the head! Atv's with IRS have way less stability because the the atv's weight shifts to the side that is on the down hill side because it is gravity. The suspension will sag more on that side greatly increasing the risk of tipping. I have a King Quad 700 and you can definitely tell that it wants to tip on side hills. My old Quadrunner 500 on the other hand was harder to tip over than a car.

and your point on a sidehill the straight axle would be more stable,welll cantt see it,see that if youu have independent rear the side that is up higher will squish up and the side that is down with stretch out

Just the opposite happens.As the atv is leaned over sideways,the center of gravity shifts,and more weight is carried by the lower wheels of the atv.As such,the suspension on the lower side compresses more,not less.

[Rust]

I bought a used polaris and have had a few problems with it. My dad has the same quad and has had no problems with it. Several of his friends have The polaris' and seem to like them. SO It is anyones guess really. But if I could get a new bike I would go buy a CAN-AM.
Good luck

[sirmike68]

I believe most of the big manufacturers with the exception of Honda are going to the CVT belt drive system. They all can't be wrong. Honda's are great until you load them up and the tranny oil starts to get hot then you loose all of your pulling power. CVT's don't.

[*savage270*]

there all good
but honda seems to be a little bit lost in the past

[lilsundance]

Originally Posted by *savage270*

but honda seems to be a little bit lost in the past

They might be stuck in the past, but for reliability they are miles ahead of the rest.

[packhuntr]

Yea, the honda's seem pretty tough, least any ive been around(not many). My dad bought the new Suzuki for running bear bait, and we seemed to get along ok with her, though she is new. Hes had it coming a couple years now, and we have officially broke 30km on the thing bear hunting. Sits the rest of the year..... Im thinking about an Argo Avenger for my machine, if and when i do go for it. I like the idea of the capability of more men and equipment with less iron strapped onto the deck of the trailer. Dont know much about them either though.
Has anyone got rid of the quads and went the Argo route, if so how are they working out??

Honda's are great until you load them up and the tranny oil starts to get hot then you loose all of your pulling power.

Then I guess that I must just be lucky because I have hauled out over a dozen elk and moose with my Rubicon,with no problems at all.I have dragged some,and carried others out on the racks,including hauling out an entire cow elk in one load one September.

[lilsundance]

packhunter, when quads first came out I had a Suzuki 185 2wd and a 6 wheel argo with fiberglass cab on it. The argo was a work horse and with the tracks on it the only thing that stopped it was going over a stump in soupy muskeg. (hi centered it) But it was slow and real noisy with the tracks on it. I much prefered the quad over the argo for freedom of movement, agility etc. To this day I still prefer a quad over an argo. ( except in those -20 days. lol)

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I just bought a 2008 kawisaki brute force 650 I 4x4 Camoin color. It made me kinda laugh when I went to go register my quad at the registry the other day asked me what color it was I said camo she said I cant say that well she put dark green , I dont know why there wouldnt be a Camo option.

[sleslie]

I love my camo'd Yamaha Rhino, hauls anything you need in the box, great for 2 people, lots of power, independant suspension, and it'll go anywhere the quads go. I would never go back to a regular quad after having this for the last year now. I did have a kawi brute force 750i before the rhino and i really liked it, maybe a little bit too much quad for the hunter crowd though. If i had to buy another quad i wouldn't look past the yamaha kodiak, i had one a few years ago and it was a really good, comfortable, indestructable machine.

I love my camo'd Yamaha Rhino, hauls anything you need in the box, great for 2 people, lots of power, independant suspension, and it'll go anywhere the quads go.

The Rhino is a nice machine that does have it's advantages,but when riding in muskeg,the extra weight is a handicap compared to a regular quad.

[243 Killer]

Ya and the rhino can't always make it around the muskeg hole through the trees. They are sometimes just a little bit to wide and are forced to go straight through the hole and get stuck. O well at least you have fun doing it!

[duffy4]

Originally Posted by -JR-

I am looking for an atv for hunting ,so far I looked at a
2008 Polaris 500 Ho on sale for $6,999.
1986 fourtrax 350 ,under 1000km for $2500.
My hunting has changed alot ,from going out every weekend to only one sold week every year.


What are you guys riding and what would you stay away from.

Back to the question: I have an old Honda 350 4trax and it has served me well. I use it to haul game out and occasionally move a camp in. I am not a "trail rider" so I am not too concerned about smooth ride, fast exceleration and getting big air off jumps. I just need a work horse that doesn't need to eat hay all year. My Honda does the trick.






Robin in Rocky

[mulecrazy]

I would stick to a solid rear axle Honda if it is gonna be used for hunting only. Like others have said, The suspension sagging will make a big difference. IMO the only time you need the IRS is for a lot of trail riding. In that case I would recommend the 700 Grizz.

[BrownBear416]

[QUOTE=lilsundance;155679]They might be stuck in the past, but for reliability they are miles ahead of the rest.[/QUOTE

I have been a Honda guy forever and have used this same statement more times then i can remember.

In saying that i agree with Savage and feel just the reliability factor is not enough for me to keep buying them.

[Big Bull]

Hey Duffy4, good taste in quads! I just bought a 1992 350 Honda Fourtrax, and had it out for my first ride on the long weekend. I could not believe where that little quad would go.

[Muskeg]

I have a Honda Rincon 680 with IRS.. The first thing to do with any IRS machine used for work is to change out the springs to Highlifter springs all around.
When I went in to buy this quad the dealer actually tried to talk me out of it.. because I would be working it and suggested other Honda work quads but I was committed in having the extra power and knew that Honda doesn't make crap, and I was right. this quad is a work horse.. I'm an operator in the patch and this thing has 4700km on it since bought in Feb 07.. Keep it well maintained with frequent oil changes and valve lashes. and the motor will perform. As for the belt machines.. the other guys are running belts out here in the skag and are having issues.. I've towed my partner back twice and the other guys have had a lot more issues ( they are poor serviceman though) and as for the Argo.. well that thing may get you places the quad won't but the constant worry of them breaking down in the bush and leaving you to walk out is pathetic. just yesterday we put a bunch of kms on it going to a field booster and had almost made it back to the truck.. I'd say 600m to go and started having EFI issues.. I really don't trust those things at all and have had to walk too many times.
Most belt machines are great quads.. you will have belt issues eventually.. thats the way it is.

[Traps]

I would tend to agree with the independent rear suspension being more tipsy on the side slopes. I have the 680 rincon as well and compared to the 87 honda 350 fourtrax that I used to drive it is somewhat unsettling at first on an IRS quad.

As for reliability goes I know have seen the belts slip too often to buy one, especially when towing an animal and going through holes. If the quad gets too hot at least I can turn it off and cool it down as opposed to being stranded.

Muskeg, good to see you on another forum.

[270WIN]

What am I ridin' ? A bay mare, built like a brick sh*t house with as sweet a disposition as you're ever going to find. She'll take me anywhere any quad will go and lots of places they won't.
Oh yeah, and I've got a Honda 350 4Trax which is fun too, but no way would I trade it for my horse.

[heybert]

I hunted with a Suzuki 300 for years (1st IRS ATV). Then got a Yamaha Big Bear which was good, but a full time 4 wheel drive. Then last year, I pick-up a 2003 Arctic Cat 400 with IRS. It's a great workhorse and I did not find it to be tippy. This year, I've upgraded it and got a 2006 400. The ground clearance on the Arctic Cats are great. No worrying about logs on the trail or sagging too low with a load.

[Muskeg]

Originally Posted by 270WIN

What am I ridin' ? A bay mare, built like a brick sh*t house with as sweet a disposition as you're ever going to find. She'll take me anywhere any quad will go and lots of places they won't.
Oh yeah, and I've got a Honda 350 4Trax which is fun too, but no way would I trade it for my horse.

pretty sure your horse won't make it through a few miles of muskeg and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to swim my quad across a river! I'd have to say in either situation we would be walkin home alone!

[glen d.]

I have a 800 Polaris and it is a great machine , the ride is great and the power super. It will go where you don't want to. Although i have not many miles on it. It takes abit to get used to how to ride it . I had a 450 Yamaha and was also a great machine but wanted the bigger machine as the big 800 will go further in most challanges. I have used both for hunting .

[Leverboy]

double post

[Leverboy]

What are you riding

A 32 year old Blond. She runs strong at 130lbs and haven't had any breakdowns in the last 10 years. She does like to shop which can get a little expensive.