Does any manufactuer make a true 4x4, not this AWD stuff.
I have a Trailblazer 250 that is great. But often times I ride in wooded areas that I cant get alot of speed up to make it through some of the muddy areas. I'm thinking about getting another ATV but this time get one that is a 4x4. I think that it will come in handy alot for me. I'm keeping my TB 250 though. I really like it alot. I just want to get a true 4x4. Thanks

 

all polaris atv's that are 4x4 have tru 4x4.. if i were you id get a SP500... if i ever buy a 4x4 thats prolly what ill get.

 

Polaris is true 4 wheel drive (all 4 tires spinning).

 

I thought polaris had All wheel Drive (AWD) meaning that when power is lost to the back tires it's shifted to the front. Is not true 4x4 when all 4 wheels are pulling regardless if the back tires or sleeping or not. I'm new to this, thats why I'm asking.

 

The Polaris front wheels do not pull unless a loss of traction occurs in one of the rear wheels. If there is a loss of traction then both front wheels pull as well as the rear wheels. At this point in time it is a true 4x4 all wheels pulling. i believe most of the other makers are on a limited slip 4x4 in the front. In that case in some circumstances if one of the front wheels is up in the air, it may be spinning while the other front wheel on the ground isn't pulling. I know that is what Honda uses. I believe some models of Arctic Cat and Kawasaki have a front differental lock switch or lever. So if you activate the switch or lever all 4 wheels are truly pulling. This is my understanding on the matter, i hope this helps. I'm sure there are others that know more about it than I do.

 

The downside with the locker on and it being in 4wd is that steering is really hard. That is the advantage to the Polaris AWD. When power to front wheels is not needed, then it is disengages, allowing you to steer a lot easier then if you were locked in the front and didn't need it. The Kawa. has a lever that locks the front. You have to hold the lever in to keep it locked. The Grizz is a push button. However, the AWD on the Polaris engages so fast that you won't even realize it engaged

 

In addition to what BBS said, mechanically speaking the "locker" systems put a lot of stress on the drive train during a turn as turning requires 1 front wheel to spin faster than the other. I believe a lot of TRX300 owners have found this out after installing the "locker" on their quads, resulting in busted front differentials. The Hillard clutch system that Polaris uses actually allows the faster spinning wheel to "disengage" during a turn.

Just another tidbit of information - Way back in '87, Suzuki came out with the LT4WD 250 that had independant rear suspension, Hi - Low - Super Low ranged transmission, engagable 4WD, and a front differential lock (only usable in 4WD Super Low range) - All the stuff today's "Modern" ATV's are shooting for??

 

I'm not sure that's it accurate to say that the front wheels only receive power if the rears are slipping. It seems to me that the front wheels receive power and both lock when the throttle is held, regardless of whether the rears are slipping or getting traction, and then unlocks the hubs when the throttle is released.

I was playing with my scrambler on a large rock in my yard yesterday and it will climb the rock just fine with one front tire on the rock and the other way in the air, and it does so without tearing up the grass with the rear tires...the rear tires keep their traction and if they didn't my grass would be all torn up and there would be significantly less control of climbing the rock. This thing climbs with very true 4wd.

-Ron-

 

Krash, in a way you are both right...
The action of the Polaris hubs is like a ratchet wrench. If the front wheels need to go faster than the axle (one or both) they are allowed to 'slip' but the instant the axle catches up with or tries to pass the front, it locks. They say it takes 1/5 of a wheel turn to lock. In my opinion, it takes that 1/5 turn the first time after you engage the switch. However, if you leave the 4wd switch on, it will kick in the next time so fast you will never even notice any slip.

Farmr

 

I've seen several articles and heard many people say that Polaris does not have 4x4 in reverse. Just so everyone knows, it locks 4x4 in reverse instantlly regardless if the rear wheels spin.