I am either going to buy a rubicon or a 450s. We will use it 90% for work. It will be used a lot in the summer months as a weed sprayer. When spraying weeds you are in the lowest gear going very slow. It will also be used a lot to pull a "plot master" (a farm implement for an atv that plows, seeds and covers in one pass), and the rest of the time just running around the ranch, pulling trailers, etc. We currently have a 93' 400 griz, we haven't had many problems with it but when we are spraying it gets really hot, I think too hot. Since the 450s isn't liquid cooled I am wondering if I will have the same problems with the 450s on a 100 degree day, or is the engine better designed to help keep it cool? I like the rubicon because it is liquid cooled and the fact that you can change from manual to automatic, but I have heard some negatives about the transmission in the rubicon. Any would appreciate any comments.

thanks

ps we have a lot of creeks and swampy areas if that makes any difference on which machine to get

 

Rubicon is an awsome quad. It has more ground clearance and bigger motor(duh). We have both an 04 ForeMan ES and a 02 Rubicon. No problems out of either one except for the shifter on the Rubi will freeze stuck sometimes in the VERY coldest days, we do alot of farm work in the hot summer sun 90 degrees plus with no overheat problems the electric fan seems to do a good job on the ForeMan. When it comes to pulling things we always go to the ForeMan it just seems to be more of a "work horse" than the Rubicon. The Rubicon for me has to many controls and levers to use. The ForeMan you just get on and go.
1st gear on the ForeMan is a stump pulling beast TONS of torque that should do you well on the farm it will pull most anything you hook to it. Also the ForeMan has a selectible 2wd-4wd switch so you don't have to be in 4wd all the time on easy trails and easy steering.
Rubicon is awsome but for working you can't beat a ForeMan.
Mike

 

You honestly can't go wrong with either machine. They're both kick-@$$ workers. If you're willing to splurge a little bit, I'd go for the Rubi, but maybe that's just cause I have one. I have ridden a 450 countless times and do like the features you've both mentioned on the Rubi like liquid cooling, better ground clearance, etc. The downside is the full-time 4x4, but I'm currently having a Warn 424 installed as we speak to counter this. Hey Duster, how do you like those 26" Mudlites? I'm thinking of putting the exact same size on my Rubi.

 

I have both and both are great workers,but if your going to use it for 90% work get the 450.I have used both of mine hard for farm work and when it comes to spraying fence rows the 450 is great,the super low first gear is lower than the rubi which is great for low speed utility work.I wired a on/off fan switch on both and actually the 450 runs cooler than the rubi does,but neither one runs hot.So I say get the 450 since you will be using it like a tractor most of the time.

 

Both would fit the bill. I'd go with the 450 for ease of maintainance and it's simplicity.

 

Thanks for the input I think I will go with the 450. From what I am gathering from your comments the oil cooler on the 450 must work pretty well. Hey farmking is there an after market kit that allows you to switch the fan on or did you just rig up a generic switch?Text

thanks again

 

Hey Redgoblin;
The MudLites are AWSOME, only a couple mph loss in top speed but the serious traction more than makes up for it. I had them installed on my factory rims and they look great, the aluminum c-series rims look killer but the extra $300 they cost I can put it towards something else. I didn't buy my ForeMan to look pretty I bought it to work and play in the mud. The MudLites ride like a factory tire but get's serious in the nasty stuff. We had ITP's 589's on our last atv's and they were too aggressive and too heavy, rutted out our trails really bad over time. Go with the 26" MudLite's you won't regret it!!
Mike

 

The Foreman 450 is a minitank built for chores. When Honda first came out with the Rubicon, they advertised how to keep it down to 600 pounds, it was put on a weight reduction program. If you look underneath, you will see the Foreman 450 is slightly beefier. That said, the plus for the Rubicon is the hydrastatic transmission. It is a great transmission.

I agonized between the two before I bought the Foreman 450ES. What I liked in the Foreman was the TraxLoc, the ability to easily switch between 2WD and 4WD on the fly. I can do donuts in 2WD and farm chores in 4WD and all I have to do is move my thumb. Either one is great.

 

I vote for the 450, but maybe that's just because I have one. It seems to be more than capable of handling anything I throw at it.