I am going to purchase an Artic Cat 500 HO or 700 EFI. I had been looking at several brands and I know this is a little goofy coming here and asking if this is the best machine but I figure you guys know better than anyone. I had it down to the Polaris Sportsman and the maybe the one of the Hondas. We hunt in the UP of Michigan and it gets really cold. So I want one that starts on cold days.

This reason I am asking is we want to use it to pull a disk and other items for planting food plots. Can these Artic Cats handle the pulling and is it going to hold up. Several folks say go with the Honda oil based transmissions. We are not speed racers, more of the use would be hard pulling of logs and clearing brush and maybe pulling one of those mowers.

Then some say go with the King Quad. I am certainly no ATV expert so any help would be appreciated. The Artic Cat accessories seem really nice and they many of the things we want.

Thanks, Ranchdog

 

Belts arn't the best when you REALLY put the power to them. I checked out the Cats before I bought the Bomb. They look like they are very well built. Nice strong frame that's for sure. That being said I would go with the Honda or Bombardier.
I have a Bomb Traxter and it is second to none for work. There are better rides out there for trail riding ect, but not for work IMHO. The Traxter is a true gear to gear unit.
I don't know how big of a disk you are talking about, but pulling a disk is more of a tractor job rather than an ATV job. The Traxter would do all of the jobs that you mentioned.
PS- I have no axe to grind with any make and am not brand loyal. I have a Bomb, a Kaw. and a Yamaha. They all have there place.

Here is another thread if you are interested.
Bomb talk

 

Thanks DoctorTurbo,

Which model of the Bombardier are you suggesting then. I looked on this website so could you look at the link and I guess you are talking about the gear on gear model since there are several CVT models of the Traxter. Thanks for you help.

http://www.bombardier-atv.com/en-US/...ter/Models.htm

Thanks Ranchdog

 

Ranchdog I have a Traxter 500. Bombardier changed the name of the Quest 650 (a belt drive) to a Traxter 650. The only gear to gear is still the 500.
One other drawback of this quad is the price. They are expensive!!!!! If you are really going to work this quad, this is a great machine. If you are not going to work the quad super hard then, (insert any quad brand) will work just fine in 95% of the cases.
I would go to a dealer and check them out. Then go look at some other quads and see what you think.
In any case let us know what you get. Good luck and have fun with your new quad.

 

First I'd like to say I own a Rubicon with the hydraulic tranny... and for hard work.. it can't be beat. I too had the same concerns about belt drives versus under load. I know they are space age material now, but I see a bunch of them getting replaced all the time.... As for food plot maintenence, there are a lot of tools out there that are designed specifically for ATV use and food plot maintenence.. so the ability to handle such devices should not be a major concern. In many cases they call for a 350 cc and above. Also, they resemble the same tools that used to be used on 2wd garden tractors, and my Rubicon is way more powerful than my garden tractor used to be. I guess you have to consider economy of scale.. and size it to the right job....

I can't say for sure if the Cats will be OK or not... but what I don't hear is a lot of people choosing them for this kind of work. That in itself is telling.