Hello All,
This is my first post on this forum. I am an ATV newbie and have decided to buy a mid-size (or larger) ATV for my 80 acres. I will be putting a 16-26 gallon rackmount sprayer on it and using it to tend fence most of the time but will probably do some light trail riding and hunting with it as well.

I was all set to buy a Honda Foreman because I have a long history of good experiences with their cars, motorcycles, and outboards. They also seem to get pretty good reviews on their ATVs for light farm work. Then I had a buddy tell me that I ought to check into Arctic Cat so I've started doing a little research. I've been very impressed so far with the how committed AC seems to be to providing real utility for the working ATV crowd.

Are any of you guys using the 500 or 650 Arctic Cats for light farm work? Care to share your experiences with me? I'm going to be buying new so I'm most interested in the more recent models.

 

My buddy has a H1, uses it for misc light work. As far as power goes, it's way overkill for what he uses it for and how he rides. Mechanically it has been very good, just had the exhaust bolts wiggle out so the header pipe came loose. The 500 is a solid machine that has been proven many times to be a good worker. Both the 500 and 650 are definitely work taking a good hard look at.

Honda's are reliable as hell, but I don't care for their tranny nor their suspension. It's personal taste, so get to the dealerships and take them for a test.

 

I have an 06 400 and use it to pull trees, dump carts, thatcher, disk slicer etc. and never have a problem. I do wish I went with a 500 to get that little bit of extra power for speed on trails. The AC will not win a speed contest, but has great low end power to get through mud and pull equipment. Keep looking at other posts becuase there are many AC riders who use their ATV for farming everyday. AC also has the 3-point hitch system which you could probably use on your farm.

 

welcome to the forum and my parents have honda's which are a good reliable machine and i got my cat. out of the two the cat works out alot better on the farm for farm work. the honda is very rough riding where my cat soaks the bumps up with ease. with the mrp rack you can put alot of attachments on it to help you out with all your chores. it doesn't sound like you need a 650 unless you really need the power to go through mud and to put oversized tires on. for what your needs are i think a 400 or a 500 would be great choices.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. I think I'll have to take a closer look at the AC 500.

 

Make sure you let us know what quad you end up getting.

 

I have a 02 400i manual, with the manual and the high low, you can sure make it into a work horse, but like they say you wont get no trophies with the speed but with working it you would

 

Can anyone recommend an Arctic Cat dealer in the Oregon area? I live in Washington but my local AC dealer has a pretty poor rep and I'd like to save on the sales tax. Which leads to my next question. What sort of regular maintenance is needed on these and are they pretty user serviceable?

One thing I dislike about the Hondas is that they need regular valve adjustments. It always amazes me that Honda hasn't figured out how to incorporate self-adjusting valves like everyone else.

 

I don't think that you would regret going with AC. When and if the time comes that you need to work on it, they are pretty easy to work on, by comparison. And they are relatively low maintenance.

They are big, heavy and strong (in class about 100lbs heavier - so you know that they are not made of beer cans), and I feel they are very, very reliable. The Suzuki engines are every bit as reliable as Honda or for that matter any offerings.

Personally I like the CVT transmission over the Honda auto. I help my friend haul wood and my 400 pulls just as good as his Honda. I have an edge in the tire department so if it is a little muddy or slick I do better. When we trail ride together, he don't try to outdo the AC anymore because he knows that I'll win.

My best friend has a Honda and wanted me to do a tune up, change oil etc... Tell you what - to get at the top of the engine to adjust the valves - I had to go into the house and get out my dictonary of 'swear words' because I ran out of my own.

 

Does the automatic CVT transmission with EBS (engine braking system) work pretty well in using engine compression to keep the load off the brakes on downhill grades? Is there any reason not to get the auto tranny over the manual?