Gentlemen what is your rule of thumb for using the Low range? ie. mud depth, trailer towing weight? When crawling over rocks and logs somtimes with inclines or declines? How much do you use the Low range. I currently have a Polaris Sportsmen 335 for the wife, and a 350 Rancher I guess for my other family members and probably by the questions I have been asking you have figured out that I have ordered a 2001 Manual, Green AC500. The auto was very tempting but the trailer towing up and down steep ridges and the water crossings in lakes a beaver ponds nudged me the other way. Well both my honda and Polaris bigots (friends) are looking at me a little funny!! I have yet to understand what makes people buy one type of truck, snowmobile, or ATV and swear by it even when it is riding a little on it's name and less on it's features. The reason they make many different models is there are many different applications, one size doesn't fit all. Hell I would not have even considered the CAT if I hadn't had a chance to ride one in the bush on my hunting trip. My butt really like the ride and the little kid in me loved the power!!! The adventure starts in April when I pick it up. Sorry I started to ramble from my original question, I guess I am already starting to have some fun!!

 

Buckfever:
Looks like you've really done your homework with this one! Don't let your buddies get to you, once they see your new 'Cat in action, they'll probably be singing a different tune, such as "hey, wanna trade for a while?". Heh Heh Heh. I can't comment on the manual myself, but with my 'Auto, I always use low range when towing anything-unless it's a really light, empty trailer on flat ground, or just a single smaller sized log. As for just riding around, it depends on the degree of angle on the hills. For really steep stuff, naturally I'll drop to low range, but slight inclines, usually high range. In mud, if I know it's deep, or if it's a long bog, I always drop to low. Small puddles and such, high is just fine. In the rocks, or in my case-mostly fallen timber-I use low range, as you can really "feather" it better, I feel, which helps to crawl over object a little easier.

Like I said, this is what I do with the Auto. The manual might be slightly different, as you have a gear selection there to choose from, so hopefully that gives at least a general idea.

Best of luck, sorry about the lonnnggggg wait till April!

Mike

 

Well the thing about a manual is that there is no unsaid rules about useing low to make parts last longer. All you have to do is put it in low when you: want more compression braking, need more power, require a very low speed, or what ever.

I was useing low range 1st gear today. I was pulling a walk behind trencher as it dig(it's self prepelled but the ground was making it strain with just diging, then it would just sit there and spin int he wet ground). I didn't need the power, I needed the extremely slow speed. Then I found it still way to high for this application. I would like to have seen if the Arctic Cat 250 4wd would have done better with it's superlow transmission and smaller than 300 tires. The only bad thing is that it would have probally overheated just as many times as the Big Bear 350 4wd and Honda 110 did the previous day before my cat was called in to do the job.

I was told that my cat pulled the trencher ALOT smoother than the Big Bear because of it's low range gearing. I could keep a steady throttle while the Big Bears higher gears required it to start and stop alot more.

 

About the only time I use low range is for throttle control, and that is quite often. Use it mainly for slow speed climbing situations where the slightest jump in speed will cause me to flip over. It basically gives me more confidence in steep situations. I use the low range reverse to back into the truck too. A lot easier to get it up the ramp slowly without having to gun it or anything.