I just purchased a 2003 Yamaha Big Bear 400. The quad is in very good shape.

I am just inquiring about the reliability of this model. Any problems that have been brought up or is this a pretty solid ATV?

i am going to use it to plow some snow, light trail riding and general yard work...

Anything i should have looked at?

 

cograts! i think it is a very reliable quad - should serve you well for many years. This is a great site for info on maintenance and mods. Be safe and enjoy the new ride.

 

I have the same quad, It seems it has constant problems, but I beat on it alot and im sure you'll have problems with any quad if you beat on them. I had to have the engine rebuilt a year ago at only about 800 miles. The cheap 4wd switch button broke. It leaks front diff. fluid because the bearings inside are bad. The rear brake drum went bad and would freeze in the winter so I totally disconnected it so I dont have rear brakes. Those are the problems I can think of right now.

 

This one seems to be solid. Plan to put a plow on it. Got a question, is installing a plow hard to do?

I have a kodiak that has a plow and i have two mounting holes under the foot well. I don't have these on the Big Bear. How do you attach the plow ? the BB has a winch too.

 

Our 2003 Big Bear has been running perfect for over 3500 miles, and never a problem. This is Arizona so we virtually never see any mud or water, but we do see rugged, rocky, and dusty trails, and have ridden hard with temperatures over 110 degree's without a studder. My only complaints are that it can be a bit tippy, and could use a high range as the top speed is a little low, but overall I can't complain.

 

The big bear is a great quad I have known a lot of people with them and rarely a complaint here in arkansas and we have just about every kind of ridding.

 

To attach the plow, I have a mounting plate.
Two U-bolts go over the frame of the big bear (1 on the left, 1 on the right), then the mounting plate has holes for the U-bolts to go into and it is tightened with nuts.