I'm ready to purchase an Arctic Cat 500 for general farm use - hauling a trailer, skidding logs, carrying equipment back into the woods, etc. The terrain is hilly and there are creeks to cross.

I always thought I would need a manual transmission, but lately have been thinking that an automatic would serve my needs just as well. I recently used an AC 500 auto in Canada in snowy conditions where I bogged down in deep wet snow when I'd accidently gotten two wheels off the main trail. I was able to winch myself out w/o problems.

I don't know if I would have been better off in those circumstances with a manual transmission. I won't have deep snow to contend with in Ohio, but I will be in some mud and rough terrain at times.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

i have the manual 500 and i do fine with the situations your talkin about. in some cases it would work better for me to put the bike in low and 2nd or 3rd gear to start off and it does fine. on the other hand the autos are built to last. and that is what im getting next. except it will be the 700

 

I prefer an Auto for many reasons... The main reason is that you will never be in the wrong gear... and you will only have to contend with high and low range....
As far as I am concerned the Auto will pull and haul just as well as a manual... the manual still has an auto clutch...
The Auto trans will always have you in the correct power band for your engine... never lugging or over-reving...
Some say that the manual is better for going down hill with respects to back pressure but the auto trans does a very good job and I have never encountered an issue with back pressure with my auto trans... I would not have anything but auto trans but the final decision is up to you....
As a final note... my 400 auto will out pull my friends Honda 500 foreman (his can be used as an auto or manual). I help him yard trees out of the woods for fire wood. I do have a slight advantage with more aggressive tires but the auto trans works well...

 

Auto's are proned to be water damaged when submerged, (belt) will need adjusting periodically & changed....Not to metion noise transfer is louder on auto's. Never heard of a manual's gears slipping during water crossing like is mentioned in every testing of auto's. All in all I don't see the advantage of auto's vs manual's. Only more visits to the dealership for service.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: JTY2K

Auto's are proned to be water damaged when submerged, (belt) will need adjusting periodically & changed....Not to metion noise transfer is louder on auto's. Never heard of a manual's gears slipping during water crossing like is mentioned in every testing of auto's. All in all I don't see the advantage of auto's vs manual's. Only more visits to the dealership for service.</end quote></div>

I have never once had a problem with water or slipping. The adjustment you are talking about is a deflection adjustment and to the best of my knowledge it is only for the 650 and up, which you can do yourself in just a few minutes. Don't make it sound like the machine will spend it's entire life in the shop.
If someone feels that they may have an issue then you can simply remove the side cover and put a bead of silicone and then put the cover back on. My air vent for the transmission is up high close to the gas tank and I have gotten water in the case but there was no slipping and the water did not cause a problem.

 

(Buckaroo50) I can pull out a couple of issues of magazines of ATV's with auto trannies that were proned to water issues during testing. I've never read about any manual shifting atv slipping due to water crossing... Facts are facts & auto's are more at risk for water slippage than manuals. Just like you said; using silicone to fix the problem... I rest my case. If I sound like I'm a manual shift type of guy. I'm guilty as charged......

 

The belt housing intake and the air box intake are sisde by side up high under the front plastics near the handle bars , if you get water in the belt housing intake you'll also get water in the air box and drown the engine as well !

The manual shift has the same air intakes as the autos , so if you get water in the air intakes you'll also drown the engine on the manual model as well as with the auto ; you can modifi the snorkels and bring them through the plastics to keep water out !......

 

The modern autos (AC anyway)are not water prone. They are sealed up very well. Thats a lot of BS. I would get an auto anyday. I have stood on my seat and not taken in water.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: JTY2K

(Buckaroo50) I can pull out a couple of issues of magazines of ATV's with auto trannies that were proned to water issues during testing. I've never read about any manual shifting atv slipping due to water crossing... Facts are facts & auto's are more at risk for water slippage than manuals. Just like you said; using silicone to fix the problem... I rest my case. If I sound like I'm a manual shift type of guy. I'm guilty as charged......</end quote></div>

Maybe someone may have had a problem at one time. But you make it sound like the AC auto would spend most of its life in the repair shop with high service bills.
As I have stated I have never had a water issue and I know a lot of people that have AC auto's and to the best of my knowledge none have had issues either.
I would not own a manual and you may just find that most people that have had manuals and switched over to auto's won't go back to manual's. I see no benefit of a manual. I see more people that have manuals either over-reving the engine, stalling etc etc.... and getting stuck more, because of unskilled abilities to be in the correct gear.
It is well known that most of the writers bash AC and bash auto's, so you may want to rely on people that have them and used them everyday to base your decisions on - this is why they have these message boards. Who are you going to believe, someone that has had a specific machine for years or a writer that has spent only a few days on a specific model.... they write to sell magazines!!!!! Think about that.....

DO YOU EVEN OWN AN AC? - I see a listing for a Yamaha, CanAm, etc but none for AC, if you are going to comment at least know what you are talking about first hand and not from hear say or from a writer that has a sole intent of selling magazines.

I stated that IF an issue developed then it could be a simple fix with silicone and not hundreds of trips to the shop with hundreds of dolllars spent. Tube of silicone is probably less than $5.00.

Those articles you are talking about - were they about Yahama auto's or CanAm auto's - lol....

 

I have a 2003 AC 500 TRV that is an automatic (its my wife's machine) with nearly 10,000 miles on the original belt. I have routinely had it in water up to the bottom of the seat. The belt has never slipped nor gotten wet.

I also really like to plow snow with it inthe winter due to one lever forward/reverse shifting and have not had an issue with it sucking in power either.

I also have a 2003 400 manual that I have over 12,000 miles on on the original clutch that has been in water up to the seat with no problems. I plow snow with this machine in the winter as well and have not had any issues other than it is harder to shift from forward to reverse as you are required to use your foot and move the shift lever with your hand.

I have towed in my trailers behind both machines many many loads over lots of different types of ground and I would say beyond a doubt the AC400 or AC500 auto tranny is the way to go. I am not sure about the nwer models but the older auto's are the Suzuki duramatic.

The only sealing I did was putting dielectric grease on the electrical connections. sealing has not been an issue for me.

I would go with an AUTO for the uses you have described.

SJ