I am buying a new ATV to use plowing snow from my 400' driveway with incline and 6 acres in Northern Idaho. Will also use it to explore the huge forest behind my house (on trails).

The Rubicon I'm looking at is offering me a slightly larger engine and automatic transmission where as the Foreman has power steering and ES. I can't afford the Rubicon with EPS.

I'm leaning toward the Foreman only because of the Power Steering. Please let me know what you guys think. Also, can I add an aftermarket seat so I can ride with a passenger?

Thanks,

 

Personally from my expierence Honda ES quads suck. The sensors go out way to much, you go through some water and your quad wont start again until the sensor is dry. I would go with the Rubicon in my opinion.

 

The thing I like about the Foreman is it has more reliable air/oil cooled motor with two oil cooler, that eliminates a water pump,rad,coolant,rad fan to go wrong.
The 500 Hondas do not push as much hp vs most other 500 utilities do so they can get away with out liguid cooling.

Honda really did de-nut the new foreman its not as hard core of a work horse as the older twin rear shocked Formans were.

Nether is a great choice for plowing though since Honda has no diff lock option like everyone else offers. 4 wheels driving can push more snow than 3.

I think the ES have the bugs out of them , even my old 2001 450 ES Foreman I sold to a fiend never had any ES problems yet.

 

I push snow with a 2-wd John Deere lawn mower that has an open differential with a set of tire chains, either ATV will do just fine.

As long as both front tire have similar traction they're both going to spin, it's when one has no traction that its the one that spins.

I'd buy the Rubicon if it was me but then mine has been an excellent ATV, even if it only has 3 1/2 wd.

 

the power steering would be nice and you can buy an aftermarket trunk that will accommodate a passenger

 

someone is obviously biased toward polaris , Honda 4X4s are the best for pushing snow because they have real transmissions, you also won't have to worry about your cvt belt getting wet and stopping you in your tracks. I'd go with the rubicon personally. Little more power, better trans for work and play and it has a liquid cooler. When you are pushing snow all day the bikes get hot and lose a little power without a radiator. Both bikes are great for what you are describing though. Rubicon has about 33 bhp while a sportsman 500 has 35 and the sportsman is a lot heavier so there isn't a real difference in power

 

Those are both really nice machines but you will be alot happier with the rubicon over the years with the added power and liquid cooling.

 

I have an 09 Rubicon. Test rode both the foreman and Rubicon. Bought the Ruby. I plow snow trail ride, use it for pulling stuff. No regrets. I would buy another one.

 

I have a 07 Rubicon that is in my opinion...a work horse!

I use mine for all the work around the place, from hauling bags of cement loaded on the racks to pulling a 16 ft trailer loaded with lumber as well a riding trails on my wife's 230 acres of land.

As for power steering, I don't need it as my Rubicon steers just fine in 2wd, which is what I drive in mostly. In 4wd, I could see where it would come in handy, especially at slow speeds through really rough terrain.

 

I know of guys that plow snow with 420 Ranchers with no problems, so I would think that either a Foreman or Rubicon could do the job. Definitely wouldn't want a belt-drive CVT tranny when I'm pushing snow---even without diff lock a gear-driven tranny will push more snow without burnt belts.