Signed the paperwork last Friday for my 2012 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. and was told I'd get it Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Finally got it this last Friday after some misunderstandings between myself and my salesman.



Thinking I'll be adding some front and rear racks, and that'll be about it as far as mods go. I have a 60" plow and 2500 lbs. winch. Should be all I need as far as it being a work horse though. This machine will be used in the winter for plowing my driveway and work lot, and every other season as a trail machine. Nothing crazy, just exploring roads that I can't access with my pickup. Also plan on making it street legal with some less aggressive tires so I can ride it to work when I move back into town (January). If you guys have any other ideas for it, let me know. Any places to check online for accessories? New the ATV world

 

Thumb and hand warmers are nice in the winter. And if you drive like I do a brushgaurd will save you some grief. I also got rear-ended by one of my friends. The rear bumper stopped it from causing any damage.

 

X2 By far, my favorite add-ons when I get a new quad. Do a lot of snow riding in NH.

 

Suggestions on thumb/hand warmers? I like the A'ME grips, but not sure if that would be enough. Temps dip down close to -40F some days here, and usually in Jan. we are used to seeing -20's. Definitely will be getting a brush guard at some point. I love how inexpensive some of this name brand stuff is! I'm so used to modding a Chevy pickup and the outrageous prices for such things, lol!

 

If the temp is -40F, just stay inside and don't worry about plowing. The snow will still be there for you when it warms up a little.
I do agree with the others here. Grip and thumb warmers are a must have, as is the front brush guard. I've never had any use for a rear bumper, but to each their own on that.
A set of Maxxis Bighorn tires would set you up perfectly for all your wants and needs. They are the longest wearing atv tire you can buy, but still about the best performing, riding and handling radial tire you can buy for your atv.

 

Congrats Jimmeh, and welcome to the forum.

The SP500 is one good solid ATV. You are going to have some real fun with it I'm sure!

I added the upper rubber deflector to my 60" blade. It really helps keep the snow from flopping over the blade. I also added the metal side deflectors. For my application it works perfectly.

Hope you enjoy your new ride and thanks for the pic!

MT

 

One thing you guys will learn as I post here is that I am a little bit of a picture snob. Here's a couple that I took from my short ride down to the river today.




Really impressed with the ride quality, speed and overall feel of the machine. Can't wait to be able to get the sticker so I can go do a little snow riding!

Oh, talked to my salesman about the racks today. He said normally when a person buys a machine, they offer a 10% discount on accessories, which he told me. Since I only bought the plow and winch, he said he'll give me that 10% on my next couple of purchases. Getting the racks ordered up on Friday (front and rear) and will be getting heated grips and a thumb warmer next pay day. In the spring I'll legalize the machine for street use.

 

Are you get rack extensions that go up to kind of give you a border on your racks?

 

We plowing or doing any slow load work always use low range (Tank mode I call it) the machine is a different animal in low range.

 

Yup, I guess they are rack extensions....I wouldn't call the black flat plastics on the machines racks myself as theirs not much room to strap anything.

Correct me if I am wrong, but when the AWD switch is engaged, should the transmission be in low range? I was riding on a fairly moderate stretch today that required traction to all four wheels and was doing about 10-15 MPH with AWD engaged and low range. Should I not do this? These are questions I forgot to ask the instructor during the course and we didn't really go over that. In fact, we spent most of the course talking about hunting and roaming around on the machines, lol.