Hello, my family is looking for a new quad for our property. We currently have a old worn out 2006 prairie 360 4x4 that we acquired a few years ago that has proved to be useful but it is time to upgrade. Our next quad will be used to plow our 1/2mile long driveway in the winter, haul firewood out of the woods, move trailers, put hay out for horses and other utility related activities. So far we know we want Power-steering, Independed rear suspension and a diff lock would be a nice plus, on the prairie 360 we use it often. This quad must be comfortable for my older parents and absorb the rough New England terrain well, as well as be able to shift from forward to reverse easily, it will rarely go over 25mph but must be able to tow a lot of weight easily. Right now we are locked between the Rancher DCT EPS and the Rubicon DCT EPS.The rincon I sorta eliminated because it does not have power steering and has a really high first gear from what I hear. Which one of theses quad fits the bill the best? How do theses compare to a yamaha grizzly or the kodiak?

 

We sell quads to UK farmers, and I would not advise an auto Honda. Try one, the earlier incarnation, used on the circa 07 to 14 420 was horrible and, though the new 420/500 autos are better, the manual box with auto override is a bad idea. Save yourself some money, and buy the cheaper and less complex 420/500 ES models. As for IRS, we have only sold a couple of Hondas with it, but I don't think there is much difference in ride between the swinging arm model and the IRS one. The IRS on the Suzuki King Quad is a fake, as the anti-roll bar has been set so strong that the rear end is not independent at all, I would guess ATV makers have found that, on a Quad, which has to cope with side slopes and rough ground, the bike's frame needs to follow the angle of the back wheels or you get excessive roll. Having said that, the 500 King Quad is a much better Auto than the Honda, smooth, quiet and reliable, except the anti-roll bar tears the frame apart, you can't win!

 

Greetings nickvarcco, here you are again. Thank merryman for his excellent assessment of the Honda machines. He certainly knows what he is talking about. Surprisingly, Honda has fallen behind some compared to the other Japanese brands.

Expand your search to find the right machine for your farm.

David

 

The Hondas don't have a very high tow rating either. The 475cc engine in the Rubicon and Foreman is down on power compared to other quads in this class. The Outlander 450L I mentioned in the other post makes 38 hp compared to 28 hp for the Honda and has a much higher tow rating and costs less. Actually, every other quad made by everyone else costs less than a comparable Honda. You can get more features and more power for less money buying anything else. The new Hondas, especially the dct auto ones, have a lot of electronics controlling the transmission. Once the machine gets out of warranty, it could mean a costly repair bill if something does go wrong in the transmission. Everyone else uses a simpler but effective belt drive cvt auto system. The only maintenance usually required is replacing a belt that costs around $100 and they last usually 3000 miles or more.

 

greg74: Thanks for you review of the Honda utility ATVs. You have taught me a lot about the various ATV brands. Appreciate it.

David