I have two acres of property on a hillside - there is no road up to our "cabin." I have a trailer and need to haul road base, wood, dirt, etc. How does the 4X2 compare with the 4X4. Is the Honda a better buy than the Bayou (Kawasaki)?

 

I also haul loads of rock and wood using dual 30 inch X 55 inch long homeade tilt trailers with my 85' ATC200ES with dual range, Let me tell you that 4X4 shines its best when pulling up a hill with dual trailers full of gravel behind you, My 3 wheeler always looses traction even with a sack of 90lb cement on both racks! If I were you I would pick up a 4x4 Forman 400 or 450S because they are built for ulitity use and can handel anything you throw at them.

 

Greetings,

I use my 450ES to haul dirt, fire wood, and other such stuff around our hobby farm. I suspect any of the big utility quads would do a good job of this. However, I'm not sure of the total value of four wheel drive in common utility use. I've had the front drive kick in on a slick mud patch, a log in the woods, or in the snow, but 99% of the time its not a factor. If you have a very rough or steep trail, lots of loose gravel, or snow, then four wheel drive is probably worth it. But now that I have a Recon for comparison, I haven't seen much value in the extra drive.

Also, from your description, I get the idea you may in for a big project (like road building). While the ATV is really a great help with chores, its not going to move a cubic yard of aggregate on every trip up the hill. You may need something bigger to get over the initial infrastructure hump.

 

get the sportsman 6by6 or the ranger, u will never run out of traction on a steep grade.

 

I would go with the 4x4. I bought an 87 350 moto 4 2wd to mow with. After about 2 weeks, I realized that I needed 4wd. Where both of them will go alot of places, it is sooooo much easier to get there in 4wd. Especially on a slope. My brother and I ride both of my quads. Where he has to get a run or really beat it to get up a hill, I can idle, literaly, up the same hill.
I think that for that reason alone, the 4wd is worth it. I think that the 6bys are way over priced and take 2 acres to turn around and the Gator is more or less a golf cart on steroids. Go with the big bore 4x4. Personally, I say Honda Foreman, but the 600 Griz is probably OK too. I think I would stay away from Polaris and AC only because of the independant rear suspension. I think that heavy toung weights give these a fit.

 

Comparing "Honda" vs. "Bayou," I assume you're comparing 300 cc machines, or; 300 to 350 cc ATV's.

I believe your application favors 4X4. The Bayou 300 4X4 has a dual range transmission (unlike the Honda Fourtrax or Rancher), while the Rancher has a larger "350cc" engine.

The Bayou has a swing-axle semi-independent rear suspension, versus the less-agile Honda's uni-shock swing-arm rear.

The Bayou's been in production 12 model years; the Fourtrax even longer, I think; the Rancher is a brand new model.

I don't think you can go wrong with either "Honda" or "Bayou;" pick the one you like better.

Tree Farmer