buying a first atv for use on mountain trails and light work around the property. i am hoping some of you more familiar with these can provide your opinions pros/cons of the 3 i have narrowed down.

2004 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO 4x4

2005 Yamaha Kodiak 4x4 auto (note the 05 now has IRS)

2004 Arctic Cat 400 4x4 auto

I am more familiar with the AC and Yamaha but love what I've read about the Pol. Thanks for your help.

 

Well, It all depends on your personal preference. I went away from Polaris because I couldn't afford the repair bills. I am sure if you got a new one it would be fine, but I am never going to take that chance again. The lost me. The Polaris 500 will obviously have more power then the AC 400 or Kodiak, but it has the bigger engine too. I have no problems with the power of my 400. I plow snow and haul out big game over ruff tundra and can't complain any.

Also, the four wheel drive system on the Polaris is a joke. It won't engage until the rear tires are slipping at 20%. When I shift into 4x4 I do that because I want all tires going. Also, the Sportsman lacks front engine breaking, and that can be very dangerous when going down steep hills. Also, the new AC's do have a front diff locker, and that is a feature I would recomend.

Don't know much about the 05 Kodiak, but you can't go wrong with that one either. It was right up there when I was looking at ATV's. So, my humble opinon would be...

1) Arctic Cat 500 (hey, if you are looking at the Polaris, just check out the Cat!)
2) AC 400 and Kodiak
3) Suzuki Eigar (Even though you didn't put this in there!)
4) Outlander 400 (Pretty good machine, super bad and crappy racks)
5) Polaris 500. (Higher if you can get it with a 2+ year warantee)

Good luck!

 

The polaris 4x4 isn't really a joke. For years, it was second only to the King Quad 300. Its locked when it engages, and pulls better than any limited slip could dream of. Granted, it does have its downfalls, like going downhill and stuff (how do you get wheel slippage going downhill?). But I've heard of how you could trick it into that if you needed it bad enough.

I'm not really trying to defend polaris either,never had one. But they should get some credit for having all front wheels pull and still steer good. I don't know what you mean by front engine braking either. Unless you are meaning the front and rear aren't tied together like a full time 4x4 quad. The polaris has engine braking, but no, it won't react the same as a fully engaged 4x4 system will.

 

Don't get my wrong, I wasn't trying to bash Polaris, they must make good quads or else they wouldn't sell any.
Sorry, by "front engine braking" I meant the front wheels. Polaris's EBS system is the same in 2wd and 4wd, the front tires won't have the engine braking to slow you down, only the rear tires will.

 

Man, those are three good choices. The polaris has a nice ride and will have the most powerful motor, but will be the heaviest. The yamaha kodiak now has IRS, but since it is new, I don't know how it will ride. The AC400 will have the smallest motor of the three, but don't let that fool you. That motor, which I believe is a 376cc suzuki motor, really rocks for it's size. The IRS is very good and rides nice too. Each quad has hi/low tranny, which is always a plus. The 4x4 systems are different though. The polaris is a good system, but I want to be in control of when the machine goes into 4wd. I have seen on two different occations where a polaris broke a drive shaft in the front because the 4wd enguaged too abruptly. But, some polaris guys sware by them. If the AC400 has a locker like the 650, that would be the best. But, overall, I think all three would do you fine. Good luck, let us know what you get.