There is only one machine that i know of that will pass "the 3 wheel test" and that would be the king quad. There isnt any other machine that you can lock the front diff off the show room floor, so stop trying to do something that it simply will not do . Just my 2 cents

 

my old sportman 400 and my current traxter will!

 

My own personal experience...

I have not done this test as described, per se, but have a real world experience that confirms that the 2001 AC 500 4x4 has the right stuff.

I was going down the southern border of my 36 acre woodlot and came across a fallen tree. Didn't have my chainsaw on me, and it was too big to winch out of the way. So I tried going over it. Climbed up easily, then high centered on the trunk. I shifted weight so the front axle would go down. But the ground on the other side wasn't even. Only the front right tire was touching the ground. I blipped the throttle and three tires spinned. After a second or two of spinning, the front differential engaged and the one tire with purchase on terra firma grabbed and pulled the whole ATV and my 300lb butt forward until the other front tire grabbed too, and then easily pulled the whole package over the tree.

The front diff takes awhile to engage, but once it does, it is there. I kinda like it because the 99% of the time that you don't need a locker, it isn't there and doesn't impede steering.

 

I have done the 3-wheel test with a Rancher and it flew of the blocks. Looks like it works for me.

with even weight and tracion all 4 wheels spin on all 4x4s, in my own tests.

 

Of course they do. Thats not the deal here though. Not every place that you go is flat or even.

 

Yukon Ron,
I have a 1998 Arctic Cat 500 and I live in Alaska, and hunt north of Tok, AK. We pull heavy meat trailers also probably in the same terrain you are hunting in. I have some pictures you can look at, here is the address: http://photos.yahoo.com/alaskanmoose2000
It will give you an idea what types of pulling and riding we do. My Cat has been doing excellent. I have 27" Vampires on it, they do very well up here. One of those pics will show me winching out a 600 Grizz out of a hole I had just went through with no problems. Total weight we where hauling in per 4 wheeler was probably 1500lbs. Hope this helps with your decision.

 

Irichard:
Just checked out your pics. Congrats on a nice moose. (Didn't get mine this year, but had fun trying.)
Your hunting conditions look much the same as mine, so I'm glad to hear your Cat is up to the task. I'm sure the Cat is a great bike, and its still at the top of my list even without a locker.(still keeping an eye on the Rubicon though). I just want to be sure I get the best for my money and don't want to find out later that I missed something. Sorry to keep goin on about this front diff thing. I guess I'm spoiled by the Polaris 4wd. I don't winch my friends out, I drive right in behind them, fully loaded, and push them out the other side! It will pass the 3-wheel test and I have driven out of mud holes with 2 wheels (1 front and 1 back) in the air. The belt drive sucks though and the steep downhills are just too scary.When My wife and I bought our Polarises we were mostly recreational trail riding, and they have been great for that (aside from the repair costs). Since I have started hunting though my demands have gone up and I seem to be running rougher terrain with bigger loads. It's time to trade up.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your info here. It is very helpful. Keep it up.

 

You mentioned getting the best machine for your money. Arctic Cat is that machine. Very dependable machine, and probably one of the cheapest. I snow plow with mine also and have never had anything go wrong with it. Lots of torque, comfortable, and stable on the hills. As you can tell I really like my machine.
Oh, better luck on your next hunt.
Larry

 

Andy,
I'm just now reading an older post of yours and I have come up with a solution to our mutual problem, and provide the most rider control you can get. I have ordered a brake fluid reservior for the left side of my Griz. I have looked closely at the brake lines, and it will be a piece of cake to separate them. When I get the reservoir for my left side I'm going to separate my front brakes so that I have independant front brake control. Then I can decide which wheel will get the traction that I need to get through whatever I might be in at the time. While doing this I can retain the limited slip front dif for easier steering, and extended cv life, as well as true 4 wheel engine braking when decending a steep hill, and still put it in 4WD for the easier stuff. Then if I slip one side I can just grab that brake and send traction to the opposite wheel! It means that I will have to grab both front brake levers to stop my quad, but that is something I can get used to easily enough. Then you and I can keep our rock solid dependable quads and have the traction that we need at the same time. Plus its alot cheaper then buying a whole new quad that isn't excatly what we want, but it has all wheel drive.

Rick

 

This will not work on an Arctic Cat cause it has a single brake lever. If does this he will lose the rear brakes.

All he has to do is go to ATVMasters.com and do the locker that Niteowl came up with and he has it made.