Personally?
I'd shy away from the Automatic 400 from A/C..They just lack the low end grunt even in low range to pull another ATV out of the serious situations one can find themselves in when they venture out onto a trailway.I dont say this as an OWNER of an A/C, but rather as an observer of situations similer to the above.Other than that,I'd say A/C has some pretty good products on the market TODAY,something that could'nt have been said years ago IMO.Great ground clearance,front lockers,IRS,great low end in the larger CC line-up,all make for a nice ATV today.

 

That's kind of strange - maybe I got lucky. I've been hauling my friends out of the soup since June with my 2003 A/C 400 auto. My list includes: Honda Rincon - (x3) Yamaha Bear Tracker - (x2) Suzuki King Quad - (x1) - complete with a trailer load of firewood. Arctic Cat 300 - (x1) - had his front end up on my back rack to haul him home 17-miles after his front end went hitting a sunken boulder. Honda Rancher - (x2) Honda Rancher - (x1) - towed him home with a strap after he lost all his oil, (11-miles). Yamaha Rhino- (x1) that got swamped in Pittsfield State Forest. Lastly, 2003 Chevy Silverado - (x1) - though in all honesty, I used my Warn and ****** blocks, while strapped to a tree to pull him free from some mud. Some were with my Warn 2500, but many were with just a tow strap.

 

Well good for you.Is your 400 a automatic or 5 speed?I beleive the 5 speed can do it,but I've seen first hand the lack of low end on the automatic 400.

My buddies 400 AC is an automatic and he could'nt even spin his tires to pull out a Rincon from the mud,but I'll admit,this guy was stuck pretty good.

 

Hi folks, I just ran across this thread and I'll throw my 2 cents in. I ride with guys that have AC 400's Auto (year '03 & '05). They are very solid machines. Smooth ride, great power, great clearance, good looks, etc. When I was in the market I looked at Honda, Suzuki & Kawaski and was tossed between the AC 400 (Auto) and the Polaris 400. I went with the Polaris for the following reasons.

1) I really didn't care for the shift lever being on the left on the AC. If I was on a hill and had to shift from high to low or reverse I found myself holding the brake with my left hand and reaching with my right hand to shift. I could have used the foot brake, but it didn't seem to flow for me. Polaris has the shift lever on the right.
2) My neighbor bought the AC 400 with winch & plow and got a good deal. I didn't need the plow and the winch wasn't a big deal since I don't ride alone. The AC dealer wouldn't work with me on a cash price that was attractive unless I considered the package.
3) After buying the Polaris I really like the seat over the AC '03 & '05 seat. But I think the '06 400AC now has the same frame and seat as the 500, which I think is a much nicer seat.

Here's a few other things I'll mention:
1) One thing I didn't like about the Polaris 400 is I had to add the EBS because it wasn’t standard on the 400 model (Cost me $100 to add). EBS on the AC400 Auto is standard.
2) I like the rack system on the AC's. I like to weld when I have time and I have built a few add-ons for the neighbors AC utilizing the AC rack system. A trade-off is the storage the Polaris has. Great place to carry a bow saw, small air compressor, first aid kit, took kit, water, lunch, etc.
3) The AC seems to be geared a little lower. When on the trail the AC's could ride in high range most of the time where I was already in low range on my Polaris. Not a bid deal, just an observation. Each machine is able to go where the other one can. When "drag" racing, they were about the same in high range. Top end is about the same from what I was able to observe.
4) AC does have a little better foot brake that seems to work better. I don't use the foot brake on my Polaris (except to shift into reverse or park) so it's not a big deal to me.
5) 4x4 system. AC has a switch (or lever on the ‘03’s) and you need to stop to put it in 4x4. When it’s on you ARE in 4x4. The Polaris has an auto 4x4 you can shift on the fly. When the switch is on you are still in 2-wheel drive until your back wheels sense a slight slip then the fronts lock in. Kind-a fool-proof, especially when the wife rides it. The down side to the Polaris auto 4x4 is you don’t have 4x4 when going down a steep hill and your back wheels can slide a bit. This isn’t a big deal either because I just feather the brake. You can “trick” it to get the fronts to lock in going down hill, but I’ve never had the need to do that.
6) Single hand brake lever on both AC & Polaris - when running a spot sprayer I hold the wand with my left hand and throttle with my right. Therefore, I have to use the foot brake to stop. Again, not a big deal, but having a hand brake lever on the right would sometimes be nice. (But I wouldn’t trade the single lever applying brake action to all wheels)
7) Maintenance is easy on both machines. Polaris got rid of a lot of grease zerks over the past few years. If I remember right I only have 3 on my ’05 machine.
8) 400 vs. 500 - Sometimes a little more power would be nice just to slide the back end around more or “peal-out” from a dead stop, but the 400 will not disappoint you. It will go everywhere the bigger ATV’s can go. (Remember back in the day when the 250 was the big dog?) My other neighbor has a ‘03 650 Kawasaki Prairie and it is the most powerful machine I’ve ever ridden. I believe that same engine is in the 650 AC. I’ve never ridden the AC 650, but it’s got to be a much better machine in terms of ride and comfort than the straight axel Prairie 650. That Kawasaki 650 is a powerful engine and sounds good too!

My advice to you is ride a few machines if you can, they all feel a little bit different especially once you get them on the trail. I’m big on the AC & Polaris suspension, it’s smooooooooth. Be sure to ask a few questions on this forum, everyone is very candid here. I think it's hard to find a bad ATV anymore. It just comes down to what trips your trigger. Be sure to thoroughly research the differences in machines and find the one YOU like, and don’t “settle” on something if you can help it.

Not sure I helped… sorry for the long post.

 

i dont have any experience in using one atv to remove another from a serious situation, but on the subject of pulling power i can say i was impressed by a AC machine on a recent deer trip. problem arose when one guy in the group parked his 2500 series gmc van up against the farm owners barn in the morning. he had backed up against the structre going down on what i would guesstimate was a 10 degree incline, later in the day [after a 5 inch new snow fall/ with frozen grass underneath], he tried to pull away and found he could gain no foreward movement, just spun tires ineffectively. enter a 04' 400 ac auto, strap to frame of van, van in low,engine at idle,atv in low range,4-wd,no front locker. the cat easily pulled that van app 25' up that small grade to level spot where van could drive away. now maybe on the surface that doesnt sound too impressive but remember that the quad was on the same turf condition w/the snow cover, and after looking at the id tag on the truck[6000# plus] i couldnt beleive that it didnt at least spin one or more of its wheels in the process, ive owned a 2005 eiger manual for a couple of months ,and love that bike. but since seeing that performance ive changed my mindt to the extent that i took delivery on a 2005 ac 400 tbx [little pickup bed] yesterday , IM A CONVERT!

 

He must be new, I have an auto and never had troubles tow or pulling. The grunt of an auto vs man using a winch isn't a option because the quad is the anchor. Now if he was using a tow strap and pulling from the front rack yes I could see a issue but if he was actually pulling from the rear is see the 400 jerking it out, unless it was sunk deep then I've seen 660 Grizzly's stuck, where they needed a truck to pull them out.

 

I have been looking for several months and rode many different brands. Since everyone else has pointed out the PROs & CONs for AC, I'll give you my personal experience. I treated myself to an early X-Mas present and got the '06 400 4x4 AC Limited Edition with automatic transmission. I put on 30 miles so far and it's awesome. So much smooth power, quick off the start for a big machine (669 lbs) plus me (240lbs) and great ground clearance! I got it stuck in a creak (new trail I've never been on a didn't realize how deep it was or would have waited until after break in period). Anyway, I was in 2WD when I got stuck. Put it in 4WD and it easily climbed right out. I did hit so other mud (not mud bogging, just usual trail mud) and the ATV went through it all in 2WD. It's also quick on sharp turns which I didn't think this big of a machine could do - Again, great power on this ATV. I also pulled a Kawasaki out of the same creak and out Polaris up a steam hill with no problems. My boss has a Polaris which seems to be in the shop a lot (CV boots, leaking this and that) and he doesn't ride aggresively. This is a very solid machine! For an extra $600 than the base 400, you get the front and rear bumper, winch, aluminum rims that match the paint color. You will not go wrong with an AC. It's not the fastest off the line, but 20 MPH on a tight trail is the same on any machine.

 

When I bought my first new ATV in 2004, I bought the AC 500 Auto 4X4. It was a good machine, no problems whatsoever. However, when the new Suzuki King Quad came out, I had to test ride that machine. Thats when I realized the difference between machines. Of course we are now talking 2 different classes of machines, so I am not going to even talk about power difference. The biggest difference I noticed was in the steering and the ride. Unless the newer AC have changed, the steering is very heavy on the 500 AC. After trading in my AC for the new KQ, it felt like I went from manual to power steering. The ride on the AC was fair, but not as good as the KQ, & the KQ weighs less than the AC. Again, my AC was a 2004 model, they may have corrected the steering. My advice is to test ride all of the brands & get what fits your needs and driving style, while also considering dealership service.

 

I also owned the Suzuki 700cc King Quad,and there is NO ATV that steers as easy as this one. I thought the steering on my Rincon was light until I bought the KQ. I agree,it does feel like someone added a Power steering unit to this model.

 

Your correct on the heavy sterring of the arctic cats and the reason is the garbage stock tires they put on them. Two options people have done to correct it where to inflate there front tires from 4 to 6 psi or ( best option) is to replace the tires with good aftermarkets and the steering problems go away. Im sure its still not as good as the kingquad but it isnt noticebly bad anymore. As soon as I replaced mine with XTR'S the problem went away and the ride was even smoother. I owned and rode many sportsmans and the ride is just as soft with the arctic cat with the xtr's on it as the polaris. this is with an 05 500 model