I plow lots of snow with a 60" plow on a 500 AC, with a Moose plow. It is very heavy on the front of the 500, so watch out for a 300 or 350. When you plow your going to need it in 4 wheel drive anyway. I will venture to say that somebody will make something for the 400 and 500 Cats for selectable 2wd/4wd. Same set-ups as the 2001 models aren't they. I say always go bigger than you think you need, that way you will be sure you got something you can use that can do the job. Seriously as somebody that plows with a 60" plow be careful with the size of the 4 wheeler you choose. Remember plowing causes a lot of shifting from forwards to reverse, which one would be easier to shift. Better front tires for the extra weight of the plow. Better front suspension. Better torque for pushing snow and 50" plow. Without the plow I would go with the smaller one, with the plow go big. An opinion from somebody that snow plows lots in Alaska. Bye Bye.

 

I'd go with the 300. I don't think the plow will hurt it much since it already has most of the weight in the back. It will ride better than both the Rancher and 400. I think it would also have more low end torque cause of it's superlow tranny. I'd also think that the avalible locker(mess with the linkage and you can get it) would help alittle for traction.

And about reverse. Remeber that the Rancher only has 1 reverse gear, the Cats have 2(400) and 3 (300) Reverse gears. So if you need power or speed when reverseing, you have both.

I also find the Honda Reverse procedure alittle hard to do with thick gloves on, especially ES. With the cats all you do is shift to neutral and pull a lever, no small buttons to push.

If you wanted to use your winch(if you get one) to lift the plow you will be able to do it alot faster with the cats. Since power people mount there winch switch on the left side, you could not shift to reverse and use the winch at the same time on the rancher. Thats cause your left hand is busy shifting to reverse. IF you mount the switch on the right side then juring the summer when you are stuck you can not use the throttle and winch at the same time.

So, What you think?

 

Basically, its a Honda. The engines are the best built. There have been recalls on Ranchers concerning the A-arms or something though. I think AC uses a better frame setup though. Looks a lot tougher.

I think the honda is probably quicker than the other two, and is definitely more nimble. Turns easier, tighter, and quicker. Their super low 1st gear is fine for towing applications.

As far as torque, the 400 should have the most. If its anything like the 500's, it will be tuned for torque, and will get it at a low RPM. The honda, if its like most honda's, revs higher, and gets its power at higher rpms. You can wind the engine out better I think. My old 300 really revs a lot higher than the 500, but of course that is to be expected. It only gives up 211cc's to the big AC. Ha Ha!

Fuel economy is not a problem I don't think. My 300 can probably go twice as far on one 3.3 gal tank as my 500 can on one 4.25 gal tank. I would not expect the 400 to get great mileage.

Like I said, its your call. I would take the Rancher over the smaller Cats, but I would take the 500 AC over a 450 Honda. I just have different opinions from bike to bike, and no real brand loyalty.

 

No regrets on Honda's reverse system. I like the AC reverse better, but you can't do the winch and put it in reverse on that either. Unless you take your hand off the gas and use it. In that case, you could mount the switch on the right side of the honda. Thats not really any issue anyway.

Just about all of the reverse systems are fine. The difference between them is miniscule. My 300 honda is easy as can be, even with the little red button broken off. On the scale, I have to give the center mounted Suzuki reverse the 10, the Expedition 425 the 9.8, the AC the 9.7, and the rest the 9.5. In other words, its not a big deal.

On a lighter note, the Warrior reverse gets a 6, basically just because it actually has a reverse, and the 1984 Bayou 185 reverse gets a freakin 2!

 

Thanks everyone for your opinions! Very interesting responses! More than likely, I will have to wait until spring or summer of next year before I can seriously make my decison, until I can save up some cash first! I will have to test ride them and see which one I like best. I will mainly use it for snowplowing, pulling my 6+6 angle house out on the frozen lakes when I'm icefishing, occasional trailriding, and maybe even running around on my brothers' 280 acres up north in my old hometown. But I plan on doing more research on these quads, and keep my eye on this forum for peoples' experiences with these quads. A 50" plow will be adequate for me though, because I don't think I will need the extra weight and size of the 60" plow. [red] 96 Ski-Doo Formula SLS [/red]

 

I have the AC400 4x4 with a 50" Vee plow on it, we haven't got a ton of snow yet but I have yet to need the low range while pushing snow and there have been some piles as high as the front rack. Running down the ditch in the snow if it is deep(10"+)and soft(&heavy) I can't pull 3rd gear. Maybe this is not bad, but there aren't any other ATV's out riding to compare it to around here. And at 680lbs(with winch) when it gets stuck in the snow it's stuck. (50ft of winch cable, big post 60ft away, DOH!!)
Well there was a paragraph of babble,lol! Actually any one of the 3 atvs you listed should be ok, just make sure you have a good dealer, that makes a big difference

Dale
'01 AC400 4x4(red)
'99 AC ZL500efi

 

Actually Andy, our 500's make there peak 30.6 ft lbs of torque at 3500 rpms. Since the 400 has alot shorter stroke, it needs to rev even higher to make it's power.

 

I'd say the Expedition has the best reverse cause I find it quicker. The button is with in easy reach of your thumb and all you have to do after that is push a lever. The Shifting on these bikes is the best I have ever had. Not even Honda's transmission compares to the smoothness of the 425 if you ask me.

About the Honda reverse, I was just thinking of why it was so hard for me. I have not rode a Honda in a good while, and being a teenager that means I'm still growing. Well maybe in my younger years my hands were just to small for the Honda controls. I'll try and find out if I go hunting this year, gonna use my family members Honda's.

 

Of course it will have to rev higher than an AC 500, but which will be the higher revving of the two between the 400 and the Rancher? Its not really an important thing by any means, but for the record, the smaller honda will rev higher. It is also more than likely the quickest and fastest of the three mentioned. This is only one facet of a discrimination between these three quads, but I don't think I've said anything that is incorrect here.

If it was a 454 in the mix instead of a 371, then my pick wouldn't be the Rancher, but I'm not that big of a fan of the 400. I don't dislike it by any means, but there are better quads out there in that range.

 

Thats the ticket here, personal opinion. Thats really what this should come down to. What the buyer considers the best for him. As you can see, Boner prefers a different style of reverse than I do. Nothing other than differing opinions. We each like things a different way. He likes the expedition reverse, which is probably the easiest there is. Push a button and shift. No hands off at all. I like the old king quad reverse right there in the middle. Why? Its not really quicker than even the honda reverse, but I just like where it is located for some reason.

Same thing applies to a lot of things in this search. Sure some have more power and turn better, but other setups come down to what you really like the best.