debating which machine to get. I will use it mostly for hunting and exploring. I weight about 135 lbs. I travel fireroad frequently and usually will have about 200 lbs. of gear.

 

The 300 and 500 have 2wd/4wd option. You also have to think about if you do drop an animal when your hunting, extra weight to bring back in. Of course you could make 2 trips. I think for the little difference in price between the 400 and 500, I would go with the 500. If your making monthly payments the difference in payments between the 400 and 500 would be hardly noticeable. I always think go bigger than you think you need, never know when you will need it.
All three machines that you mentioned are excellent choices, so happy hunting. No bad choices in these three machines.

 

get the 500 if you can swing it. More capacity, a bit faster, strongest motor of the bunch, selectable 2wd/4wd, and great susoension to boot. I like our 400 and our 500 but the 500 just stands out a bit more and is always our first choice for really heavy jobs. The 400 is just a smaller motor version of the 500(380cc vs. 493cc). I don't have any experience with the 300 other than seeing that cool independent rear suspension at the dealer. It might be a bit small for your needs especially when you kill something and have to bring it back with 200 lbs of gear already. Get the biggest you can afford. But you won't go wrong with any of those choices. Enjoy!

 

I have a AC 300 4x4 2000 model. I bought it to hunt play and work. In the process of hunting I put it to work getting food plots ready and hauling materials. I hauled a buddy of mine who weighs around 320 and 50# of corn on the back and 50# on the front with no problems. With you just weighing 135 you should have know trouble hauling what ever you wish. I have really put mine to the test working and playing, but hunting is another question Deer in Tennessee just don't weigh that much and I have not been lucky enough to get a bear yet. But I hope this helps and good luck with which ever you choose.

 

Well the 300 is a true 280, but it has 3 ranges. So it has MORE than enough power for the heaviest load, but top end power is realy lacking compared to the 400 and 500.

The 400 is a true 371, and it is in the same frame as the 493 500 model. It has a few less features than the 500 like no 2wd, smaller racks(barly noticable), a less manly front bumper, smaller front tires, and thats about it.

Overall I think the 500 is the best bang for buck. It's just an awsome pakage. SUPER power, big tires, big racks, nice winch mount, floor borads, 2wd, disc brakes, and all of this for the price of a 450.

I think if you want to narrow them down to 2 choices the 400 would have to go. It has the least amount of features if you ask me.

The 300 CAN do the job that the 500 will do cause of the extra super low gearing, but the 500 will do it faster and easier. The 300 will ride better tho and has a diff lock from the factory with a few mods, but the 500 is more stable(IMO) and carries larger loads better.

Well that my $5.00.

 

Catcrazy:
Not to sound redundant here, but "what the rest said". All are great machines, but if you were to eliminate one from the get go, I'd rule out the 400, just because of lack of options. Like the others mentioned, the 300 may be smaller, but you do get the ride of the IRS, along with the diff. lock and the super low range gearing should you need it. The 500 however is naturally larger, more power, etc. My personall preference here would be the 500-basically because it is a lot more machine and for the money, you can't beat it. I do a lot of work with my 500 'Auto and have been more than pleased with it's performance. I think the most weight I ever carried at one time was this past elk season. I always have 100+ lbs in the mortar box on the front rack, and on this particular occassion, I had half an elk carcass, a passenger with all his gear, myself driving, all while towing out a Honda 450 with just the driver and the other half of the elk. It was a spike bull, and pretty good sized, but I'm not sure the exact weight. The passenger was probably around 6'4" and fairly thick, just guessing he's around 230-250 somewhere in that range-hard to tell with all the winter clothes on and his backpack and other gear. Anyway, that's quite a bit of weight, especially while towing a loaded 450 at the same time. My 500 Auto handled it beautifully with no problems what so ever.

Granted, you probably won't be doing this type of thing all the time, but if you ever have to, it's nice to have the reassurance of the larger machine. And, for the really heavy loads, I prefer the strait axle over the IRS-just stronger in my opinion. Oh yeah, I'm tipping the scales at right around 230 lbs., just to give you a better idea of what I was hauling there. I'm sure the 300 could pull a hell of a heavy load with the super low range, and the front diff locked. And, with you weighing around 135 or whatever it was, it might "fit" you better. I guess the best thing would be to see which does "fit" you the best. Also, do you ever plan to install larger tires for more ground clearance, better traction? I'm not sure what you can fit on the 300, but you can easily fit a 27" tire under the 500 with no lift or spacers. This might be another item to consider, I don't know.

Anyway, best of luck in the decision, you can't go wrong with either, both are excellent machines.

Mike

 

 

My buddy's quad is a 2000 AC 300 4x4. For what I do with an ATV I can't imagine a better machine. The only area where is lacks is power to go faster than I have any business going on an ATV. I like the simplicity of the air cooled 300 compared to the liquid cooled 400 and 500 models.

Good Luck ...

 

thank you for your advise does anyone happen to know the top speed of these riggs?

 

Best I ever got on a GPS on my 500 is like 53mph. Normally runs 51-52 on flat pavement. The speedometer is saying anywhere from 55-59 depending on which tires I'm running so that really isn't helpful. The GPS is accurate.