This is my first post so don't be to hard on me! I've never had a four wheeler but have looked long and hard at all makes and models. I've come to the conclusion that the cat's are the best made out there. The frames are stronger, suspension has more travel and seems to be of better design than most and the quads. They look like they will handle the kind of work I'll be dishing out to it. Anyway, I've narrowed it down to the 400 4x4 manual in either act or independent. I'm not against a 500 or a auto. It will be used for farming and ranching chores. I want the most reliable form of one of these machines. I don't know that I need a 500.I figure if I need to pull something that is what my trucks and tractors are for. I don't care about speed. A cow will only run 25 or so. As long as i can keep up with her I'm happy.Will the auto handle heavy chores in mud and water for as long as the manual? Is the 500 over kill for utility use? Is the 400 engine more of a workhorse? Will the 16 amp alternator on the 400 handle multiple lights? (I do alot of hog hunting)You'all know alot more than I do so please help!

 

Hi, I have a 02 500i 4x4 manual. The reason I got the 500i was 1st water cooled engine, 2ed the irs is the best and it has 12 inches of clearance, should be good around your farm, 3rd the manual transmission you can choose the gear you want and it is better on gas, and you don't have to worry about the belt slipping or breaking. 4th you can ride all day and the cat will not beat you up and when you let the kid ride it you have to fight with them to get it back.
I have a friend with a 500i 4x4 auto , he likes his and has had no trouble with it, but he runs out of gas before I do.............. I hope this helps.

 

Howdy,

I have a manual '02 400i 4x4 (5-speed, water-cooled 374cc Suzuki engine) and love it. Got it late September and put on about 250 miles or so. So far it has taken me and all my hunting/camping gear everyplace I've pointed her - up and down rocky/steep/gnarly hills that would be tricky on foot.

I wish it had a little more power, but I didn't want to spend the extra $1300 for the 500, and I really don't care to go that fast anyway. For me the difference between 45 and 55 just doesn't matter. You won't win any speed races, but you won't be the one getting pulled out of the mud. I got the Warn 2500 winch, just in case (and the price was right), but so far have only "played" with it.

The engine braking is excellent, the seat is comfy (although the seat latch mechanism sucks), and the machine is very sturdy. And despite what negative press you read from the "pros", the steering is light, the machine is stable (CG is high but the track is wide), the fuel tank is large, the racks are big, the low-end torque is great, the 3 disk brakes have great stopping power, and it doesn't have a computer to break! Sometimes big and simple is better.

My hunting buddy got the same one as me, so we have parts to swap if anything breaks, but so far no problems with either machine. I think that after about 1,000 miles the engine should really start to open up. Maybe then I'll start thinking of tweaking the motor - but for now it is good the way it is.

Derek

 

Looks like there are a few of us farmer types around here.

My criteria were about the same as bigcat's - water cooled engine because they live longer and don't roast you on a hot day, long wheel travel and high ground clearance to get over my rough as a cob farm, and manual transmission because I'm going to be dragging trees off of fencerows and hauling trailers and just don't trust those belt thingies for that sort of work. Ended up with a 500i, and don't regret it.

It's a tough, no nonsense machine. No glitzy electronics to short out and leave you with yet another thing to fix. No solenoid activated shifter or transfer case to crap out. As I looked at a lot of machines, I couldn't help but notice all the whiz bang, hey-look-at-me stuff on some of the other quads, while the Cat seemed to put the extra work into a better suspension, tougher frame, things that matter when you're working.

Nine months and 350 miles, and so far, it's been flawless. Only casualty is a headlight bulb, broken by a branch that came up under the fender, but that was my fault. Steering is very light. I can't emphasize enough how handy a farm tool this has been. I've hauled a lot of heavy tools and supplies on the racks, and the Cat has never bottomed out.

Speaking of chasing cattle... I was drag racing some whitetail deer yesterday, they were doing about 30. More to the point, they were doing 30 across unprepared ground, and the Cat was keeping up.

Overall, it's been a great farm tool. Goes places the truck and tractor can't go, a little easier on the gas, you can carry stuff with you, it'll pull a trailer loaded with hardwood (600+ pounds) across rough ground. And it's just plain fun. You might look at the TBX, it's a 500i with a dump bed. I would have bought one last year, but it didn't have IRS and the high ground clearance. It does this year.

Cat also makes a nice little off road trailer, about the only reasonably priced one that had fat tires. See if the dealer will cut you a package price. I demolished a garden trailer, the skinny wheels kept hanging up on rocks.


--John

More on my farm experience at:

My Cat Page

 

Thanks for all the help. I am going to Austin,TX were I found the best deals to make my final decision on the model I want this weekend. That dealer will work with me and has really quoted me some good prices. They are throwing in the MRP for no extra on either manual or auto, 400i or 500i. They told me the promotional finance and winch deal had expired but I'm going to try and work with them because I could really use that winch for 69$. I have desided on the Manual but not the 400 or 500 as of yet. I can get the 400i manual at 4999.00 and the 500i manual at 6100.00 out the door. All it boils down to is wether I want to spend the extra money or not. The liquid cooled engine would be nice but I keep thinking about cotton stocks and leaves, mud, johnson grass and a number of other things getting on the radiator and making it overheat. Pickups are bad enough even with screens on the front. This may not be a problem with the cat though. I do like the 500 with 2 accessory plugs and a bigger alternator though. Has anyone used the mrp racks? It seems like it would be a huge benifit at one time or another. I don't like the stock tires, maybe they will wear out quickly. Anyway, thanks agin for the insight and I'll keep you posted. Also, wish I had the wheeler this weekend. My cousin got his 300 Foreman stuck chasing hogs and I had to pull him out with a long chain and pickup. Wish I had the cat then to rub it in.

 

The '03 400 act 4x4 is an identical machine to my brother's '02 375 (they just relabled them this year). My '02 400 has the older, liquid cooled engine. The cooling fan on my 400 goes off MORE often than the cooling fan on the 375. Don't underrate the current 400's just because they're not liquid cooled. In fact they are air AND oil cooled and the oil radiator is huge for such a machine. Cooling will NOT be a problem, trust me.

I have the manual, my brother has the automatic. His has a sportier feel, but also doesn't FEEL as powerful. I just like to shift, though, so I am biased. We did have a problem with his belt slipping when too much water and mud got in. There are no drainage plugs on the auto trannies so you either have to tip them on end to drain or cross your fingers (and I guess finger crossing didn't work for us).

Both machines have the Warn 2500 winch which is has proven very usefull. The only problem I've had with the winch occured this weekend when a collision pushed the winch on mine into the radiator (normally there is only 2" of space between them) and this, in turn, damaged the radiator and caused a leak. The bumper and radiator will have to be replaced, as well as a headlight, but the frame wasn't harmed and I drove the machine back to the tow vehicle.

The only thing I think you might want to change is the tires. AC could put some better treads on these things. Rather than spend more money for the 500, I'd negotiate to get some better tires.

 

I just realized this is a farm impliment and not a pleasure toy. Get the 500 dump model, and take it off your taxes, like your tractor. Wish I had a farm , So I could write off the old milk cow.......:-)

 

Any one of the big cats would work great on the farm. 400 or 500, auto or manual, liquid or oil/air it does not matter as a work machine you will wonder how you got by without it. If you are going to spend alot of time on it you will want independant suspension. Just pick the one that best suits your buget.

 

I settled on the 500i Manual. I had to order one and should be in in a couple weeks. The price was realy good I thought and figured I could use the extra power over the 400. I went to a cycle shop this weekend that had every make and model to test drive over some pretty rough ground. I've found that the 650 prairie is the fastest off the line and the 660 Griz would eventually catch it but top speed was about the same. The 450 foreman s was a good machine but simply doesn't have the rack capacity or suspension travel and acceleration seemed sluggish. I did not really care for the Vinson. Mainly astestic preferences. The Polaris brands were nice but the head mechanic at 2 different shops with no biasis said they by far had the most problems. So that talked me out of them. I considered the Grizz but couldn't see why I needed that much for what I do. Then when I parked the two (Cat 500 and Grizz) together the differences were astounding. The cat is simply made much better. The frame is 2 times as strong, the shocks are bigger, more rack capacity, more suspension travel, no elecric gizzmos, so silinoids for 4x4 engagement, real metal floorboards, as comfortable a seat and mrp racks(which they are putting on my Manual at no extra) and on and on. I think I will be happy with it.Thanks for all the info.