Im looking to buy my first quad. im 6'2, 230lbs and need something to handle my 300+lb friend. I really have no idea which is better. All of my knowledge is either from dealers(hard to believe anything they say) or from here(very helpfull but overwhelming). I have looked at the AC 400 4x4, yamaha big bear and Kodiak 400 4x4, and honda 400 4x4. They all look fantastic to me, priced about equal (the ac comes with 2 yr warrenty free, and big bear is a 2003 and about 500 cheaper due to last years model). I will be plowing, riding im mud and snow, and trail riding. Any info will help me greatly- im not very good at being a mechanic so dependability is a huge factor. Also, will one of these machines handle me and the wife together?(230 +135=365 lbs). Please give oppinions, ty

 

y not taking a look at the 360 prairie very nice atv there

 

What about the Kodiak 450 ? I saw one of those recently, looked really nice and had some nice features. All of the other you meantioned are also nice machines. As far as reliablility, it is always hard to beat a Honda. Any machine this size should also be able to handle both you and your wife, although be careful climbing any hills with a passenger, can be quite dangerous.

 

I have had a Cat 500 for over a year. Very reliable, 650 miles, nothing broken, crawled over a lot of rocks with it, hauled a lot of firewood. Very smooth ride, doesn't rattle your kidneys around. I had (still have) a 350 Big Bear before the Cat. Reliable, didn't ride as nice as the Cat, but didn't cost nearly as much either. Can't speak for Honda, most owners love them though.

2 up riding is generally forbidden on public trails, unless the quad is designed for two people. My experience is that putting a person on the back doesn't cause problems until you start going uphill. Then, you find that you've lost most of your steering - it just doesn't want to turn. And it does this without warning - it steered okay on level ground. Hopefully, you won't find this out the hard way.

 

Dont overlook the Bombardier Outlander. It comes as a 330 of 400. Little less money, 3 year warranty, best ride of any 4 wheeler.

 

Thanks For all the replies. As far as the prairie 360, Ive heard too many complaints about lack of power. not only online, but 2 seperate prarie dealers told me the ac 400 blows it out of the water. As far as the kodiak 450, havent really priced one yet. dealers were pushing last years big bear models at discounts. ill have to check it out. I was very impressed with the polaris 400 sportsman, found out 3 of my neighbors have em, and love em. Look good ride good, great ground clearance and probably the best plow ive seen for only 50$. The only thing holding me back is the dependability issue. lots of horror stories out there. As far as the Bombardier Outlander, im kinda nervous bout that one. isnt it a newer company? have they been time tested at all? wyowheeler, your the first person to even mention bombardier in the last 3 weeks ive been shoping. do u own one? so far the AC 400 is my num one choice...plus the free 2 yr warranty. Hondas look great, anyone know how there beltless trans is? thanks people, youve been soo much help

 

I bought a 330 outlander for my wife in July. My brother bought 2 400 outlanders in june. I thought he was crazy. We were raised on hondas. Then it came time for my wife to get one. I begged her to get the honda rancher. She wanted the Outlander. I am so impressed with it. Bombardier has been around for a long time. Ski doo is one of their branches. I think the three year warranty says a lot about the quality. It was also Atv of the year in several magazines. My other recommendation is the honda rancher 400 AT. The hondamatic trannys are sweet. They are kinda rough riding though. I would steer clear of Polaris. Not from personal experience, but after reading some things on this thread, there are several unhappy owners. Seem to break down a lot. Dont know anything about AC.

 

Of the three you listed I would choose the Artic Cat. You mentioned a Sportsman 400. The dependability issue should not concern you. I have owned two Sportsman 500s and we have had five as a family (1999, 2001-2, 2002-2). All of ours have been trouble free for over 1,500 miles and four years. The independant suspension is the way to go and the Polaris is a larger machine than the machineS you are considering which will make for a more comfortable ride. The Sportsman 500 easily handles 500lbs (me - 180 lbs. & wife 125 lbs.) of passengers plus a large cooler. If you look at a Sportsman look at the 500 over the 400. Loads more power and EBS for only a few more $$$s. I have been riding since 1994 and have ridden all types of ATVs. I highly recomend the Sportsman 500. Feel free to send me a private message if you need any other information.

 

The Outlander sure does get rave reviews, I have never seen one in person though. I think they are top notch for quality and dependability though. Bomb's other divisions include Ski-Doo, Sea-doo ... they are known to be pretty nice machines.

As far as AC dependability, they are all Suzuki powered pretty much, so that tells you that they are going to be fairly good in that respect.

I've heard spending the extra $$ is worth it to upgrade from the Kodiak 400 to the 450. Haven't ridden either, but met a guy that traded a 400 in for the new 450 and loved the new changes.

Do you want an automatic only? If you wanted a manual shifter in this category the AC 500 comes in a manual 5 speed w/reverse deal - mom's b/f has one and loves it, his son has the same exact thing as well. They swear by theirs. Seems to be pretty nice and selectable 2 or 4 WD makes them fairly fun too. Not that he can keep up with my Wolverine but ... he tries hard [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

Polaris quality has recently seemed to step it up a notch and they seem to have far less problems in the past few years than their early reputation. I wouldn't sway away from them just for that reason.

I've heard the Hondamatic tranny was really neat but that it did rob power, and if I remember right it is only a 3 speed? Some complain it needs another gear. Can't beat it though for water I'd imagine, no belt that could possibly slip.

I agree with you on the Kawi 360 - too big of a machine for the power it has. Overweight and underpowered, IMO. It's a full size truck with a 4 cylinder.

Independant Rear Suspension is going to ride better and have more ground clearance. Not the best in some situations though, like turning stability or jumping. Everything is a trade off, I guess.

Any questions ? LOL

 

I have a 400 AT and I do like it. I bought it because of their reliabilty. The bonus package with the AT is the swithing from auto to manual. It is a 5 speed not a 3 speed. In auto, super easy to ride. In manual it is a lot more fun. The power really comes on in manual. Ride it fast on a rough trail, better hold on.
I wanted an Outlander. I would have bought on except for 3 things. 1. Closest dealer is an hour and a half away. Honda dealer is 15 minutes. 2. I liked the Honda option to choose auto or manual. 3. Bombardier Rec. Div was supposedly up for sale. That Kinda scared me. I have seen a lot of dealers drop them from when they first came out a few years ago. If they are so good, then why does a dealer drop them.
I rode an outlander before I bought the AT and it is very,very smooth ride. GOing out the trail I was trying to miss the bumps, but coming back I was aiming for them trying to see if I could feel them at all. Didn't feel a thing.