I need help on deciding on which ATV to buy. I am looking for one to plow snow this winter(just my driveway not commercial) and for some lite trail riding. I mainley want to make sure it has enough power for plowing snow. Now for the catch.... I have around $6,000 to spend on one (wife's orders). This includes the plow,tire chains,helmit and loading ramp for my truck. any help would be greatly appreciated. I really liked the Polaris Sportsman 400 but at 6200 just out of my range. Any idea what range dealers are willing to come down on the MSRP, keep in mind I will be buying the extra attachments from them as well?

 

Dan,

Given your stated intent to plow snow, to casual trail ride, buy the necessary support hardware, and to do it all on a $6000 budget, I suggest you look at the 300cc utility class 4x4s. Every major manufacturer offers one or more vehicles in this class that will do the jobs you have in mind without busting your budget.

I have a Kawasaki Bayou 300 4x4 and a Kawasaki Bayou 400 4x4. I also have a Cycle Country 48-inch plow that I use on the 400 (it can be set up for use on the 300 but I haven’t bothered to do so). I have used both the 300 and 400 to pull a heavily loaded garden cart and I can say there is not a lot of difference between them when it comes to pulling power (especially with the 300 being operated in low range).

The limiting factor to plowing snow, or towing, with any ATV is traction. The 400 makes a better snow plow than the 300 simply because it weighs more and thus has more traction. But even the 400 will spin its wheels when trying to push large amounts of wet snow. The simple solution to the traction problem is to increase the amount of weight pressing the tires down. The easiest and cheapest way to do that is to put a few 50-pound bags of sand on the front and rear cargo racks.

My personal favorite in the 300cc 4x4 utility class is the Kawasaki Bayou. Its dual range transmission gives you 10 forward gears and two reverse gears. Its semi-independent rear suspension gives you a plush ride over uneven terrain while maintaining near constant tire contact with the ground (something that swing-arm rear suspensions do not always do). And best of all it carries the lowest list price of any manufacturer’s 300cc 4x4.

Regardless of which manufacturer you may choose, a 300cc utility class 4x4 will handle all of your intended use applications. It will allow you to buy the accessories you listed (and probably some that you didn’t think of, but that nonetheless will catch your eye at the dealership), and still not exceed your $6000 budget.

A properly weighted 300 will plow more snow than an unweighted 500. And it will allow you to do much more than just casual trail riding. My 13-year old daughter rode my Bayou 300 4x4 at the big Cochranton Poker Run (over 6000 quads) on some of the toughest trails you can imagine. She also rode the Bayou 300 at the 2nd Annual Quads-On-The-Rocks ride at Tasker’s Gap (see the Tasker’s Gap feature article of 8-15-99 for details of the 1st QOTR ride). She had no problem riding about 35 miles in each event. The 300s are also light enough to be easy for female riders to operate. Another selling point to use to persuade your wife (which if she likes riding as much as my daughter does, you’ll find yourself buying a second quad before you know it).

Give the 300cc utility 4x4s a look, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Army Man

 

I agree with Armyman.He talked about the 300cc class and a 6K budget.Do you want an Automatic?There are alot of fine 4x4s in the 300 class that would fit in your budget w/accessories.I paid 5K for my 00 400cc Xplorer 4x4 with the plow.Check them all out really good,than make up your mind.==Bill