Hi, I'm Brian, just joined today.

One of my favorite hobbies is exploring the Arizona desert for old ghost towns and mining camps. I've owned big, macho 4x4 trucks that can't fit on most of the really good trails. I've owned smaller 4x4s that I'm afraid to bust up as I need it to go to work on Monday. Last year, I built a baja bug that fits my needs nicely, except some of the more extreme trails are getting too brutal on the old gal. 2 wheel drive, and no lower gearing make the steep, rocky trails nealy impossible to navigate.

So, she's up for sale right now on EBay, and I've decided to buy an ATV.

I DO NOT need speed of any sort. What I do need, is a vehicle that will get me to hell and back, with storage. If money were no object, I'd just hop over to the Honda dealer (personal preference) and leave with the best they have.

So, keeping these parameters in mind (except I'll consider ALL makes) what are your suggestions? I'm favoring 4 wheel drive, and my budget is around $3000.00 (maybe?) for something used. Whats the smallest engine I should consider? What else should I be considering?

Thanks in advance!

 

if your shopping for a new machine i think youll need to goose your bottom line by around a grand or so, but for that money if your patient you should be able to connect on a 400 class 4x4[maybe even a 500 if you get lucky]. im not real brand driven so i wouldnt be able to push you in any direction [own suzuki and ac, theyre both fine machines but both purchases were price driven] ,but im sure any of the major players will suit you fine......

 

Check out Arctic Cat. They are proven powerful, rock climbing, (good rock climbers with the most ground clearance, and 10" of irs and ifs travel) and a manual locking differential, and plenty of storage with speedrack options. Check them out on the Arctic Cat website, youll be impressed!!

 

I would look into a Honda Rancher 4x4. They dont have the most ground clearance, but i have never gotten it stuck. it starts up every time no matter what the weather never been in the shop its nimble well thought out and stable. I actually perfer it to my beast of 650 for technical riding. its sure footed and light and quite capable. Not to mention it uses very little gas and you can go a very long ways on a single tank. Its a great atv and i would highly recomned it.

 

well id just get a sport and put some paddle tires but thats just me. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] . but seriously the eiger 400, great quad, tough as nails and pretty good price. it also has some get up and go. someone on this site has pics of eiger covered up to seat and there fine. its a great machine and should do fine in the sand.

 

To start out, I just don't have a lot of use for the huge heavy utilities that are flooding the market. Once you get a certain size/weight, why don't they just get a Jeep? The Japanese have agreed to keep their big bore utilities down to 600 pounds (still to heavy for my taste), but the North American manufacturers (A Cat, Polaris, and CanAm), seem to think that weight doesn't matter.

My choice is the foot shift Honda Rancher 4X4. Big enough to do the job, but not a hulking beast either! Handles well, and dead solid reliable. The Warn 424, which allows you to disconect the front drive so you have selectable 2wd/4wd, is a must have.

 

I would go with the eiger. I have one and live in PHX. I take it every were and through everything, I have only had it stuck once and it was because of my stupidity to tell the true. It has selectable 4X4 with a high and low range. I have the manual shift, it just makes it feel more sporty. They come prewired for just about everything. You get about 30mpg with them and they have good power. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you all for the information. It looks like I'm going to have to spend at least $4k to get something decent (used)

Two things I am curious about though:

1-What is the the minimum engine size I should consider? I will be mostly crawling up steep trails, and it has to lug my fat *** and gear up the side of some pretty steep mountains.

2-I'm used to manual transmissions (I ride a motorcycle) and feel there is far greater potential reliability in a manual. How are the automatics holding up?

Thanks
Brian

 

I do a lot of nasty, highly technical riding. I also like to explore old mines in the Mojave Desert, Inyo's, and Sierra.

My Rancher will go anywhere a big bore will go. In fact, it will do better because it is 100-300 pounds lighter and has a lower center of gravity. I like the fact that it has no transfer case (extra dead weight), and just has an ultra low 1st gear. the big bores do have more top speed, but I don't think that is what you are looking for here?

I don't know how much, if any, experience you have with utilities? I consider all of them to be "rollover death traps". I will only ride a utility as a LAST RESORT when a sport quad (way lighter, more stable machines), will absolutely not do the job. The machines have gotten huge, and top heavy. They fool folks, because the suspension is getting better, but when you find yourself hanging on the side of a rocky hill, what would you rather be on, a nice little Rancher or a 700+ pound tall top heavy big bore monster? And when you load those racks down with a bunch of gear, handling gets even more terrible!

The huge machines aren't in your price range anyway, so consider that a blessing!

Are you familiar with the Rhino? At least it has a roll cage and you won't kill yourself!

 

" don't know how much, if any, experience you have with utilities? I consider all of them to be "rollover death traps". I will only ride a utility as a LAST RESORT when a sport quad (way lighter, more stable machines), will absolutely not do the job. The machines have gotten huge, and top heavy. They fool folks, because the suspension is getting better, but when you find yourself hanging on the side of a rocky hill, what would you rather be on, a nice little Rancher or a 700+ pound tall top heavy big bore monster? And when you load those racks down with a bunch of gear, handling gets even more terrible"

I don't know much about ATVs, but I thought I wanted a utility, since I plan on packing a lot of gear, and four wheel drive was on my list. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but where I go, a 4x4 is going to be a necessity, not an option. However, on something so small, maybe it won't make a difference? 4x4s also come with 4lo range, which I need when the going gets rough.

I've been way too close to disaster in a 6500 lb Dodge, my 4500 lb Nissan, and my 1600 lb VW. I guess its all relative, but 700lbs sounds manageable. Again, I'm new here, so don't hestitate to correct me.

Brian