I'm new to atv's and want to buy a utility quad to plow snow and haul firewood. Most of my driving will be in low range at 3 to 5 mph. Is the kodiak a better machine for my purposes because the belt is spinning all the time or is the polaris with its snowmachine-like engagement just as good . I want engine braking as well. Thanks

 

I would say the they are both good...I know the kodiak has hard engine braking....I like my kodiak

 

If both are driven properly, they both will do the job.
Just remember the belt is a wear item on polaris, (think of it as being the clutch..it provides slippage for engagement). The yamaha belt is designed to not slip, it has a centrifical clutch, mounted upstream of the primary pulley.
The only advantage the yamaha will have is you can use high or low range, and you can choose either 2wd, 3wd or 4wd, and have 4wd act with out wheel spin. The polaris has to spin the back two tires to get the fronts to engage, ans sometimes its better to prevent wheelspin (like on a snow covered lawn), rather than react to wheelspin.

 

My dad has a Kodiak 450, and loves it. Its a good quality machine, and will perform what you are looking for with ease

 

Hey guys,

Really good info. I didn't understand the drive systems until now, and it looks like the Kodiak has the edge.

Much Thanks

 

You also get engine braking to ALL 4 WHEELS with the Kodiak when in 4WD. The Polaris doesn't provide this luxury in 4WD due to its design. It only has engine braking to the back wheels regardless.

 

my buddy has a kod. and it doesnt have an override for the rev limiter which sucks. if you need power to back up the stupid rev limit kicks in. first time he got it stuck he couldnt back out even in 4x4. but there is a way to override it. as far as work goes they both are good. i used ot haul trees and other things out in l.range and never slipped the belt. at 5 mph any ebs is going to work good lol.

 

Glen, you should get the Kodiak. I just got mine 2 weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. It is as near to perfect as a quad as possible. Trust me, get the Kodiak...you will love it.

 

The 4X4 in Polaris engages so fast you don't need to wait for the rear tires to spin!!!!!It's locked in before you even know it..........You make it sound like the back tires are spinning way before the AWD locks in!!!THATS NOT SO!!!!

 

Yea I wouldn't be worried about the Sportsman's wheels spinning before engagement. I think there has to be about a 1/4 turn of the wheel for slippage and then engagement occurs. They are good bikes for hauling stuff and I know of nobody who has had belt trouble when hauling or concerns with stopping for that matter. Get whatever quad suits you best but don't be misinformed about how the Poo AWD engages.