I recently sold my 99 big bear, great working quad, just a little small and i want something newer and bigger. I looking to get a 04 or newer and in the rage of 400 to 500 cc. I do mostly work with my atv, hauling wood, gravel, etc, but I do trail riding as well. My question is will an automatic quad perform like a manual for my purposes of hauling, does it have the required low end torque?

 

as long as it has a low range, you will be happy. just do not use high gear when towing, thats a good way to damage the drive belt. good luck on your search!

 

Belt drive autos can only cover a limited "gearing" range (limited by the sizes of the pulleys), so they need a transfer case to get the really low gearing.

Honda on the other hand going for simplicity, builds its manual trannies with a super low "granny" gear, so you don't need a transfer case (just useless dead weight in this instance). The Honda Foreman (older 450 or newer 500), are a geat choice for those who do mostly work, but also a little trail riding.

 

Actually if you went to any serious "dead weight pull" or "Mud Run" contest you would be hard press to even see a manual entered let alone win. I had a 350 Big Bear and I think my 500 Sportsman could give two Big Bears pulling together a good go in a tug of war.

If you do like the Big Bear manual , the newer 400 Big Bear,has IRS and true 4wd diff lock now.

 

I have used both automatics as well as "manual" transmissions and I can't say that one design is inherently "better" than the other for the type of pulling you describe.

I personally prefer the automatic, but I am sure the "manual" will work. The only problem, if you can call it that, is in having to change gears and the attendant lurching while under load as you pick up speed. Also if you are on the very edge of traction/power on an uphill, changing gears will cost you momentum and you may not make it. Of course if you are only going to be going really slow and at a fairly constant speed this would not be an issue.

Utility ATV's appear to be heading down the road of pickups to where it won't be long before "manual" transmissions will be the exception rather than the rule and we may very well already be there when considering new machines purchased.

 

I have been having the same decision to make. I am gettin a 2007 Honda Rancher with the auto $4600 OTD and the manual 4x4 for $4300 OTD My only concerns is that am i gonna be able to trudge through the mud with the auto? It makes riding the trails sooooo much easier and working alot easier cause u dont have to worry about shifting with a load. Not real familar with the honda auto though so not much input i have heard but trying to decide but am leaning towards the auto

 

I don't know anything about the Honda automatic, perhaps ReconRanger will see this and provide information as he knows a lot about them.

Check just about any ATV on You Tube and you will see them going through some gawdawful mud with automatics. There again the auto does well as you do not lose momentum by having to change gears.

 

yeah that is very true
my buddy went from a manual honda forman to an automatic polaris 850 xp and swear by the auto
says it makes riding much easier and after riding his and another friends rancher AT i have to agree

 

i have plows on both my brute and big bear 400 manual... and in this case there is no contest def automatic. it is so much easier to change gears with my hand then constantly trying to switch from forward to reverse every 30 seconds with my foot.

I haul a trailer across my hilly property to get firewood out of the woods and my automatic doesnt break a sweat... where my big bear would strain trying to do it..... Yes im aware its not really a fair comparison seeing as how my brute has almost twice the engine as the bear..... but after a long day of cutting and splitting and loading and unloading wood... the last thing i feel like doing is shifting. Its nice to just load and get on and go.

The only time i would go with a manual over a automatic is with a sport quad

 

Thanks for the responses, sounds like an automatic will do what I have in mind for it just fine!