Hi Folks,

OK I am looking for my first atv ever. I have alot to learn so understand if some questions seem naive. It will be used mostly for land work some hunting and at times trail ridding (Black River Falls) I think that 4wd,reverse,auto trans. elec. start, winch, not top heavy, solid rear axel or independent. are some key features. I did stop by some booths at a fair and looked at some name brands. I don't want to bash any manufacturos. I need a reliable machine that I can repair if the need comes up.

Looking forward to your ideas.
Thanks
Rick

 

All of the major manufacturers have good quality machines now. Arctic Cat has some of the best ground clearance. CanAm some of the best power. Polaris has the best ride and good power. Suzuki and Kawasaki also have good machines but I'm not as familiar with them. Honda is very reliable but you can't get a full locking front end. If it is for heavy work take a look at the Polaris Sportsman X2. I bought it for 75% work and 25% play. It's good at both but excels at work. The rear box can hold 400 lbs. and this dump box can convert to a 2nd seat for a passenger. Most versatile quad out there. If you can take a ride on each model you're thinking of. See which meets your needs the best and go for that one. There are some that will bash brands but I've seen good and bad from all makers at some point. Find what's best for you.

 

A side by side may also be a good choice, if you don't mind spending the extra few thousand dollars.

The Yamaha Rhino, Polaris Ranger XP, and Kawasaki Teryx are the three side by sides that would be best for mixed working/trail riding IMO.

 

I have no use for any of the auto tranny (either the belt drives or the needlessly complex Hondas), nor the ever popular current crop of tall floppy unstable long travel machines out there.

That (happily) limits me to just a few manual trans machines. For the trail, I like the Honda Ranchers. The 420 for an SRA, and the 420AT for an IRS machine. If I ever needed a "work" quad, I would go with the Honda Foreman 500.

The Rancher is mid size, super stable, relatively light.....big enough to do the job, but without being a huge pig!