I have now figured out that there are to many quads & I have to little knowledge so I need some help. I am a 50+ yr old woman with a 23 acre tri level ranch in Southern Calif. I am wanting to buy a 4x4 quad for ranch work. I have a club car gas cart I use but it gets stuck when it rains for a few days. I have been looking at the king quads, grizzlys, brute force & the several Honda models. I have been told that I need a shaft drive because it will be in the mud, gunk & manure. I am looking at the bigger engine models as it will have to pull a trailer with feed on it 2x a day & the grade to the upper level is pretty steep. An older model is fine & I don't need any fancy stuff. Speed is not an issue but torque & pulling power is. I have looked at a 2000 grizzly 600 to a 2006 grizzly & several brute forces. They seem to run in the price range of $2300 for the older grizzly to $5000 or more for the newer used models. There are not very many KQ listings & most the Hondas are smaller engines. I am looking for some input & what would be the best choice for a workhorse.

 

I just bought my 1st quad and after thinking about it and testing on friends I decided on the Polaris sportsman 500 I use mine for mostly trails but also food plots and such around the house. I have pulled trees out roots and all that are the size of my waste with it. last weekend I pulled out a guy that had a can am 800 and he was stuck in the mud I went through it with a passenger on mine in 2 wheel drive. the last storm I drug a downed tree 600 yards that was ~24 foot long and as bug as my waste to a burn area. plenty of torque does about 55-60 (depending on terrain) high low fully automatic. depending on your price range a brand new one is right around $6,000 (I got mine out the door tax title everything for 6272.92 but I shopped around and dickered with the dealers) I rode mine in 2 days over 250 miles and felt as though I just got there others were sore after 5-6 hours of riding I feel that the ride the power the comfort and all around the Polaris is the only machine I will own

 

Torque and pulling power will be fine even on the 400-500cc machines vs your club car as long as the machine has a low range transmission(cvt.) Honda has a few different styles of trans than other manufacturers, but they usually have a real low "granny" gear on the utes anyway. The one advantage Polaris(and Arctic Cat, Can AM) models have for your application is weight. The Japanese quads are all around the 600lb mark, while the American brands are heavier which can be an advantage when hauling a load.

Without seeing your proposed feed setup, I think you will be fine with pretty much any of the main brands as long as you look for something 4x4, at least 500cc, and a low range in the tranny.

 

Look for a used Polaris Sportsman X2. You might be able to find an 06 500 for that kind of money. It has 1250 pounds of towing, and a true 400 lb. rated rear suspension. There is a pickup type dumpbox that can also convert to a 2nd seat if needed. In a quad width sized machine it is only second to the Polaris 6x6 which has 6 wheel drive. Older ones might be available.