Hey Everyone, I am new to the site and new to the ATV world. I am in the market for a ATV and have been overwhelmed with all of the options. It seems that every dealer I go to pushes me into a different direction. I plan on using it for several thing. I would like to plow snow, pull food plot attachments/trailer of wood and light trail riding. I don't want a huge ATV and I didn't want to spend a ton of money. What options whould I look for/need? Is one brand better than the other? Minumum engine size? I would also like to buy a quad for my wife so she can ride with me, so she wouldn't need something fancy, just comfortable. Any advice is appreciated.

 

If you're plowing snow a 4wd is a must. Also, you will want to get a winch to raise and lower the plow. If you are buying new I recommend something in the 500 cc range. Right now, about the best deal is a Polaris Sportsman 500 HO at $6199. Automatic transmission, some of the best towing and toting numbers, good on board storage and a bulletproof engine make it a good choice. Hondas are super reliable but don't have as many features as the others. Only Honda doesn't have a full locking front differential. It has a limited slip front. Kind of like 3.5 wheel drive. Suzuki, Yamaha, Can-Am, and Arctic Cat all make 500 class machines. Yamahas are also a good all-around reliable machine. Suzuki too. Can-Am have the most power per cc in the utility machine market but are on the more pricey end. Don't know much about Arctic Cats.

 

Plowing or pulling 4wd and low range are your main options. Then its about chassis size.
In 4wd there are two "Physical" sizes "full size" and "mid size" chassis.
A 420 Honda Rancher and 450 Grizzly for example are mid size. A 400 (455cc) Sportsman and 450 Suzuki KQ are Full size ATVs yet have no real displacement advantage.

Any thing over 400 with low range will get the job done. All ATVs made trail ride just some are more comfy at it mostly do to Independent Rear Suspension,automatic tranny and Power steering.

 

what is the advantage/disatvantage of liquid cooled vs. oil/air cooled?

 

For a utility quad that is running at low speeds and working hard, liquid cooled is better. The engine will last longer and cooler. It does mean there are more parts to go bad, but its like a car, take care of it and it will take care of you.

 

Do I want to stick with something that is carburetor vs fuel injected? Sorry for the dumb questions, I just dont know much of anything about this.

 

Water cooled, is as mentioned, better for longevity when doing a lot of slow speed things like plowing.

Fuel injection is going to be easier to start (no choke) in the winter. Just takes longer for a carbed quad to be ready to go. Only other advantages are a little better power, usually, with EFI, and drastic elevation changes are better to have an EFI as it automatically compensates for the elevation differences. Carbed model needs rejetting if the difference is really drastic.

 

Liquid cooling is more for higher powered ATVs of 35hp and up. I had a many smaller sub 30hp ATVs that were air/oil cooled and never see one almost over heat on the hottest days.
Efi is good for real cold days for the first start up with no choke to deal with and if your doing trail riding with greater then 4000ft elevation changes other then that there impossible to tell apart from a carbed ATV while riding.

 

If your wanting one for you and your wife arctic cat makes a great 2 up for you to ride with the wife and has what they call the speed rack which allows you to mount different things like a chain saw holder,5 gallon bucket basket,camping gear ect... to the machine. this will allow maximum storage for farming and outdoor camping/fishing trips. the rear seat has option for heated hand grips for the wife so her hands stay warm and they may have heated seats? youll have to ask. Great atv ive never had major issues with any of mine. heres the cat 2 up Arctic Cat 2013 Recreation 2 Up

polaris also makes a 2 up. im not familiar with them though. they offer a 500, 550,and 850 2013 Polaris Sportsman Touring 500 HO Sage Green ATV: Features

can am also makes a 2 up,but as mentioned they are usually a bit more. http://www.canamoffroad.com/atv/outl...max/all-models

them are the 2up models that i know of. where are you from,state? just curious. We can maybe point in the direction of the better dealers if we know of any. i also agree with the others,a 400cc machine will do the job. I like a liquid cooled engine more just my preference but they wouldnt build an air cooled engine if it wasnt designed for it so dont let that scare you away from air cool/oil cooled engines. (oil cooled engines have a small radiator which cools the oil rather than water and may have a fan depending)
I personally like the cats for my hunting,farming,trail riding for several reasons. The yamaha grizzly is a close second as it share similar features as the cat but has some better parts. The suzuki king quad is hard to beat in price when comped to others in its class and is a hell of a nice quad. Polaris makes great atvs,i own a polaris RZR side by side and its been great but its not an atv. My wife rides a can am outlander 500. great mid size(to her) machine. shes not a fan of the big bodied machines and the outlander fit her perfectly. kawasaki bruteforce 650 or 750 is a powerful machine. they have a funky diff lock lever that could be hard to use it situations. honda builds a bullet proof bike but lacks several feature all the other have. There are my 1st to last pick for my personal preferences of atvs. Some are very close and others I just have a hard time to buy. they just lack feature id rather have that the others do have. Also, A machine with independent rear suspension will typically give a smoother ride. good luck in your search!

 

I'm from southern Michigan. I will have to discuss the 2-up option with my wife and see what she is thinking. I am willing to drive a good distance for a great deal. I just looked at a Honda Rancher and a Yamaha Big Bear. Very different machines and very different price tags. I also stopped by a place where the salesman was trying to sell me an Arctic Cat before he even knew my needs. The atv looked nice but he told me it was a $10000 machine. I told him that I didn't want to spend that much so he told me it was a $6000 machine. Needless to say, he turned me off to the dealership. I really want to look at a Polaris and compare to the Honda and Yamaha, plus take a look at another AC. If you know where the best deals are happening at, I would appreciate the tip. Thanks again for all of the information.