Ok for now I'm thinking either the polaris 570 sportsman two-up and the can-am outlander max two-up...other suggestions, comments or tips on these and which type of each model? I read the specs of each type but it all confuses me haha as for the x2 I feel as when you add the plow and other accessories it's a bit out of my price range IMO however if you feel the x2 would better fit my needs and has the best features etc then don't hesitate to let me know

 

You can buy a full sized chassis ATV and add the rack passenger seat with the foot rest options, for the brands like Yamaha , Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki that do not offer 2 up ATVs.
I had them they work good . I sold it do to lack of passengers but the footrest work great as fender guards,so I kept them on.

Footrest pic


Seat on rack.

 

Oh that's cool I heard a lot of good things about the Grizzly but it didn't have the 2-up that I was aware of at the time until now :O haha

Would anyone recommend the Grizzly (or any other Sport-Utility ATV) over the Polaris or Can-Am for an easy transition from utility snow plow to supper fun trail riding and gets it done with the best features for the best price?

Thanks again for all the help!
JT

 

The XT package on a Can-Am Outlander throws in a ton of features. If you were to equip a comparable Polaris they'd both come out pretty close price-wise. I picked the Outlander Max 650 XT-P because it was loaded with features and when you have the passenger seat installed, has more room on the rear rack than the Polaris Touring. I had hoped to find a Limited Edition Polaris Sportsman X2 with an 850 but couldn't find one that was new. An Outlander Max 500 has plenty of power for 2 people. I've been behind a few good riders that had them on snow rides and they were going at a good clip. I find, for my 345 or so pounds with a passenger that the 650 leaves me feeling that I never NEED more power. I wasn't sure on the 500 though I've been on my son's Renegade 500 and it's got plenty of go.

So, my answer is, I went with the Outlander Max because of the engine size and the room on the rear rack when the passenger seat is installed. I might have gone for the Polaris Sportsman X2 850 if I had been able to find one. I didn't care much for the Polaris Touring because of the lack of rack space when you have a passenger, and the seat at that time was kind of saddle shaped. It tended to make you slide forward on the seat. I didn't like that at all. I'm 6'3" and like sitting back on the seat more than forward.

 

Great info! I think I would prefer the Can-Am Outland Max XT because there are so many thumbs up reviews for it and from what i've read, can-am has the best reliability?

What about getting like a grizzly or other 1 person atv with the rear seat attachment...would that be cheaper, have better accessories/features etc or would it be cheaper and best accessorized and most features to get the Outland Max XT?

Let's talk horsepower, would 500 be enough to have fun on the trails getting a bunch of hills and deliver the best performance for plowing snow or say the 650? and as an edit from the main post i recently found out that about 4 times a year, Woodland Park get a big storm/blizzard delivering around 1' of snow sometimes even up to 3' and depending on the year it can be pretty wet and heavy but for the average snowstorm every now and then generally deliver 5-10" not including the little flurries with only 1-2" melting within 24 hours.

 

oh and 1 more thing, when looking into the accessories and packages for the 2-up Outlander max XP that there was a package or something called "The Icebreaker Max" i believe it was. anyone know about that or if that would be a good package for plowing but still convertable back to a toy? and what about a seat back/seat rest for your back and a mid-sized windshield? are those good to have or just preference and is the seat back/seat rest comfortable and does it help alot or just get in the way? i saw on the polaris build area that there was a cargo box and seat back/seat rest combo that attached directly behind the driver seat with a built in seat back/seat rest, does Can-Am or any of the other brands offer something similar? and in terms of covers i'm confused on the difference between can-ams "Storage Cover Outland Max" and their "Trailering Cover"?

 

A couple things to be careful of with using a one person machine as a two person machine. 2-up machines are engineered for having 2 riders, a 1-up isn't. I've been in both situations and if you use a 1-up with a box/seat like TLC mentions it messes with the balance of the quad where the passenger is sitting more behind the rear axle. This can lighten the front end and make steering input lighter. 2-up machines aren't like that with a passenger. The weight is shared between the front and rear axles better. A 2-up machine is way more stable on a hill with a passenger. If you use a 1-up as a 2 rider machine and go up a hill the weighting issue is mulitplied. I've seen plenty tip over backwards on steep hills. A 2-up machine has a longer wheelbase and is much less likely to tip over backwards whether you have a passenger or not. Lastly, you want to check with your local laws and clubs. I don't know which states do this, but I'm hearing about it more often that riding with a driver and passenger on a 1-up is illegal in some states, and many club rides will not allow it on sanctioned events. A "for instance" is the Mt. Washington Auto Road ride that is held each year in New Hampshire where ATV's are allowed to ride the Auto Rd. up to the summit of Mt. Washington. One of the rules is no 2-up riding on a 1 person machine.

My thought is, where you are a beginner, you should probably go with a 2-up machine. It's much safer than a 1 person machine with a passenger and driver.

If budget is the main concern, go with the Polaris 570 Touring. It's priced pretty good for a 2-up machine.

 

See my other post for the 1-up/2-up arguments.

The two issues with plowing are torque and traction. With almost any 350 cc or higher machine and low range you'll run out of traction before you run out of power. A quad will only push so much snow and it depends on how wet the snow is too. If it's going to be more than 8" I go out and do a few passes before it gets too deep and finish once the storm is done. I've found when it's wet snow this approach works pretty well. Fluffy snow can pile a little higher before I feel the need to go out.

Obviously, the 650 will have more power than the 500 but either machine will work well with what you're asking them to do. I was behind the president of the ATV club up in Warren, NH last year on groomed snowmobile trails. He had the Outlander Max 500, I had my Max 650. He did fine going upwards of 50 mph on open smooth sections of trail. I don't think you'll ever NEED more power than the Can-Am 500 has.

 

I've never heard of the Icebreaker Max????? Could you provide a link? Windshields are good for winter or cold weather riding. I don't know if Can-Am has a seat back for the driver. Not that I know of. I've never really seen the need as the driver to have a seat back. I had one that was part of the flip up seat on the Sporstman X2. The driver's back rest flipped down to form the seat portion of the passenger seat. I didn't find I used it much and felt it was in the way going down steep hills where I wanted to get my weight as far back on the machine as possible.

A storage cover is for a parked quad. A trailering cover is more heavy duty and designed to be put on the quad when it's being transported on a trailer or in the back of a pickup. It has straps to keep it from blowing off the quad and is usually thicker to take the beating from highway speed winds.

 

Hey, here is the link, I'll post more details later as I don't have access to a computer or time for that atm http://can-am.brp.com/off-road/atv/outlander-max/outlander-max-xt/accessories.html