What's up everyone, I'm looking for a machine to use on a piece of property. The property is mostly wooded but there is a field and it gets quite wet. It's not a full blown swamp but if you walk through it, there are parts where your boot could get stuck in the mud.

I'm looking for a used machine that would be capable for the entire terrain.

Ideally I'd like to spend no more than $2,500 but from my current searches it seems like I may be forced to up that number.

So far it seems like any of these would be candidates:
Old Foremans
4x4 Ranchers
Grizzlys/Kodiaks

I see a lot of these pop up but know nothing about them:
Polaris Sportsman
Random Artic Cats
Suzukis?

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

If it's that muddy an ATV might get stuck too easy. You may be better off with a 8x8 or 6x6 amphibious vehicle like an Argo. Argo ATV ? The world?s most versatile All-Terrain Vehicles

 

Land that wet would suck in most conventional ATVs quickly. You may be better off with an Atv with aftermarket tracks, or a machine such as listed above.
I know that if I can't lightly walk on mud, then my Kodiak usually digs in. May not get completely stuck but it's slow going and usually winds up with me needing a hose down before I can get in the house.

 

I would suggest one with full independent suspension to get good ground clearance. Other than that, personally, I think it's mostly about how good the tires are, if you go in that type of mud. I had 30" Mudzillas that I sold with my old 2001 Arctic Cat 500. I just ordered 27" Outlaw MST's for my Arctic Cat Diesel, hoping those might be even better. I ride all winter in ice and snow, the Mudzillas weren't great in the snow. a 400 cc ATV with good mud tires will be 10X's better than a 1000 cc one with crappy tires once you hit mud. When I had the Mudzillas, I almost never needed 4wd. You need a winch and maybe a rear mounted winch, if you get in too deep.

 

X2 on what Hydrex said. Tires are a big part of whether or not you'll get through mud. You need tires that have open voids between the tread blocks so they can spit out any mud that gets in between the blocks. Tires that come to mind are Mudlite XTR's, Swamp Lite, and Mudzillas.

On the quad list you made, I'd personally avoid the Hondas. They didn't have a full locker in the front axle until the last couple of years and have some of the lowest ground clearance numbers in the industry. I've seen a few situations where having the little bit of extra traction pulled people up and over, or through really tough areas. So, I'd go for a machine with Independent Rear Suspension (IRS), good ground clearance, and good power. Look for a machine with at least a 500 cc, that in low will pull you through and spin the tires as needed. Machines that fit this description are Polaris Sportsman, Yamaha Grizzly, Suzuki King Quad, and Can-Am Outlander or Renegade. See if you can ride each one and go with what fits your needs best.

 

Might want to check if your AAA will get you towed out, hehe. One thing I like about my old 2002 AC 400 FIS(full independent suspension) is with the manual shift and 10 fwd speeds you can always find a gear that will get you thru. My 2008 AC Diesel is automatic and has locking differential, I've found that I almost never need to lock in, though. Plowing really deep snow, thats about it. I can tell you from experience, an ATV will go over mud that will bury a 4x4 Dodge Ram so deep, I had to crawl out the window.

 

This is a great response. The only ones I see in my price range sometimes are Grizzly's but more so Polaris Sportsman. The Sportsmans are belt driven though aren't they?

I've heard people say they can slip when wet is that true are these a major disadvantage?

Also a recent quad that caught my eye is the Suzuki Vinson, but maybe that's too small?

 

Yep, a belt can slip if it's wet. How many times have I seen that in 27 years of riding? 1 time. My buddy got stuck and kept on the throttle, causing the back end of the quad to sink even deeper. Some water seeped in during the 15 minutes he was stuck. After I pulled him out, we opened the drain on the CVT and were back on our way in 10 minutes. The dozens of different people I've ridden with have gone through front-rack-deep or deeper water holes and mud holes on just about every trip out. It's just how it is here in New England. If a CVT belt fails it costs all of $50-$75 for a new belt. I just carry one with me. Have I ever needed one in over 8000 miles of riding? Nope. I did have a belt lose a couple of the nubs on the belt. Was able to get back to my truck and fixed it up. Could have done it on the trail but decided to go back as I had a lot more tools in the truck. This was after 2000+ miles on the belt including, plowing, mudding, rock climbs, water, snow, sand, etc. The biggest killer of belts is driving the quad in high gear when you should be in low. Mud, snow, slow riding, steep slow climbs, etc. Heat builds up and can ruin the belt. If you keep it in low when you should be the fans circulate more air and cool the belt more efficiently.

Don't know much about the Vinson. Rode with a guy who had one. When in regular 4wd his front end was essentially a limited slip. He couldn't get up a 3', very steep rock that the rest of us with Polaris Sportsman quads could. I showed him how to move the lever to fully lock the front end. He was able to get up there like we had. I think the Vinsons have a solid rear axle. Good for towing (doesn't lose ground clearance when you hitch up a trailer), not good for ground clearance. Maybe 6-7" under the rear gear box. A typical IRS machine has numbers around 10-11" of clearance.

 

Where are you located? If you were close to me, I'd let you try out either. I have a manual shift AC 400 and an AC diesel with auto. What I think, having manual shift might be an advantage on a small motor, if you have the power, an automatic is nice. Most all new models are automatics, most ATV owners don't want to shift. I had a 400 cc Polaris with automatic, was not nearly as fun to drive as the manual shift AC. Apples and oranges, but don't say no to either.

 

Hey man

Defiantly check into the Polaris Sportsman. I have one myself for the work around our house. It has 4 wheel drive and can pull/push really well. It could get through the mud pretty well. It is a powerful and very reliable utility quad. Check it out!