Hi all:

I was wondering which of these two 4x4 would be better for me. I am on a budget of about $6,000 and have had great luck with both of these companies in the past. A friend of mine lets me borrow his old Honda (1985) four trax and even though this machine has alot of miles on it it still runs great. I have also ridden and beaten-on an older polaris (I think it was an explorer). I own a Polaris snowmobile with 12,000 miles on it and it still runs great and haven't had to do anything to it.

I will be taking this machine to the west end of Michigans upper penisula for two weeks a year. The terrain is very rocky, lots of mud holes (sometimes very deep) and in places very hilly (if nor more like small mountains). I will be using it as a primary vehicle to get me from hunting spot to hunting spot, and also to scout new areas. Gas stations in this area are few and far between.

I have not decided if I really need a SP 500. I think that a 400 would be plenty of machine. I ride with guys who have a Honda Ranchers and one has a Foreman. I have heard the stories about the polaris belts getting wet or braking (mostly from Honda guys)is this still true? I have seen a couple of Polaris SP 500 go through mud holes that we couldn't with the Hondas. What are the pros and cons of these machines. What is the most bang for you buck?

I have priced these machines out and I can get them for the following:
Polaris SP 500 $5,700
Polaris SP 400 $5,100
Honda Rancher ES $6,200

Are these decent prices? Please let me know, I would like to buy one of these in the next month or so. Thanks

 

polaris, are great for towing. ranchers, the engine isnt exactly a 350. its a 329cc.30cc's different, just like the trx300. ranchers have a tight turning radius, 8.5 ft. but for 4x4 its 11.5 some odd. if your going to be mud bogging i suggest you get either an arctic cat, or even a race quad. a race quad, with an available rack and tow hitch. thats it! iv found it! get the yamaha wolverine! 350cc 4x4, tow hitch+front back racks, low weight, great engine (warriors engine [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ) 5 speed auto clutch. the wolverine is a sport quad with the features of a utility. racks, tow hitch, 4x4 ect.. while remaining low weight, sport-fenders+lights make it sporty, the design too. the warriors engine is sporty enough, and can beat a big bear, and mabye sometimes a scrambler 500.but not by much. personally id go with the rancher because iv never seen/rode a polaris up-front. ranchers up like a step-up from the trx300, and they're not THAT slower than the 450's. superlow first gear on the rancher is great, and has a very heavey duty auto.clutch 5speed/with reverse.

hope this has helped? i dont wana waste my energy on typing.

moto.mad.man.mx.wrath.yo.

 

if you can buy the honda also get biggest bang for your buck(engine size)you won"t regret it

 

I am also looking at getting the Honda Rancher ES, and from the three dealers that I've priced, the prices were, $5,500; $5,200; and $5,100. You wrote that you priced the Rancher at $6,200. That is a bit high and I'd keep looking around for a better price. The major thing that turned me away from looking at a polaris is the weight, they're huge. Also, when sitting on them, my legs have to be spread to far apart because of the auto tranny. After looking around and talking to people, I'm going to be buying a Rancher soon, I've heard nothing but good about them. Hope it helps.

 

4WD will always perform better than 3WD.

 

Thanks for all of your help guys. I have looked at some more prices speedx11 and I found that you were right. I can get them for about $5,200. I can also get a manual shift Honda Rancher 4x4 for $4,000. That is a great price, but I also found that the honda dealers that also sold polaris were very high on the prices of the hondas. It seemed like they didn't want to deal at all. I wonder why this is...is it because they can make alot more on polaris? My other question is does any company make a manual shift atv that also has independant rear suspention? I haven't seen any and was wondering why they don't. I wish that I could get the polaris suspension with a Honda engine and ES set-up. That would be one heck of a machine.

I am now leaning toward getting the rancher. I really like the polaris....but all the guys I ride with have hondas and if that damn belt broke I would never hear the end of it. I am pretty sure that the polaris would traverse deaper mud holes...but am still worried about the belt getting wet or breaking and if I did get stuck I'm not sure that the Hondas would be able to pull the polaris out (the polaris weighs alot more). Well that is my two cents, if any body has any more suggestions/commenst it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

"Does anybody make a manual shift atv with independant rear suspension?"

AC 500i-manual shift. Whoever mentioned "biggest bang for you buck" hasn't seen the AC line. Arctic Cat truely does offer more features for the money. The rear swing axle on the ACT line (all other AC's without IRS) have by far the best rear swing axle design compared to any other quad out there. They are by far the best at keeping all four wheels on the ground in uneven terrain for a strait axle quad, period. If compared to IRS, it is the closest thing in suspension performance to the SP line from Polaris. Now, AC just introtroduced a new IRS line with 5 new machines (one is a 90cc kids quad however), to be in dealers shops very soon. Most of the '02s are out now, just the IRS has taken a little longer to get to the shops. They may be out back east already, but out in my area, my dealer won't have the IRS versions till mid-september time frame. AC's IRS is rumored to be the best out there, hell it already has the highest ground clearance and most suspension travel as well. The machines are rock solid, very tough and can handle anything you dare to throw at them while begging for more. Most of these machines fall well within your $6,000 budget, so you might want to give them a look. A word of caution though, if you're looking for a high speed quad, don't even bother with the 'Cat lineup. They are not known for speed, just low end grunt utility work and great trail/climbing/mudding capabilities-perfect for your hunting needs. Top speed on these will be mid 50's average, which is plenty fast for me, but for the speed demons out there, this just isn't quite enough. If you want a solid, dependable, tough hunting rig, give them a look, you won't be dissapointed.

Best of Luck

Mike

 

I have posted on here many times before on this very subject. The long and short of it is that I owned a 98 Sportsman. I was very happy with where it would go, with the all wheel drive, IRS, and power. Going through mud and muck was great. Going up hills was great. Going over rocks and boulders was great. Going down hills was terrible. I'm not a fan of the braking system on Polaris at all. I had EBS added to mine but was still not happy with the engine braking going down hill. This machine was very maintenace intensive. Grease fittings everywhere. And if you missed one, you paid the price. I encountered several problems with my Sportsman, and I'd say that maybe a fourth of those problems were due to my neglect, or ignorance. The rest were shoddy craftsmanship. I hear that Polaris is getting better all the time, but I can't speak from experience.

I sold my Polaris and bought a Honda Rancher 4x4ES(for my wife). I had intentions of buying a sport quad for myself. Well, after riding the Rancher for quite a while now, I'm in love with it. It doesn't have the power of the Sportsman but it doesn't weigh as much either. The horsepower to weight ratio isn't as far off as you might think. The Rancher is super stable in all situations. I was worried about going from IRS to a straight axle in the rear. No problem at all. The Rancher has a much lower center of gravity and is confidence inspiring in off camber situations, and straight up and down hills. I must admit, that I do miss the Polaris suspension and soft seat. A seven or eight hour day in the saddle on the Rancher, compared to the Sportsman, will give you a serious case of the "monkey butt".

I'll admit that I'm not the best at performing maintenance on my machines. I'm pretty lazy when it comes down to it. I pretty much treated the Rancher and the Sportsman the same in this department.....no, actually I did maintain the Sportsman quite a bit more. But the Rancher has yet to have its first flaw. I'm totally happy with the reliability on it. Not so on the Polaris.

If you don't want to give up some of the cool features on the Sportsman to step down to the Rancher, you might consider the Rubicon. You get alot of the features back with this step. But I can't help but think that if you go with the Rancher, you won't be dissappointed. I'm not.

One other thing to think about,...for the cost difference of the two, you could put a bigger set of wheels and tires on the Rancher. That would help with the deep mud situations. Hope this helps and no matter what you go with.....good luck and enjoy.