Ken:

It sounds like your criteria for a quad are quite similar to mine, so here is my experience:

I set out last spring to replace my faithful 350 Big Bear. I wanted a workhorse for my rather rough farm, that could also be entertaining on a trail. Specifically, I wanted good pulling power (I drag trees off of fencerows in some pretty rough terrain), good towing power (pull a trailer with a load of oak and walnut firewood), excellent ground clearance (farm is all steep hills with limestone rocks), and could haul a load on the racks as well. Hopefully, it would handle well enough to be fun, too.

I had pretty much settled on IRS for the better ground clearance, as I've hung my bear up several times on my farm. That distilled the choice down to Polaris 500HO, Grizz 660, and Arctic Cat 500i. No Bombardier dealers in my area, so it wasn't on the list. But, all excellent choices. The Cat was built with utility in mind, while the Polaris is more performance oriented, and the Grizz fell somewhere in between the two, good performance and good utility. I was leaning towards the Cat: manual shift, not a lot of electronics to short out, best ground clearance; at the expense of acceleration and top speed, which I didn't really care about. The Cat was heavier, too, which eats at performance, but increases traction and pulling power, so that wasn't an issue for me, either. I didn't discount the Grizz, as my Bear had been nothing but reliable. In the end, price was the determining factor. Negotiated price difference between a Grizz and the Cat was over $1000. I thought the Grizz was better, but not that much better.

Oh, and the Cat has disc brakes all around. It will stop after you come out of a creek. Come to think of it, all three of those quads have disc brakes all around.

After six months of light farm use, I'm pleased as punch with the 500i. It's exactly what I wanted - glides over rough ground that would have hung the bear up, torquey engine with bags of pulling power, crosses a deep creek without bogging down, tows a trailer load of hardwood, hauls two big guys on the racks without bottoming out, scampers up steep hillsides. Put it in 1st gear low, and it crawls back down. No locking diff, but that hasn't been an issue for me, as I don't have any mud to ride in. Not a great top speed, but if you're going over 30 on my trails, it means you're about to smack a tree. Steering is surprisingly light for a 650 pound quad, lighter than my Bear, and putting it in 4wd makes it handle better, not worse. Overall, the Cat has been robust, reliable, strong, and unstoppable. I think I made a fine choice. And here it is: My Cat page I think it's kinda mean looking, too.

The Grizz would have done probably as well, and gone faster, but the dealers were hardline on the price, and there was a problem with the grizz boiling the gas out of the carb and stalling last spring - I think this has since been resolved. Had they been the same price, I probably would have bought the Grizz, and been just as happy. Probably would have been as happy with a Sportsman, too, but I couldn't get a great price on that one, either.

Really, they're all fine machines. If you don't need extra ground clearance, or don't care for the mean, Hummer-like look that the IRS quads have, one of the 400/450 utility machines would do you just as well, and for a little less money.

--John

 

A lot of good posts, good info not all bashing.

When we bought our ATV we were originally going for a 400, we ended up with a 500. I would much rather be in a position of saying "this has too much power" than "it just doesn't have enough power". I would rather be in a position thinking I spent $1000 too much and got too much ATV than to have spent $4500 and not got enough. One way you waisted a grand and the other you waisted 4 1/2 grand. Deffinatly better to buy too much than not enough. More is better, and funner.

 

If I were you, I would consider the Yamaha Big bear 400 4x4. For those applications you want it for, it would serve you the best. It has gobs of torque and is geared very low for working, plowing, and towing. Although it is not the fastest, it is probably one of the most reliable quads out there. I never had one single problem with my big bear, even after it got in an accident! It is built super tough, and has never let me down. For 2002, they have push button 2wd/4wd, which I wish I had. You should also consider the Rancher or the Eiger if you are on a budget, but if you arenot I would definately get the Yamaha Grizzly 660!
-David

 

<u>I'd Say...</u> your best bets are the following; Arctic Cat 4/500, Grizzly or Bigbear, Rincon, Prairie 360/650, or a Sportsman. If I were you I would go with either the AC 500, the Grizzly, or the Rincon. All up to you... go out and test-ride the three and determine what you like. For sport-riding the Grizzly is not the best; cuz I am 15 (weigh 140) sat on the rear shocks and they compressed like half an inch. But if you weigh more it would be ok. The AC's are just pretty much good all around; and so are the Rincons. The Honda also has the 'beltless' auto so if you get er really wet or do muddin the belt won't slip up on ya. that's my 2 cents..