New to the ATV market but here are my requirements. I live in north west Wisconsin, need a utility vehicle for plowing snow and most of all clearing out dead trees for firewood in my woods. The woods is rather swampy most of the year, it has some natural springs which bubble all year which do not allow me to get to most of the woods with a small tractor. Will use it for deer hunting and trail riding would be nice but I am not one to go 70mph (probably not even 55mph), most machines seem to fit the bill on these last two items.

I like the direct drive versus the belt from most things I have read here and else where. I think I narrowed it down the Bombadier Trax Max and the Honda (not sure which). Like the Trax Max for the two seater option as I usually have one of the kids with and this machine is big enough in the seat to take both kids (too young for their own).

I am not sure how the added weight of the Bombadier will perform in some of the swamps but sounds better for plowing snow. The resale seems better on the Honda but the Honda seems to have less power to pull logs through swampy areas. One other item that may put the Honda above the Bombadier is it would be nice to have 2wd as well since I have an 8' reel mower for mowing my lawn and this would not tear things up. Any one have some input on the two and/or other things I should look at for the type work I am looking at doing.

Thanks much,

Ducky

 

im' a sportsman fan, but given the two choices i would buy the bomb. without thinking twice. polaris & bomb. weigh more than other quads, but equal or exeed in performance. weight would be a good thing for your duties. also true 4x4. polaris has this on all their quads & im' pretty sure that bomb. does also. honda is a good make & i would never say different, but they have been behind the ball for years now. from working to trail riding, theres a better quad than honda. belt vs. a shifter, thats up to you! the belt would actually be better for pushing snow. of those people that i know who have owned both shifter & auto, they would never go back to a shifter unless its a sport quad. let us know what you buy! p.s. check out the polaris atp!

 

Thanks for the input. A friend at work also recommended the Polaris stating it has about the most power out there. My only real fear with going to a belt drive is slippage during prolonged wet operation. He gave me a good dealership look at them, about a 2 hour drive so I am not sure when I will get there but he would not buy from anyone else. My guess is I will research most of the summer and buy early fall. Thanks, again

 

From the two choices I would agree with carver. weight is an advantage and I would rather replace a belt than a transmission if something breaks. One thing I would look at though is a solid axle bike, these are much better at handling heavy loads (all the weight is put on tires instead of suspention) Take a look at the Prairie 650. Or the polaris magnum. They are all good machines with plenty of power and good handling, The best thing to do is pick the one that fits your a$$ the best. It will be good regardless of brand as they are very competitive.

 

You won't find a better workhorse than the Sportsman. We have over 8000 miles on three Sportsmans in the last 14 months. Not one slipped belt. It's got a low gear for pushin or pullin. Don't want you to think I'm following you around just to dispute you Mr. Rivermud, but your Prairie will NOT out-tow a Sportsman. The suspension is more than sufficient to handle most anything you will throw at it. The Prairie has a three hundred pound less towing capacity as the 700, plus a 56 pound less capacity on the racks. No sure of the tongue capacity, they don't bother to list it on their specs page. I guess what I'm driving at is to check the Sportsman closely, it's an awesome machine. Polaris has come a long way with their reliability, and with a little bit of maintenance, this machine will keep you happy for years to come. Don't be goaded into not buying one because of some preconceived notions. Like the one above, or the belt slippage. Finally, the Polaris is made in the USA, what more could you ask for???

 

Now made in the USA is a very good point, That was the reason I bought a polaris waverunner, and a polaris trail boss for my wife, but unfortunately they both have Fugitsu motors in them. That dont sound American to me. If you look at manufacture location the Prairie was made in Nebraska. And I have to disagree on the Tow weight, in the ATV shootout the prairie was #1 rated at 1250 pounds from the factory recomendations, the grizzly was second, and the sportsman 700 was third. On the made in America issue, you will never see an import car in my driveway, I will not drive an import car, but there are alot of good American made cars and different brands to choose from. I cant go with a brand just because they are the only brand in America, when they have a superior or equal product I will be happy to buy one. I am not brand loyal at all, I have owned Every major brand out there except Bombardier. Next might very well be polaris, but it will be a couple years because right now I believe the Prairie is head of the class.

 

I got the towing specs right off the websites of each manufacturer. Grizzly 1212 lbs, Prairie 1250 lbs, 700 Sportsman 1500. My original point was that straight axles machines do not necessarily out perform IRS. There has been lots of arguments both ways. One particular discussion started with the numbers, and when the person I was discussing this with saw the numbers were against him, he said those numbers don't mean anything anyways. As for the Jap made carb in the Polaris. I wish it weren't the case, but that is not enough reason to send your money to Japan. We've had plenty of these economics discussions on here. The money spent on an American machine made by an American company, benefits the American economy. Those Prairies made in Nebraska benefit the few workers employed there, but that money still goes to support the Japanese economy. That's simply economics.

I wouldn't imagine you'd be happy on the Sportsman, especially trying to compare it to your Prairie. It's not the same, your machine will go quicker and faster than the Sportsman. But that's all I think it's got on the Polaris. I think the Sportsman is a real good machine, but I ride a Predator. I'm not ready to settle down, and I guess you aren't either. But when you and I are, I know what I'm gonna buy, you should at least give the Sportsman some serious thought.

 

Ok Predator03 I will agree with you, when I get a little older and do need a little smoother ride, A sportsman will probably be my choice. I also agree on the economics, It is unfortunate that we can not buy an entire quad or car that is made with all American parts (even my vette is loaded with Jap crap) and thats supposed to be as American as apple pie. As for the numbers you quoted, I have not checked to see they are valid but will take your word for it, (I know the #s on the prairie & Grizzly you quoted were correct so Im sure the other is as well.) The ATV shootout ranked them 3rd with a # in the high 1100 pound range. I dont know where they got there info but it is misleading. And the honda was last with 850 or 950. I will admit I looked long and hard at the sportsman 700 but it was $1000 more because it said 700 on the side, I cant speak on a national price but that was the case here in Missouri and the performance gain was great enough to justify the money. With that $1000 I could do any upgrade needed to make it the best all around bike out there.

My advise to JimbobDucky>>> Ride them all, see which is the most comfortable to you, get a feel for the ergonomics on all of them, body positions, shifter ease, seat comfort, ect. You will find owners of all brands and they are happy with all brands. This can only meen one thing. (they are all good) just make sure you have both high and low range.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I found another person at work who is into various quads. He has a Rubicon that he loves, he just bought a 700 Sportsman, and his dad has the Bomb. We talked at length and he has riden them all and used them all in various venues. His thoughts were for my uses the Bomb would be a great machine but the others probably rank right there. In the end, I chose the Bomb. XT, 2002 right out of the crate, it will be here Friday. Got the Moose county plow and the drop basket for it right away. Do not think I paid too much as I found another for the same in a different state, $7400 tax, lic, accessories, and delivery is free (good thing as I do not have the hitch installed on the new vehicle to tow the thing yet, but now the wife will have to let me get that too)

 

the 700 is rated at 1500 lbs. im' gonna try to find that issue that your refering to cause i know for a fact it's wrong! the polaris 700 & the bomb 650 are the true heavyweights. they pull better than any quad on the market.