Hello all,
I am about to purchase my first atv. I have looked at the Honda, Polaris and the Bombardier and I have narrowed it down to either the traxter or sportsman 600. I will be using this atv as a utility vehicle to haul a trailer full of firewood and also plan on plowing and hunting. I wont be doing a lot of trail riding.
I see where the traxter tongue weight is 30 lbs whereas the sportsman 600 tongue weight is 150 lbs.
this difference is remarkable since the traxter has a solid rear axle and the sportsman sports independent rear suspension!
Does anyone have any experience hauling a trailer with a traxter or sportsman 600 if so what was the tongue weight and did you find any problems?
also what are opinions on overall build quality? Bombardier offers 3 yr warranty whereas Polaris offers 6 months.
Lots of money so I want to buy the machine best suited to my needs.

one last thought: I rode a traxter yesterday for the first time and found the transmission to shift rather harshly, the salesman said this was normal but upon questioning him I found he was less than knowledgeable about the machine he was trying to sell me. Luckily we have places like this to discuss and share information!!

any thoughts will be greatly appreciated!!

 

i know the looks of the traxter are a little different but when i go to the shop i look those things over and there built like a dozer with the cooling system in the rear it would keep stuff out and look at the bumpers man it's like a tank seems you hear all those auto trannys are harsh at first, well not having one that is all just based on what i think about them. oh but i do have the rotax engine and they are great. the sound wrong on the tongue weight, like you said it is a solid axle. anyways good luck.

 

I'm both a Bomb and Polaris owner. I have a sportsman 500 HO...and I absolutely love it. I used to ride with a guy that had a Traxter XT 500....His is heavier and WAY WAY wider....that kind of width I do not like on a utility quad. Most times I came out on top in mud, but the Traxter is a faster quad on flats. The Bomb i'd say is probably built more solidly and more reliable (like all bombs) then the Polaris. But I wouldn't buy a Traxter myself...I just can't stand the lawn-mower-tank look.

Again, ride both, and judge for yourself...They are both great quads.

 

The Sportsman is a beast when it comes to pulling. The 600 is a twin so it will be even stronger than mine. I pull around a trailer full (to the top) of gravel around our yard with my 500 without a single problem. Just make sure you use low-range or else you'll be toasting some belts.

I misread your first post.....Now I see you meant the 600...The 600 is probably faster than the Traxter 500s and should have lots of torque to boot. The 600 twin will not have a problem pulling out big game out of the woods or out of a swamp as long as you have tires for the job. I'd say the Traxter would do good here also...But maybe not as good.


Just my 0.02$

Jeff

 

I didn't know anything about ATV's until I decided to buy one. I did a lot researching and talking and also found I had to have a two seater. (2 up) That narrowed it down to the Trax Max and AC. I didn't care for the AC.

I will say the Trax Max is almost a tractor. Not pulled a trailer with mine but pulled some logs, it didn't know they were back there... I couldn't believe it. I think it would pull anything you wanted. We use it on the farm and sure is handy. We both can't believe how smooth the ride is going fast across the rough pasture. We enjoy going up and down a steep hill on the place... the road had washed out a few years back and got so bad that I had stopped going down it on the tractor but it's a joy on the Trax Max. We went black berrie picking... made us a new road and we didn't have to get off the machine to pick those berries!

Yes, the transmission shifts a little sudden but I'm getting use to that. At what I do I find that I like the manual better than auto but my wife likes the auto. We almost have a fight on who's going drive.

It being a two seated and the three year warranty was just what we wanted. The dealer sold Honda and Bombardier... I asked him which was the best... he said they were the same price but the Bombardier was built a little better and will take more punishment. I guess that is why Bomb can go with a three year warranty.

My neighbor has a Polaris, he doesn't recommend for it has giving problems.... but that is just one guys opinion.

Good luck with what ever you go with. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Thanks to all the information and opinions
Seems like the Traxter is my best choice now have to find a dealer and good price