Okay, I'm a newbie to the ATV world and I'm interested in a late model utility ATV. Actually, I'm a newbie to the 4-wheel ATV world. We used to have a Honda 250 Big Red 3-wheeler back in the 80's, which was workhorse back then and it sounds like Hondas still are today.

Anyway, I'm looking at a used 2002 Foreman ES, and I'm wondering how the traxlock works. I know it is 2WD/4WD selectable, but is it a true 4WD or really a 3WD? I've also seen the phrases 'limited slip' and 'locking differential', but not exactly sure how they work. It seems that one provides power to the spinning wheel, while the other provides power to the non-spinning wheel(I'm guessing). When that happens, then is it considered true 4WD or does only one of the front wheels have power at any given time? Which does the Foreman have?

The other model I'm looking at is a Polaris Sportsman which I'm told is one of the few true 4WD ATV's out there. It also has auto trans and IRS, but I'm not sure how important those are to me. I plan on using it mainly for yard work, hauling, maybe plowing. After reading several posts Polaris seems to have some reliablity issues so that makes me shy away from it also.

Thanks in advance for any input