Wondering if the ES is better for plowing because of the low range you get with the shifter. I'm alittle afraid of the hydrostatic transmission on the Rubicon.

Can you take both machines in and out of 4WD?

Thanks, Joe

 

The Foreman 450es or Rubi would work well for plowing. The Rubicon would have a little more pushing power because of 66 more cc's and a little extra weight. It might be nice to have an automatic for plowing and still have the ES option to be able to shift. The Rubicon does not switch from 4 wheel drive to 2 wheel drive. It is a fulltime 4x4.
One nice thing about the 450's is that you can switch from 2 to 4 wheel drive. It may not be important while plowing but it is a nice feature to have. Hopefully Honda will put a switch on the Rubicon in the future. When I bought my Foreman I wanted it to be a simple as possible and have a 2 to 4x4 switch. Less to go wrong.
If you have a 2001 Foreman now then you might consider buying a 424 kit for it so you could switch from 4 wheel drive to 2 wheel drive. 424
If this doesn't work, you can find the 424 at Rockymountainatv.com Just type in 424 under the search and scan down the list until you come to Warn 424.

 

There is no need to be afraid of the hydrostatic transmission.Most agricultural and industrial equipment use hydrostatic transmissions and they have proven to be very reliable.