Hello atvers

I have a 2000 Rancher 350 4x4 ES and want to buy the new Rancher AT. So far I haven’t had serious problems with my machine, only self-made when riding. It’s a very reliable bike.

I writing you from Portugal-Europe and the Rancher AT is coming out next month, therefore we don’t have any information of the reliability on this machine.

Have you had any problems? Thanks for your help.

Tocapacetes

 

I absolutely love my Rancher AT. I highly recommend it. I have almost 20 hours on it and 56 miles. I am ready for the first service.

I have been impressed from the snow plowing, to the power. Love the 2/4wd feature, and love the automatic or esp shifting. I do not think you can go wrong. Love my machine. When you get stuck in mud or snow, just stand by the side of it and put it in automatic and give it gas either in reverse or forward and walk it right out.

 

I have a little less hours than rancher but I think I have more miles on my rancher AT. I really like this machine - I haven't had any trouble with it at all. I used it in November and the end of December to run my trapline. Mostly flat fields, corn stubble and a few small knolls. In December - lots of mud and I used the 4wd alot - never got stuck at all. Since this is my first ATV - I have been very careful during the break in period. It hasn't gone above 35 mph yet - too dang cold on the face and hands to go any faster right now. I hope to ride it on occassion down in Southeastern Ohio on some reclaimed strip mine pits. It will have all kinds of hills and brush and stuff to go through. Will probably have it serviced in April - next thing I get for it will be the extended warranty. I don't forsee any problems - but it never hurts to be safe than sorry.

 

I have one on the back of my truck right now, just paid for it ! I will be going to the cabin today for the weekend. Here is the link to the terrain where I will ride.

Regards,
Spud (Canada)

Will report next week BCOUTDOOR

 

I completely agree with RancherAT400. I bought my AT in early August, 03, and it's been great. I truly love this machine. I regards to "walking out of snow", it all depends on how deep the snow is. Here in PA, we have about 2 feet accumulated, with combination of snow and layers of ice. Reminds me of that 3-2-1 jello I used to eat as a kid. My AT has been stuck in this stuff real well as of recent. If you break trail and the snow builds up under the quad, do not stop! Once those tires break traction and spin, you're screwed. This is not a slam on the AT, b/c it would happen with any quad, but I think higher ground clearance may give other bikes an advantage in this situation. It is not hard to get unstuck, just remove the snow from around the tires and under the frame, but up until recently I thought my AT was unstoppable.

Still kicked butt over a Suzuki Vinson in trail breaking distance recently!

 

kckcjam,

Where abouts in PA are you from? I was south of Pittsburgh the other day and there is no snow at all. I drove home(northeast of Pittsburgh) and we still have at least 9 inches of snow. I actually thought about loading up the quad and heading south for a day just to ride a little. Tired of just pushing snow with the quad.

 

Have to let you know that you could get a few problems. Have about 600k on mine and its been in the shop most of thetime since i have it over the last 3 months. Blew out the whole back end when the swing arm let go and lost my shifting another time. Dont ride hard either. I would recommed you buy something else. honda does not stock a lot of parts for these bikes yet, so you could end up waiting for repair parts like me. They are expensive as well, considering the quality and service.
Suzuki 400 might be better choice.

 

Sullivad, here's a post I made earlier regarding your Rancher AT problems. I'm not sure if you saw ir or not so I'll repost.

Regarding your problems, here's my input for what it's worth. I don't think you can count the cut wires that disabled the shifting as a "new model" problem. That's just wear and tear like a CV boot that gets torn by a branch, or a CDI wire that gets cut by a branch and causes the ignition to stop firing. (saw this on an 86 TRX 350 today) It can happen on any machine at any time. Chalk this one up to bad luck. As for the swingarm problem, if I understand your post correctly, I would assume that one of the swingarm bolts came loose and caused the whole rear end to basically pull away from the frame, bending and breaking everything in sight in the process. This one is definately Honda's fault. I would assume that the right side of the swingarm was the culprit. This side has the swingarm bolt basically just snugged down, and the lock nut which is threaded onto it, is tightened to a very high torque. I think maybe the person who assembled your ATV either forgot, or didn't tighten this locknut down enough, and the swingarm bolt (not having anything to hold it there) just worked its way out. I wouldn't call this one a "new model" problem either, as Honda has used the exact same setup for many years and very rarely do you see a problem with these bolts coming out. Again, this one is certainly Honda's fault, but don't worry about it happening again. I have a fair amount of seat time on both the Rancher AT (Fourtrax AT in Canada) and Rancher 350 (Fourtrax 350 in Canada) and can say that if I had to choose between these two models tomorrow, it would be the AT hands down. That transmission is absolutely silky smooth, and puts this machine in a class all its own.

Sullivad, I can relate to you not being satisfied with your machine's reliablilty to this point and wishing you had bought something else. Please don't let these isolated incidents take away from your enjoyment of this great ATV. Things will get better, I promise.

 

I love my rancher, and simply wish you did not have the problems you did. I worked in a factory building store fixtures for 15 years. Not all people do their job all the time. sounds as though you received a quad that someone just neglected to check the swingarm bolt.

I can empathize with you. It is not right that you have to wait, however your bike is an exception and not the rule. If you realize that you may be scaring someone who would really love a Rancher AT away, because you are mad, then you are doing yourself, Honda and the newbie like myself a disservice. I bought a brand new Dodge mini van, and before it had 2000 miles on it, the airconditioner went out, the heater core sprung a leak, the transmission had to be overhauled, the steering column had to be replaced. The hydraulic lifters had to be changed. I bought it off the show room floor in 1996 it was a 1997 model. Oh, and one of the rear sets of leaf springs collapsed. Did Dodge give me a new Van...NO....Was I mad, yes, but they fixed it all up. I know of two that are still running around and had no problems at all. I just waited until I had it one year and traded it back to the dealer and reminded them to treat me right.

They treated me very fair. I still buy Chrysler, Dodge products.

 

Thanks for the posts. I was not trying to scare anyone( just providing another point of reference). I have talked to a number of folks since and nobody has ever heard of such a failure(swingarm), so it is rare. Folks should be aware that this is the case and although it may be rare it does happen as I can vouch for.

What is also interesting to note, is lack of parts and dealer attitude towards the whole thing. Also honda washed their hands of the problem. Not even willing to extend the warranty on all the replaced components. In my opinion this is not what a reputable company would do, so if other customers are willing to take a chance on Honda ATVs based on the reputation, at least a few of them know that it is not all that Rosy.

As for the transmission problem that I first had, yes this could happen to anyone. If the skid plate had been another inch wide to protect the wires it would have prevented that. Also, this is something that would not happen to a non-electronic transmission. My point was, that perhaps the KISS principal applies, and that in an effort to get these new models out the manufacturer forgets a few things. (especially the whole notion that you need to stock parts just in case!)