I will soon buy either a rubicon with warn 424, or foreman S, to keep for 20+ years. It is coming down to simplisity/ ease of maintainance v. higher tech/ closer tolerances. Reading this forum I see there are some problems with the angle sensor and other things on the ES so have ruled that one out even though the same tech is on rubicon. I have some questions you folks might help with.

1. It will be used mostly at very low speeds mashing weeds between tree seedling rows and as a spray rig. I am worried that the Foreman will not be able to disapate its heat with only an oil cooler, fan assisted, after an hour or two of crawling in the summer.
2. I do not want to bake on the bike. Will either one get me too hot/ one hotter than other? (I saw where someone had heat shielded their exhaust; not a problem.)
3. At certain times of the year there will be lots of airborne weed/ tree seeds. Will there be a problem cleaning out the radiator(s), or are there modifications to keep stuff out or clean easier?
4. The S does not have floor boards. How hard is it to retro some on to keep the weed stems(pungy sticks) and berry and multiflora rose thorns off me and still be able to shift?
5. Tips on keeping it from getting ripped off from the shed on unattended farm.
6. Anything I am missing. comments, etc.?

Its been 20 years but I used to do alot of dirt biking/ wrenching and am looking forward to getting back into it even if it is for work and not play. its a tool not a toy (if only the wife would buy that).
thanks

 

I have the Foreman. For what it sounds like you will be doing, I think either would be good. I have had no problems at all with mine. I have the ES and have had no problems with it whatsoever, my wife really likes it.
I have had no problem with overheating during the summer while crawling along on trails, not sure how it would do out in the direct sunlight and heat though. Not sure how hot it gets back there in Indiana.
I think you can get some aftermarket nerf bars, should be able to modify them with some kind of solid floorboard if you want. Floorboards are nice to have for what you describe.

As far as security, your options are limited to your imagination.
You could dig a large hole and use 3 or 4 bags of concrete as an anchor point. Leave the top of the concrete a few inches below the ground and cover it with dirt. Put a large/thick eyebolt or someting similar into the concrete. Get as big of chain or cable as you can to secure it, thick enough a pair of bolt cutters won't cut it. Get a good lock that cannot be cut. That stuff just makes it harder for somebody to get it. Ther are other options but that is a pretty simple one to do.

Good Luck

 

Well I haven't had any heat problems running my S in 90+ heat during the summer at low speeds. That fan is pretty well shielded, so I think it would take a lot to get it plugged up. For floorboards, I ordered a set of steel ones from Honda Parts World for about $60. They're all steel and well constructed--much stouter than the plastic ones I've seen on the ES models.

 

I own both and for spot spraying and slow creeping work, I pick the 450. I have both the 450 and Rubicon with there fans wired on a on off switch,and believe me the 450 runs cooler then the Rubi.I can wear shorts on the 450 spraying, and my legs will not get hot, thats not the case with the Rubicon, thats why the sprayer is on my 450. Also the 450 is geared a little lower than the Rubicon which is good for slow technical work.

 

Great inputs,
I was really looking for reasons to save $2K up front and now I have them!
thanks

 

Your quite welcome, there are alot of helpful people on this forum. Good luck with your new quad, you really cant go wrong with either the 450 or the Rubicon there both great quads!