Hi guys,

I've been thinking of purchasing a 400AT, 4X4
I owned a rubi and a rancher 350 in the past.
the rubi was great but too much (too big , heavy and stiff susspension) for what I was using it.
the rancher was great but I like to have a little bigger engine than a 325cc

my question to those that own one,
are you satisfied with its power ?
also reliability of the hydromatic trans down the road?
any concers or issues you had with it.
any thing you would change ?

my concerns:
400cc for an auto trans and all the 4x4 gear, would be pretty much same as my rancher 2x4 in the power department.
also how is it comparing it to a polaris sportsman 400-or 500 (those of you that had both )

your info and feed back is greatly appriciated.

 

My wife and I have 2 400 A/T . I really like the ride and 4x4 option. I will tell you they are no real power machine. But we bought them just for trail riding and light mudding. They will do about 52 mph on a long flat road. I am pleased with them. About the trans no problems at all. I like the good engine brake. You have to give it gas to make it go down a steep hill.

 

hey, i have a rancher at. i live up in canada so it gets pretty cold with quite a pile or snow. ive got 5000 kilos on it, just had a slight oil leak but works awesome. power isnt great but good. i can do a nice wheelie. haha. id probly put better suspension if i could. i ride with both a couple sp400's and 500's. i can beat the 400 in a race on gravel road(both stock machines) but the 500 beats me easily. both sps have better suspension but are way tippier and less reliable. hope this helps

 

Aaahhhh man , I hear ya !!!!!!!
that is exactly my concern. not enough power.
this my dilema......... i am about to fork over $5K + to a dealer or who ever has a bike I want
I've worked as a mechanic for over 10 years from honda cars to heavy diesels, and developed some knowledge about good and bad mechanical designes.
My dream machine would be ;
disk breaks all around, IRS (independent rear susp.) 500 cc or more, good suspension. 4X4 (selectable ) hi-low range trans , liquid cooled, 4 valve DOHC. ( hey this starting to sounds like a polaris SP 500 except it does weigh a TON)
soft seat , agile, does not weigh a TON.
I like Hondas baceuse of its reliability. but I hate those darn drum brakes and swing arm in the back, an the hard seats, and air cooled engines.
I don't understand it.... the technology is long available DOHC liquid cooled , put it in the gosh darn ATV. same thing goes for IRS and disk brakes, only the rincon has it ...why?
I favor the Polaris because the very comfy seat, and suspension. strong engine (500) liquid cooled DOHC .
Also favor the fact about engine being separate from the trans , even tho every jap bike has the combined setup and seems to work good.
that is one thing I also hate bout the honda auto trans === engine and hydromechanical trans share the same oil.==bad,
engine combustion ,contaminates the oil with carbon, gasoline and what not..... than gets circulated all over the hydraulic trans, not good !!! that trans should be in a seperate case and driven by the crankshaft. the current system poses a huge mechanical liability,
IMHO.
that is why I am hesitant to go with the rancher.
let me keep going ... I am on the roll......there is no reason to encase that paper oil filter into aluminum housing, to make even harder lets putthat paper filter on the bottom of the ATV and cover it with skid plate (rubicon)...:-)
howabout a simple spin-on type external filter ?

favore the polaris for its simplicity, stand alone engine, simple clutch and auto trans design. seperate sub transmission.
dislike the polaris unreliability.
like the suspension.

to recap , I don't think I will go with the rancher this time. don't like it when a vehicle is under powered and have apply full throttle 90 %of the time when you want to heva fun.

ok, what I am asking from you guys, so far I have owned hondas and polaris and don't know much about the rest (i know this is a honda forum) but what do you guys reccomend , other brands like suzuki or yamaha , that has what I am looking for?

thanks for your patience, and for putting up with my runt ...:-)

 

Since when is DOHC in a utility a good idea? SOHC provides better low end and midrange power as proven in atv's, autos, and other motor vehicles.

I think the rancher is a great machine. The engine is bullet proof and never overheats, even the 400. Traxlox gives you 2wd, something the 350 sorely missed. The only possilbe argument is the hondamatic. Now the honda matic has been used in one form or another in honda vehicles and atvs for the last 50+ years. The rubicon has had it for a few itself with very few problems and none warranting any recalls or owner outrage as has been the case with other companies. Granted you are losing some of your power for the convenience of an automatic, but not as much as the typical belt drive system, especially a polaris belt system which happily robs power. But the rancher still have plenty of power for a 400 class atv and can do just about anything that larger atvs can do in terms of trail riding, work, and having fun. I was extremely happy with my rancher and put it through hell. It kept going without complaint. While I have a larger ute now, I still like the rancher and miss its agile and light properties. Especially when I rolled a 600lb big bore ute over backwards onto myself the other day.... The rancher would have been much easier on me.

 

I agree with ya on the DOHC... it was meant for a 3500-4000 RPM and above operating range. lets correct it to SOHV.
air cooled vs. liquid.....right the rancher is fine how ever liquid cooling allows lower themp. variation once the engine reaches its operating temp. there for they can manufature engines with close tolerance engine parts, which means more efficient engine with higher output.
a graet example would be Hondas old XR400 engine or for that matter hondas EX 400 ATV which is using the same engine. vs. the moders liquid cooled engines.
the rancher is /was a great machine for me but I've reached a point where I could use a little power at less throttle.
if you putting around through the woods at slower speed it is fine machine , very nimble and quick turning , but when you come to an open section, or a nice steady up hill the rancer was strugeling.
mine was a 2 wheel drive, this time I am going for a 4x4 meaning added weight and componants. the rancher power plan just not enough.
true, the polaris belt system does loose more engine power than a gearbox driven trans ,
but at the same time that slippage or raised RPM allows the engine to get in to a slightly higher RPm range where more torque and power is produced.
I am not saying the rancher is a bad machine ,I just wish they would upgrade it a little bit.
I simply out grew it.
wanted to find out if the 400with the Autotrans was a bit better than the 350.

 

aaahhhh...... found purchased my dream machine,
yamaha kodiak 450 auto,
liquid cooled
4x4 with shift on command 2x4 , 4x4, and 4x4 front diff locked (true 4x4)
high -low range trans
independent rear susp.
disk brakes all around
just as small as my ex- rancher
it even has some grease fittings( even tho may not has been greased from the factory ( it is known on jab bikes) , since i hear some squeeks already.)

I am big fan of honda , has a honda street ride , but honda just did not have the advanced features I was looking for.
see ya on the trails.

 

Congrats on the new machine. The kodiak is very nice and I'm sure you will be very happy with it.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

What is with having to have these "advanced" features. Not all of them work that great in an atv application. For example liquid cooking..while on sport quads is a good idea because it allows max performance its realiability isnt there. You have to worry about hoses, radiators and water pumps. Being a mechanic you should know that air cooled engines have loose tolerences so they can adjust to the extreme temp variation. Dis brakes are fine and dandy but they dont last nearly as long as drums do..however honda is putting discs on there new 450 and 500 so we will see how that works out. Plus any overhead cam engine design is high revving so it is working harder. but to each their own.

 

hondarider86,

look... am not here to argue or to convince you or others (edit: specially on a honda forum, remeber I am from here),
but for educations sake......
liquid cooling has more components and it is there for a reason.
liquid cooling and a thermostat allows the engine to reach ! and stay at an optimal temperature which is varying from vehicle (ATV, dirt bike ,car, boat) from 175-200 degrees or so. this temp range is the best for your engine and its performance.
that includes summer and winter operation. which on air cooled will make a big difference.
secondly, carburation , engine oil , bearings in your engine , other engine parts gaskets and what not ...want, and perform best at constant temp.
read up on thermal expansion and what it does to an engine, also high temp on your oil.

comes winter time or colder weather , an air cooled engine has no way to regulate, reach or to maintain optimal operating temp.

you don't have to be an engineer, to see the advantage, all i can tell you is to check it your self.
here is a good example,
I used to ride a DRZ400 dirt bike , my friend has an XR400( liquid vs. air)
we rode the trail 20 miles through the woods, came to a rest stop, we were removing debris (wood, small branches from the skid plate )
on my bike I could put my hand on the clutch area no problem, his clutch housing was ready to cook an egg., same for the rest of the engine. when the bike gets this hot , engine and engine oil life degrades , carb , fuel get hotter than it should , have you heard of vapor lock? re starting the bike is an other issue.

drum vs. disk, please .....now I know you may be a bit jealous there.
no comparison, disk self adjust, runs cooler, self cleaning, easily inspected or serviced , smaller, water or contamination lesser of an issue, braking performance greater,

drum if misadjusted will give terrible performance.
trust me , you would not want to have drum brakes on the front end of your car.

over head cam is the best thing you could have, whether it is single or double, double is for high revving app.

look.... we know that honda is lacking or holding back adding technology to their bike or ATV except a few (like rincon)
look at their dirt bike line yamaha suzuki kawasaki had a liquid cooled four stroke dirt bike long before honda stepped up to the plate with the CRF450, 1998 when yamaha introduced the YZ/WR400 4 stroke dirtbike it was an instant hit and nearly wiped out the 2 strokes.
4 years later finally honda said ok lets do it.

yes , I want the better technology.....oh yes almost forgot , a 2500Lb WARN winch for $69 (yamaha promo) was also very nice.

but you are right ....each to his own. as far as I care you can drive a steam driven vehicle , those were really simple. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I am just really happy with my new machine, and glad I found what I was looking for.