I'm in the process of buying a new ATV. I'm pretty sure I want either a Rancher AT or a 350 ES. I already have a 300 TRX and love the reliability of it. I'm going to use it for plowing snow (Wisconsin winters), light work duties, moderate trail riding, and hunting. I love the feature of switching 2 to 4 W.D. and having the ability to go auto or ES on the AT. Will the AT hold up as well as the 350's & 300's have proven to? Also what would be a good OTD price on both of these machines. Any info would be appreciated!

 

I just purchased an AT about three weeks ago. I sold my 2003 rancher es 4x4 to my hunting buddy so I have had an experience with both machines. I use mine for trail/pleasur riding during the summer and hunting during the appropriate times of the year. Instead of getting into a long review on both (I don't have that kind of time) I will just tell you that the AT is WELL worth the extra oney spent. Not only do you get a bigger engine you also get the luxury items such as an auto tranny and 2 to 4 wheeler drive switchability. During the summer I love to play in the mine tailing areas (sand) and muddy trails and having 2wd makes to a lot of fun. I am easily able to get the back end loose and squirly which adds even more fun. When I need to put the machine to work I can put it in 4wd and there is plenty of power to do any type of work. I will say the the 350 es has more torque than the AT even when the AT is in ESP mode. I am not really sure why though. I did not get the GPS feature because I already have a hand-held model. I ended up paying $5018 for the AT plus $281 for freight and set-up.

When you buy...go with the AT! I have had both and the AT and ES and I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to upgrade.

 

i love my AT. yes it does feel alittle under powered to be a 400 but my hmf is in the mail to take care of that! i to have a trx300 that has proven to be bullit proof! i can only hope that the at lasts as long as it has. Auto is great for trail riding, just kick back and roll! it has also be really fun at high speed trail riding b/c you dont have to shift just hammer down. Deep sticky mud needs esp mode to keep the rpms where you want them, and big hill climbs still make me alittle uneasy b/c of the tranny. the 2wd is great fun and you alway have 4wd at your finger tip. Just think about the small amount your payments will go up with the at compared to the 350. i payed $5700 otd for mine and feel like i took alittle bit of the shaft but what the hey.
seth

 

tynes.....what do you mean when you say "big hill climbs still make me alittle uneasy b/c of the tranny". The reason I'm asking is that I plan on buying either the Rancher 350 or AT within the next week and would appreciate any and all viewpoints. If your talking about what I think you are, I know the 350 will pull until something breaks because of the geared transmission and super low first gear, but I could see oil pressure driven transmissions being problems on the automatics therefore making long steep hills tricky due to a loss of oil pressure due to the angle of the ATV. Sorry for any confusion.

Thanks!