I am impressed at how much a 05 Rubicon can pull. We had a gravity wagon with 2 tons of feed in it. It didn't have to much trouble pulling it on rocks. When I first took off the tires spun but not much. Lot of power[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

So you like your new Rubi? I should be getting one within the next 2 months. How do you like the transmission?

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2004 Polaris Sportsman 700
'27 ITP 589 M/S
3000 lb. Warn Winch

2001 Honda Rancher ES (For Sale)
2.5 Warn Winch

 

The transmission is bar-none the best ever dropped into a utility ATV. I stand by this statement 100%.

 

ditto

I very seldom use the brakes coming down any hills. When I descend mountains I use ESP. If I want to slow down I just knock it down a "gear", way better than brakes. The Rubicon is the master of engine braking. It would be very hard to get used to a "one speed" transmission.

Because of the trans having "gears" of different ranges in ESP, it surprises me where it will go in high-range because you have a "first" gear. All the belt driven ATVs we ride with are in low-range long before we are. We ride mountain trails most of the time and they get pretty steep and rough.

One thing we did that made a HUGE difference was we just put on Maxxis Bighorn Radials. What a big improvement in the ride and overall handling. If we bought a new Rubicon I would put the Maxxis radials on it the day we bought it.

 

You mention engine breaking. While I know it's certainly not the safest thing in the world, I've been riding like normal without ANY brakes what so ever for at least a few months. I'm waiting to get new plungers for the drums because mine are froze up from all the mud/water/sand and corruption that affects drum brakes. Have I had a single problem without the brakes yet? Knock on wood, but absolutely not.