for anyone who has a 05' rancher at 400, i was wondering how good they are in the snow?

 

I read in one of the mags in which there was a shootout between the Rancher 4x4 400AT and the Suzuki Eiger 400 4x4, that the 400at started having trouble in deep snow due to the lack of bottom end torque. The Eiger was actually pushing it. From what I hear, the Rancher w/ the manual shift doesn't share this same problem.

 

No doubt about the AT's trouble in snow - especially if it's deep or wet. I've had my AT through two NW PA winters - a lot of snow to say the least. As much as I do love my machine, it's extremely weak in the snow. It gets hung up so quickly with it's poor ground clearance. I can't tell you the number of times I've gotten that thing stuck in heavy snow. Stops dead in it's tracks!

If you're looking at riding in the snow as a main point for purchasing your ATV, don't go with the AT. I recommend a Polaris snowmobile instead.