Not to stir up a hornet's nest, but thought I'd pass along the findings of some testing that my fire department has conducted in our search for an ATV to be used as a wildland firefighting vehicle, a rescue vehicle, and general use around the district. My district has 3 mountains parks that are very popular and very heavily used year round. We are also in the mountains and have a problem with lightning strikes.

I solicited quotes from dealers of all of the ATV manufacturers. What I asked for was open class, automatic, 4X4, snow plow, winch, 2 set of chains. I also picked up various forms of literature (magazine buyers guides, internet, manufacturer brochures) to evaluate rack capacity, towing capacity, dry weight, total weight, combined weight. We created a spreadsheet of these stats.

As a baseline, we loaded up an ATV utility trailer (high-flotation, low pressure tires, 72X48 metal box) with many hose packs and hose rolls. Estimated weight is 500 pounds. We attached the trailer to my Rubicon and to one of the mountain parks we went. We didn't use a trail as we were trying to emulate a wildland fire scenario. The exercise was successful. We tipped the trailer over, which then pulled the Rubi over. We were able to go where we wanted. When we turned around and tried going up the hill, well it didn't fare so well. I didn't use much momentum and the Rubi lost traction. It also had a tough time, even when using ESP-1 Low. The Rubi had no troubles with the road and in fact would gain speed easily to about 45 MPH pulling the trailer easily.
We returned to the station and another firefighter brought his 2000 SP500. We played with both ATvs on the hills behind the station, both pulling the trailer and without.

Use of the ATV in rescue situations was not tested as it has been used in the real world already (not using a trailer, though).

Here are our findings:
Trailer: the ATV utility trailer used had too high center of gravity. The lack of suspension allowed the low-flotation tires to absorb the energy and then tried to flip the trailer. We will be designing a trailer with suspension with a low center of gravity and skid mounts for approx. 55-gal of water, Honda water pump, tool rack, and hose box. Another skid will be designed for use to place a rescue basket, jump kits, and allow EMTs to ride on the side rails for patient care.
ATV: the price of the Rubi takes it out of contention and so does it's low rack rating and low towing rating. We would also need to replace the tires with something more agressive. Power was adequate, though not spectacular for pulling such a heavy trailer up hill.
Arctic Cat is also out of the running because of tow ratings and price (expensive in my parts).
Yamaha Grizzly: air cooled.
Bombardier: expensive.
Suzuki: dealer issues.
Kawasaki: no open class machine, yet. The V-Twin does raise our eyebrows, but we think so will the price.
That leaves Polaris: price is right, adequate power when towing, highest towing capacity, good rack capacity, the independent suspension feels more stable when side-hilling. We are looking at the SP500HO and also the SP500 6X6 (this may allow us to build a skid for the bed as it has 800lb capacity).

So there you have it. We tested the Rubi and SP500 (although the Rubi was tested more extreme) in what we could create as real world as possible. The Honda dealers will not negotiate price so we can get an SP500HO completely outfitted for less than just the Rubi. And have money left over. We feel that we can keep a lot of belts on hand for the savings. The 6X6 still has a price savings over the Rubi. Are we nervous about the drive belt? Yes, but we are willing to live with that. One thing we didn't like was the fact that the SP500 would lock up the rear wheels and slide down the hills. Looks like that will be a training issue. The Rubi's power is smoother and more manageable. The 4WD on the SP500 is better.

We have used my Rubi in numerous rescues in the parks and for smoke chasing and use during our 4th of July festivities and it is highly liked for ride and ease of use. I have given the fire department authorization to comandeer my Rubi when needed (I even placed fire department labels on it). When the department buys its own ATV, the Rubi will be backup.

Also, before anybody complains that the rack and tow rating of a Rubi are way under-rated, I agree. BUT, that is what is placed on the safety stickers on the ATV and we HAVE to follow that for liability reasons. I find it odd that my '86 FourTrax had the same weight ratings and that my 2000 Kodiak 2X4 has higher ratings. I think Honda just never tooled up and updated the rating stickers.

I also find it odd about belt problems. The SP500 that we also played with had it's drive belt disintegrate - at 28 miles with no load (happened last July 4)! I think that it was a faulty belt. I have played with Polaris snowmobiles for years and never thought to carry a spare belt until recently. I had the tracks come apart on an old TX440 more times than I care to remember, but never a belt problem.

 

Good post firefighter. You have taken an objective look at both machines and have realized that each has some drawbacks. As for the belt drive, be sure to use low gear when pulling loads or when traveling slow in the hills and the belt will last. Polaris is now offering a limited lifetime warranty on the belts. I have had no troubles with my belt drive utility quad, but I don't put it through the abuse you are talking about. I would seriously consider the 6x6. You can fit the rear tires with tracks that make it a real beast. Read the 6x6 post in the Polaris forum. Glad to see you have done your homework and making decision based on test and not bias's toward a manufacturer.

 

An update to my fire department's search for an ATV to use for rescue and wildland firefighting. We narrowed our search to the Sportman 500 H.O. and we also wanted to try the Sportsman 6X6. We contacted a local Polaris dealer who agreed to allow us to try the 2 machines in situations and the terrain of our district. We also used my Rubicon and Kodiak as base values.

The results of this evaluation: the 6X6 is the most unreal and awesome ATV I have ever had the opportunity to use! It is so impressive that I must admit that the thought has crossed my mind to sell my Rubicon and 2000 Kodiak to get one.

We loaded the bed of the 6X6 with 14 1-3/4" 50' double jacketed fire hose rolls, 6 400' wildland packs and 2 firefighters on top and a driver. Conservative estimate of weight in the bed is 800 pounds. The front rack had 2 400' wildland packs. Estimate on front is 70 pounds. We then proceeded to test behind my house and the fire station on side hills, climbing, descending, and ride. The 6X6 would raise the front tires when ascending hills until the rear truck assembly would stop it and continue motoring up the hills with no problem as it was at that time a 4X4 with no steering. Traction in phenomenal. We did roll it once while traversing a hillside that was steeper than would actually be traversed in a real world situation. Raising the front tires was also climbing a hill steeper than would be attempted in actual use.

We took the ATVs out into the woods to see how they would fare. The 6X6 has a slower turning radius than a 4X4 (as should be expected), but was able to maneuver fairly easily through dense forest.

We rolled the Sportsman H.O. in the trees while descending a hill and had to pass through a snow field. It gained speed, slid sideways, and then flipped 3 times when hitting exposed ground. This was at a speed of 5 mph.

The Ruby and Kodiak and H.O. were not loaded down other than with a rider. The 6X6 had all of the hose and a rider only (no firefighters).

We then returned to the station and unloaded the hose. A stokes basket (looks similar to a stretcher) was then rigged into the bed. Approximately half of the basket was exposed with no support outside the bed. We maneuvered around the station at a walking speed (as would be in a real rescue situation). We determined that a center hung basket did not give enough room for an attending EMT so we moved the basket to one side - much better.

What we learned: the Sportman 6X6 is very functional with minor fixes for rescue and wildland firefighting. We will design a skid mount for an elliptical tank, foam, hand tools, and hose rolls. A 5hp Honda pump will be attached to the front rack. These skids will be easily removable to replace with a rescue skid. The rescue skid will consist of a mount for the stokes basket and backboard assembly. There will be a rack that will mount to the frame of the bed using Class I hitches and pins. This rack will support the end of the stokes basket. There will also be a small bench seat and seat back along the opposite side of the bed for the EMT.

Some of the disadvantages of the Sportsman 6X6 are that it does not have the H.O. engine. Nor does it have the EBS (it will freewheel, but does not kick sideways like other SP500s when descending). There is also no footbrake - although it looks as if one could be adapted easily - it has 2 handlbar mounted brake handles instead. And the biggest disadvantage? It only comes in green - not available in fire engine red!

After 10 minutes with the 6X6, we abandoned the idea of a 4X4 and trailer. We will probably still get a trailer, but will be used for wildland only to transport more water and equipment if needed.

The 6X6 is a very impressive machine and may be proposed to the board for purchase. We may try to evaluate a side-by-side 2-rider machine (Ranger?) if we can find one that has off-road capabilities. We have not looked at the old 6X6 amphibious vehicles as they will not perform the tasks needed.

The Rube still shows amazing promise and will be used as a backup machine if the department ATV is out on a call. It is a smooth riding, very powerful machine. the price is again what holds us back from it.

Th H.O. is poserful, smooth, and easy to maneuver. We would probably go with it except for the 6X6!

The Kodiak is quick and agile, but not strong enough for the tasks placed in front of it.

The Kawasaki 650-twin will also be too pricy for us.

I placed this on the Honda forum as it seems that there are more riders from all manufacturers read here. If you are interested in how the final machine is configured, please feel free to drop me a line at kckay@bigfoot.com. Please be patient as we are governed by government style acquisition rules and design procedures, but I will respond and have pictures available.