For what you plan to do with it, I think the Rubi is an excellent choice. Firstly, it's water cooled so overheating wouldn't be an issue. It has more than enough power to handle those chores. I regularly ride with a buddy that has an '00 AC500 Auto, and it just seems underpowered. On steep hills, he really has trouble. I haven't ridden it, so it may just be driver error, but from what I've seen, I would never buy one. You just can't beat a Honda for reliability, and resale value.

 

The question of what is best for your type of useage is a good question. You use your machine for work while the majority of us are running around playing in swamps and trail riding. My brother has the artic cat 500 manual 2000 model and he is a big guy 350 plus. His machine has a load on it thats for sure but i must say i am impressed with the stoutness and the reliability of that machine. He works it hard and muscles it around and each time it takes the licking. Now my son has the new Rubicon,in comparison id have to say for stoutness the artic cat is built beefer heavy frame a-arms over all its a tough machine. The Artic Cat has been flawless with my brothers abuse, i dont think that the Rubicon could take the same with his weight and the way he rides honestly. So far the Rubicon has shown really only one real flaw to me and thats been in the design of their electrical connectors. They leave contamintes seep in (water) and then you have electrical problems in the computer with mixed messages messing up the brain box. The Rubicon also is a gas hog if you are towing a load in what is know as D-2 mode its like second gear in your vehicle and is recommended for the towing of a load.Expect no more than 10 miles per gallon out of the Rubicon while used in this fashion. Good luck,

 

i recently went on a ride with a guy that had a ac 500 and it had a huge turning radius. i easily made corners w/ our sportsmen (as did the other 17 machines) that the ac had to stop and backup to make. i dont find that a quality that you want in a utility machine. sportsmen are nice but are more of a play bike than a utility machine (they can pull a very heavy load tho) all honda machines not counting the rubicon are air cooled.

 

10 miles per gallon man if thats true that thing is a gas hog, work mode or not. Even in work mode, might as well put a v-6 engine in there and get milage close to that

 

The machine was new when it was first used on a sheep hunt in alaska. It was pulling a atv trailer loaded with gear also i was very disapointed in the gas mileage. If it was not for another fella hauling some gas back in for the trip it would have been a long walk out. If your not hauling a trailer over rough terrain expect about twice the mileage. The gas tank is too small for the poor gas economy as well if your in this situation personaly i feel that any 500cc atv should have a minimum gas tank of five gallons.

 

So the Rubicon was hauling a full utility trailer up in some rugged country? I think you're lucky to get 10 miles to the gallon! It's not a Geo! Yes, I agree the tank should be bigger, but it's not any more of a gas hog then any other 500cc machine. I get better than 20 mpg in normal running. And if I was going on a sheep hunt in Alaska or any other out of the way place, you can bet I'd bring extra gas with me.

 

Bis,you make me laugh you would probably carry an extra five gallons of gas to go across the street.The point i was making was the poor gas mileage while hauling a load.Mine too gets 20 miles per gallon just hauling just my *** around the woods.So i was not expecting the mileage to drop in half while pulling a load. That was the point i was making to uh008.He is wanting an atv machine primarily for utility type work, farm,woodhauling,etc.Where gas economy might be a factor.Got it,,,

 

Kewlpop: Where you been? Of course I havn't emailed you either lately, sorry man. As much as I love the Rubicon, it is a simple fact it is a gas hog. When my dad and I went bear hunting this summer we pulled the trailer with the Rancher for one reason. We wouldn't use as much gas. The Rubicon is a winner in every way, however it sure would of been nice to see 5gal. tank on it instead of the 3.2or so it comes with. Most of the time our racks are carring more gas for the Ruby than supplies. However on the bright side Id still take the Honda or an AC for one reason(ok three) only though, the AC is just plain ugly, and I haven't seen them hold up as well in the engine department as well as Hondas. Of course that tranny, but the engine thing I might add is only a theory as of now, the Ruby hasn't been around long enough to prove. But in every other catagory they are both great quads and couldn't go wrong with either.

 

In an earlier chapter, my 98 Grizzly was in the shop for a "no spark" issue. One day it is running fine and the next day no fire. We are now on day 32 of the "Grizzly Hostage Crisis" with still no end in sight. The Yamaha/AC shop is making plenty of effort, just very little success. After waiting for nearly 2 weeks for a replacement Grizzly service manual. They have replaced the following parts;

stator, coil, spark plug, spark plug wire, rotor, magnet, and did several continuity checks of the wiring harness. The thought now is that it must be something in the wiring harness. They even took all of the parts that had been taken off of my Grizzly and put them onto another one and it still runs ok.

So to make a long story longer, here is what they have done for me. Back in Novemeber (the early days of the Grizzly hostage crisis), the dealer loaned me an 2000 AC 400 2X4 for deer hunting as a loaner, which was a nice extra. However since that time we have had over 30" of snow and I have a 5' Moose plow in the garage that I could not use on the AC 400, nor would the 2X4 have handled it. Thanks to the generosity of a neighboor I have been plowed out several times. After some pretty serious harrasement my dealer has now picked up the 400 and provided me a new 2001 AC 500 manual with a plow mount and winch setup similiar to my Grizzly. This was very nice of them, but after a month of having my Grizzly I am not as moved by this action as I should be. Of course he is trying to get me to trade in the Grizzly and $2k extra for the AC.

After using it this weekend to plow and play, I have made the following obversations;

Nice suspension, real nice ride and stabile.
Good torque and power, similar to the Grizz
I miss the automatic, shifting into reverse for plowing is tedious.
Turning radius is terrible and even worse in 4X4 mode.
Moose winch mount for AC is upside down. I can't see the wraps of cable on the spool. Not sure how you would see if you are getting it wrapped back on straight.
Rear drive shaft is exposed. That seems VERY dangerous to me. Wrap up on some weeds, bailing twine, tow strap, or worst case the rope from a childs sled.
Heel toe shifter is going to take some getting used to.
Love the quiet engine and liquid cooling.

Still not sure this is the machine for me. I understand the need for a manual transmission for what I do (plowing, mowing, towing trees and firewood), however I must admit I prefer the automatic transmission. I am going to use it
until the Grizzly is back and then decide if I want to keep the Grizzly in hopes of a late 2001 liquid cooled Grizzly, opt for the loaner AC manual, AC auto, or move away from this dealer to a Rubicon after the prices drop some.

Thanks - Allen L. Grooms
98 Grizzly One HOT Machine
AC 2000 400 2X4 - used and returned
AC 2001 500 4X4 - currently on loan

 

Is the Rubicon worht the extra money? Only you can answer that. The salesman is going to tell that "this brand" is better because he wants to make a commission off of you. He doesn't want you going somewhere else to shop. Rubicons a very good machines. Test drive as many as possible then make your choice.