First time buyer going to buy a new rancher. Just wondering why they have only 6.5" ground clearance. Can that be increased for a reasonable price.

 

Its because the drum brake housing is out in the open and almost next to the rear differential not tucked out of the way inside the rear wheel rim like most setups. Larger tires help but for every inch larger in tire size only 1/2inch of ground clearance is gained.

 

I've been using mine for working around the property and trail riding without any modifications to the ground clearance. What type of use do you anticipate that would require it? I'd say take it through it's paces with the stock ground clearance first, and only then will you be able to determine what you may need to change. You might be happy with it as it is. It rips. 6.5" is only a number. What's more important is how you use it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

This is the stuff I ride and I have absolutely no problem, so don't be obsessed with the number 6.5! http://jeep.off-road.com/jeep/...eDetail.jsp?id=330535


The older Rancher 350 had the drum tucked away in the wheel well. The very old 300 did it the same way the 420 does (in the middle), and I would like to hear somebody from Honda explain why.....

Do keep in mind that this is a trail quad, and not a monster mud bogger. If you wollow in the mud, maybe you want to pick something else. But, if you want an excellent trail quad and the most quad on the planet for the money, then that is the Rancher 420.

 

What WoodRat said is mighty straight info,we take our ranchers places you
cant believe and their only two wheel drive,no problems yet used the old
winch once,darn that mud was deep!hehehe!

 

I was just wondering if honda does that for stability. artic cats look tall but on a slope that may not be a good thing. I would like to ride on slopes and make a few water crossing

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: mobe0213

I was just wondering if honda does that for stability. artic cats look tall but on a slope that may not be a good thing. I would like to ride on slopes and make a few water crossing</end quote></div>

Over all height and width effects slope riding but not Ground Clearance. The old 350 rancher was a low ATV yet it had more ground clearance.

 

I'd say it depends on where you ride. In a couple areas I ride I smash the bash plate on the dif on the Foreman all the time. The Rincon does a little better, but still hits. A friend's Artic Cat seems to clear anything, but higher center of gravity doesn't help handling.

Other riding areas, it's not a problem. Some places just seem to have bigger stuff in the middle of the trail than others.

With the Rancher being small and super-manuverable, you may be able to skirt around the side of big stuff.

 

On my stable little Rancher, I ride circles around my friends on their tall mushy suspended IRS machines! When it is off-camber and they are up there teetering in the wind, I am just zipping right along......

There is a big difference between bashing a rock at high speed, and draging the differential over one while you are rock crawling. Draging the diff is a common thing in off-roading, and isn't really a big deal.