I am looking at purchasing a new Honda atv. It is a throw up between the Honda Rancher 4x4 and the Honda Foreman 4x4. I like the manual shift and cant really decide which i need. My buddy had a 2007 Honda Foreman and loved it but had to step to something bigger. Anyways I currently ride a 2x4 Suzuki Ozark. I like it but I need something a little bigger and with 4x4. I am 5'7" and about 190 lbs and mostly trail riding with a little mud playing but not to bad. I will also use it for a little bit of yard work but not totally and more for the trail and mud.

Thanks for your input

 

I really don't have any experience with the foreman... I do however own a new 420 foot shift and did own a 99 fourtrax 300 4x4... Both were great machines and really for only being a 300 it had enough power to do whatever i needed but wow the fuel injection is just incredible. Outstanding throttle response, good cold starts, fuel economy is decent its just all around better than the carb models to my opinion i'm really sold on it... And also the rancher is liquid cooled so tolerances are a little tighter than the oil/air cooled machines (or so i've been told). Tighter tolerances give the motor less rattle and vibrations which is kinda nice... Just my two sense hope it helps a little

 

you can look this descussoin up in the arcives. plenty of people have hade the same question. basically it boils down to FOREMAN=WORK & RANCHER=PLAY i love my foreman 450 but its rly more of working mechine...but i use it heavily for play [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] the 420's are strong, IRS, liquid cooled, EFI, and very well priced for there class! if i had the $'s i wouold have a 420 setting in my garage!

 

Foreman if you mostly do work, and a little trail riding. Rancher if you mostly do trail riding, and a little work.

One of the magazines was reviewing the Foreman, and they had a Rancher along at the same time. They said the Rancher was more "fun"!!! The Rancher handles as good as some sport quads out there, and the Foreman seems a little "old school" by comparison, seeing the Rancher is fuel injected and water cooled!

 

The Rancher is a snappy handling, somewhat physically smaller and a bit lower than the Foreman, which contributes to it's snappy handling.

I really enjoy my Foreman. It I think is setup more for low end torque. Clutch and some other components are larger, and it's heavier, so I'd imagine it would do a bit better towing, plowing and that kind of stuff.

The one thing I wish I could change about the foot shift Rancher would be to include a digital dash. I think a lot of people opt not to get foot shift out of preference, not because of cost... If I recall correctly the 2wd Foreman is the same way, but in that machine I'd guess it is marked to farm work, where buyers likely want the cheapest yet super-reliable machine to run around fields, and maybe drag swing lines, spray weeds in pastures and stuff like that.


From what you describe (coming from a small machine, wanting to do mostly trail riding with some mud and some yard work) I think you would be happy with the Rancher. Internet opinions can be somewhat helpful, but I would encourage you to ride both before you decide. There's no substitute for personal experience, and this is a large purchase so make sure you get the one that best meets your personal preference.

 

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


The one thing I wish I could change about the foot shift Rancher would be to include a digital dash. I think a lot of people opt not to get foot shift out of preference, not because of cost... If I recall correctly the 2wd Foreman is the same way, but in that machine I'd guess it is marked to farm work, where buyers likely want the cheapest yet super-reliable machine to run around fields, and maybe drag swing lines, spray weeds in pastures and stuff like that.<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>

Millions of sport quads (and lots of other utilities) don't have a digital dash, and nobody seems to think that is such a big deal........

 

i prefur a digital dash just because you can easily keep track of hours & miles. but would not buy an es...

 

Go test drive both, but I also own a 07 rancher 420 FM and I love it. It has enough power for the work you want to do as well.

 

my buddy had a 2007 foreman 500 manual shift and loved it and i rode it a few times and really liked it also. he only got rid of it cause he wanted something with more power. I really liked his foreman and that is what I am leaning towards but didnt know which was better
would really like to save some money with the rancher but wasnt sure if I was losing anything with the smaller cc's

 

The one criticism I have of the whole Rancher lineup is that they are on the heavy side. The old 350 wasn't go bad, but with the 420 it got heavier and the 420AT is way heavy.

In an attempt to keep the price down, Honda has not used all the expensive alloy parts on the Ranchers that they use on the higher end quads. Even alloy rims would help a whole bunch. Everybody runs out and spends $1,000 on aftermarket alloy rims, but I would gladly pay money up front to get some lighter rims stock.