Well, ride them both and decide.

Though only a 2" change in diameter, bigger tires are going to be significantly heavier, and have more rolling resistance. The Foreman will respond better to them than the Rancer.

 

If you need more ground clearance on rutted trails, have you considered the IRS Rancher 420AT? My one criticism of the Rancher 420 lineup, is that they all gained significant weight compared to the old Rancher 350. Plus, the AT is even more portly than the standard model.

I think it is a mistake to think of the Foreman as an "upgrade" from the Rancher. True, the Foreman has slightly greater displacement (only 55cc's), but lacks fuel injection and water cooling, so they are really quite different animals!

Maybe you need to go over to the Dark Side and consider a Polaris or A. Cat. They seem to cater to the big tire/mud wallowing crowd. Going to have to become a Redneck though, if you aren't already.....

 

The Foreman Rubicon is liquid cooled, 499cc...a different powerplant than all other Foremans.

 

The foreman is a more expensive ATV then the Rancher, because it has a larger frame,tires and beefer suspension,it does not have liquid cooling but does have two oil coolers with fan assist.

 

Yea definitely not gonna get a POS polaris. And not too fond of the cats either. Price isnt a concern, as there is only a $200 dollar difference at my dealer. Dont want another At. Or IRS, if i did i'd get a grizzly 450 like my dads. Thats a nice bike.
The liquid cooling doesnt matter to me. EFI would be nice tho. Its all gonna come down to which one i think rides better

 

I'd go with the Foreman, it'll handle the bigger tires way better than the Rancher will, and if you're a bigger person you'll have a lot more room. My Foreman is always ridden at 7000 feet or higher and I don't see EFI as a necessity even though I'm always riding in the high altitudes and cold temps. It's true though that the Rancher is a bit sportier than the Foreman, but I can still rip with mine, and keep up with any Rancher. Since you're thinking of putting bigger tires on, I'd definitely say go for the Foreman, I'm running 26" ITP 589s and it has no problem. The best way to describe the Foreman is that it's a Sledgehammer, you can beat the crap out of it yet it keeps ticking.

 

Why are you so perjiduce against these so called "Rednecks"? Your insults are subtle and I guess no one cares or doesnt want to say anything but I find them offensive. Are you in some way better than a "Redneck" as you call them? Are you some sort of racicst who just hates people who are different than you? Because that's what it sounds like, I dont think the guy who posted this wanted your socially backwards statement, I guess things are different on the west coast and its easy to insult people when you are hundreds of thousands of miles away. You should just think about what you type.

Sorry for this, Mr.Redneck hater has to learn somehow.

 

Hope you realize I was speaking in jest.........

 

The "Redneck" thing comes down to attitudes! You look on television at the Redneck Games and what do you see....a matress toss and a bunch of toothless idiots riding their Polaris and ACats in some mud hole. It gives the whole sport of off-road a bad name!!! Oh yeah....got to ride an automatic, so they can hold a can of beer in their left hand while they ride!

I don't even go to the utility forum anymore. Somebody does a post looking for a nice little trail quad, and after a while they have them convinced that they need a big bore monster mud bogger instead.

I grew up in West Virginina, by the way......

 

I beg to differ Recon, ACat built the MudPro for the 'mud hole' crowd in two sizes, 700 cc and 1000cc. There is also prize money and sponsorships in 'mud hole' riding.

Hop a jet to the Texas Mud Nationals sometime, it sure ain't the same old sand.