With my Rubicon (Roxanne), I haul a fully loaded tandem axle trailor wieghing 1000lbs by itself, fully loaded with logs and debris with no problem. I do add a little more tire pressure than recommended though.

 

Art,
im replying to your post on Jan 7
it tells me that you must not stick to the saddle very well

 

not that i doubt you on the horse power on the rincon but i find it pretty interesting and would like to know the link that you found it on. also do you have any idea what the prairie puts out at the rear wheels? i own a '02 prairie and to guess, it feels like it puts out at least 100 h.p man what a beast!!!!!!!!!! i have NEVERbeen able to bog that thing down for anything!! whether youre going up the steepst hill possible without flipping or whether youre just on flat ground the power feels the same. UNBELIEVABLE

 

Honda, KAW, Yamaha, etc. they are ALL good bikes in their own right. You may want to consider the dealer network in your area of operation. I would go with a machine that can be serviced readily, and that I could obtain parts for, eithout waiting for MONTHS to get'em! Again, even though I OWN a P-650, I would strongly advise you to buy the Honda 450-S, with Trax-Loc(switchable 2/4WD). IMO, it will fill your needs perfectly. DO set aside $300--$400 for better tires. Like the Titan 589 M/T's, or Kenda BearClaws, MudLites, Holeshot ATR's, etc. GOOD LUCK!

 

hey the sportsman 500 h.o. is a great mudder, and for the true 4x4 you only click one switch and you dont have to lock a front diffreinteal, the polaris has the most power, i mean for god sakes when a sportsman 400 can outtow a grizzly 660 that is bad but the 700 twin tows 1500 that is alot more than any other atv. i have never had problems with my polaris. and yamaha dont have the best belt set up, they use polaris's old setup and it leaks some(yamaha has to pay polaris what ever polaris wants them to pay) kawasaki uses the same old belt drive as the old sportsmans. i would definatly go with a sportsman. it outtows, out powers, it is just better. second i would go with a rubicon 500, no belts to slip, and power.the grizz has 18 hp, rincon 16 hp, kawasaki 20 hp, sportsman 700 50 hp, sportsman 500 h.o. 30 hp.

 

sportsmanrincon750

where in the world did you get your h.p ratings at? i think youve been smoking something!!! dude for one, the sportsman h.o needs to just stay on the porch when it comes to the big rigs they have available now. the griz has alot more h.p than 18. heck, thats what my little wolverine has!!!yeah and i'm real sure that the poooolaris 700 has 30 more h.p than the kawi too. whatever!!!! i own one of the kawi 650's too and i'll tell you this, it will beat the crap out of that 700 in ANYTHING except maybe REALLY deep mud and thats mainly due to the ground clearance. the kawi is rated at 42 h.p and 38.33ft-lb torque.there is no way that the 700 has 50h.p people think "oh my gosh, that poooolaris has 50cc's more than that kawi so there for its bigger, badder, faster, and more powerful" that my friend is where the V-TWIN comes into play. TORQUE TORQUE and more TORQUE!!! i ride with guys who own poooolaris 500's and 700's and after they ride my kawi all they can say is WOW!!! POWER, TORQUE AND SPEED!!! its the ultimate machine whether it be sport or utility!!!

 

Powerstoke, I am a long time tech at a dealership that sells Honda and Bombardier. The Traxter is a fine utility machine, has proven overall reliable, but they are physically big, and they feel that way too. Also, I think their subtransmission shifts like poo. I personally feel they kind of suck to work on too. They are great crawlers though, with excellent speed control under 5MPH, like you might need for spraying. I see the P650 getting a lot of favorable comments. But somehow this machine just seems all wrong for you. Having dealt with variable speed clutches for 17 years now, You can't tell me this isn't a reliability concern. If you want proof, just read the Kawasai forum and see all the posts! Yes, they are simple, adjustable and efficient, but they also are vulnerable to getting wet or oily, they can get dirty, sticky, rattly over time, perform inconsistently, and ya always gotta have a spare belt around. Also in regards to the P650, liquid cooling and two cylinders are two excellent features, but they add considerably to the complexity of the machine. You understand now, I'm thinkin' 10 years down the ownership road. My humble opinion, Get the Honda 450S. Not flashy, but does everything well, much better than what you've got. Reliable as anything out there, I've seen some with over 8000 miles still going strong. With the primer on the carb, it's an excellent starter in severe cold. So if you value simplicity, reliablilty, ease of repair, keep the 450 in mind.

 

All are good choices, they are all great machines, some are better than others at some things, we pull at ATV pulls, it's the Prairie for us.