This is the perfect place for this post. I want to buy a Polaris Xpedition 425 this Friday. However, I am a little scared about the weight of the Polaris'. In Minnesota I can get either the Polaris or the Rancher for the same price of $5199. I will use the quad for trail riding, mudding(love to mud) and plowing my driveway. Please try to tell me why YOU think the Rancher would be a better or worse choice. I would assume the lighter weight Rancher would handle better but, an extra 100cc and liquid cooling would be nice.
PLEASE HELP!!!

 

well if you get a polaris you would have to worry about your belt burning up but with a rancher you dont plus its a honda product what could go wrong???? and if you plan on pulling stuff friends of mine have burnt there belts up in brand new scrambler 500's with only 5 hrs on each and fried the belts so i would go with the rancher

 

hey my friend has a rancher and he pulls alote of wait on it and it never over heats, it might get a
little hot but not bad and the new pump oil thing
is much better than the old.

 

my main reason for not picking the polaris mag500 was the weight/reliability probelms. yes polaris has made great stirdes in the reliability department but we are talkin about comparing it to a honda. the rancher is the best medium bore, full sized quad on the marked right now.

p.s. as you know with the xpedition you won't have to worry about burnin belts, they are five speeds.....

unitl polaris engineers make them rock solid as honda and shave about 100 pounds off the mags weight then i will stick with the honda

you will be happy any way you go. test them both. make sure the dealer you buy off of is knowledgable and cares for their customer.

remeber as several on this forum say----"It's not what you ride it's that you ride."

ride hard
cart

 

Vikesguy,

Both are very good choices.

Any time someone mentions Polaris someone else says burning belt or wet belt. These people typically do not ride Polaris and are passing on something they heard but have not experienced. Case in point right here. The Xpedition has no belt - as I am sure you know from your research.

I own a Polaris and a Honda. Both are excellent machines.

The Xpedition is a 5 speed that has had many great reviews since its introduction. It would make an excellent mudder with the extra power and the AWD. Being able to switch the AWD on or off is a great feature.

You mentioned the weight difference. I have the Sportsman. They don't get much heavier. To be honest, with the extra CC's and all the features I like, I can't say we notice the difference in weight between our Honda and the Polaris.

One thing we really like about the Polaris is its physical size. My wife and I are both 6 foot. I am slightly over 200 pounds. We find the Sportsman gives us a more upright sitting position. Knees don't interfere with the steering on this machine.

Another thing is turning radius. Our Honda has a much wider turning radius. The 4WD wants to pull it straight so it can be tough in tight situations. It is certainly hard on the arms sometimes. The Sportsman's front wheels are only locked if the back wheels slip (when the AWD is selected). So even though it is a much larger machine, it will turn much tighter, with a lot less effort. My Honda is an older '87 350 4-Trax with a solid front axle. I would have to guess that the newer Hondas with independent front suspension might turn better.

The other issue is ride comfort. Again I suspect the new Hondas are much better than my '87. It is a bulletproof machine but is certainly a lot harder on the body than the Sportsman. The 2 solid axles on the old Honda can really pitch you around.

Back on the belt subject for a bit. If the clutches are set up correctly and the rider knows what he is doing, there will be no belt burning. The Scrambler has no low range and thus makes for a less desireable towing machine. There is more possibility of burning a belt. Take the Honda, or your car, out and attempt to tow a buddy out in 3rd gear. It'll task the engine and strip clutch material out pretty quick. The rider of any ATV must assess the particular situation and choose a gear or range appropriately. In low range the Sportsman will pull like hell without burning anything. With a belt system you can't come on the power slowly when attempting to tow or dig yourself out of the mud. You can burn the belt if you do this. You have to come on the power hard to hook up the belt and get the wheels turning. It is similar with a manual tranny, you just don't readily see the clutch wear. The clutch and belt system has been used in snowmobiles since the dawn of time and is extremely reliable. The new sleds are pushing 120HP into the belt with awesome results. The power from our ATVs pales in comparison, the belts can handle it without a problem.

As for reliablity, both are excellent. There are 4 of us here with Sportsmans (1-97,-98s,1 99). Lots of miles logged and no problems, including belts. We are all running the original belts in fact. Maintenance takes a bit more time with so many joints to grease but it is a small price to pay. On the Honda I change the oil and gear lube and do brakes. On the Polaris the maintenance is similar except for the greasing.

Speaking of brakes. The Polaris uses 3 diskes and a single lever. The pad wear quicker than the shoes on the Honda but there are tradeoffs. The disc brakes are exposed to the elements so the added wear is expected. Very easy pads to change. The Honda brakes don't have to be changed as often but it is a lot more work. The drums on our machine don't seal well and seem to fill with mud and water. This seizes things up and causes me untold aggavation. The back brakes usually work well. The fronts seize up quicker.

Both machines are bulletproof. The Honda was purchased new and has been through hell. It is parked in a cold shed and will start in the -30 weather we get without hesitating. The Polaris will start just fine in the same weather but I have to rope it. The electric starter doesn't like to crank it over fast enough below -20. Not a big deal.

I have owned Polaris sleds for years and Honda ATVs. I was converted to Polaris ATVs a few years back and love them. Prior to that it was Honda or nothing. The ride, physical size, engine size, and advanced features won me over. I haven't been disappointed a bit. What will I buy next time? Honda or Polaris for sure. Which one depends on who is offering what when purchase time comes.

Sorry for the book. You asked for opinions so I have tried to provide an honest evaluation. Excellent machines, tough choices!

DJ

 

Cartman said it right. The important thing is that we ride.

There are a lot of good machines out there, of all brands. Ya gotts choose what you want it for and what suits you best.

Let us know what you think of the new machine once you have some miles on it.

DJ

 

I can't compare the Expedition to the Rancher, as I've never ridden the Expedition. But I'm very impressed with my Rancher, it has exellent power for a 350, and handles like a sport quad. One thing I can see from the tests that I've read, Is that the Rancher has one of the tighter turning radius's out there on a four by. Also the AP differential makes the steering effort very light, Lighter than any of the 4x4's I've ridden. That includes the ones that have 2 or 4 wheel drive options. Bottom line, take a Rancher for a test ride before you decide.

 

Vikesguy, I live in the twin cities and just purchased a 4x4 rancher es and the cost before tax was $4900. I found them to be about $400 bucks cheaper than the expedition. You've selected two good machines, but the things that swayed me were reliability, es shifting, resale and light weight.

 

In defense of the Scramblers burning belts. They have no low range, and should not be pulling stuff. They were not made for that.
And the Xpedition is a 5 speed, so no belt to burn up.

 

Bob4x4 ,

I am not that familiar with the new Honda line. My old 4-Trax was certainly one of the earlier 4wd units produced and I'm sure a lot of lessons were learned. It has 4 equal sized tires. I noticed the newer 300s went to independent suspension on the front and smaller tires on the front. The assumption was ride comfort and ease of steering. Is this the way the Rancher is setup?

DJ