I have drove a RancherES through quite abit of snow, and i will tell you that the new fourwheel drive system is very excellent, i had a passenger on and i will tell you what we never got stuck and we were riding in 1-2 feet of snow, the eletric shifting is something to get used to if you have been riding a 5 dpeed manual, but is very convienent. I feel the Rancher would be a great choice!

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RangerSX 1987 Honda 250X(completely stock)

 

donuts,, ha... i've had my honda300 4x4 do 15 perfect donuts in a row,

also, for the person buying a new one...
this might sound stupid too, but the electric shift has one very, very nice feature to it, it's on the handle bar...

and i know most of us have had the experience when u got stuck in 3 or 4 feet of water and only had jeans on and you had to somehow had to find your way down to the shifter, in the mud and water... though it would be nice to have it on the handlebars now wouldn't... ha

 

757 Jock,

A good friend has a Kawasaki Lakota 300 2x4 equipped with Wooly Copy rear tires that I have driven on a number of occasions. I was quite surprised at its capabilities in mud and snow. But for older riders like myself (age 52), who like to take it easy and enjoy the ride, 4WD machines have a very definite advantage over 2WD machines. In many instances my friend on his 2WD Lakota must tackle hills, mud, water, and other obstacles at relatively high rates of speed in order to avoid becoming stuck. Whereas I can very nearly idle through the same obstacles on my Kawasaki Bayou 400 4x4. I poke along and enjoy the view without working up a sweat or risking my hide. Also, if you are at all thinking of plowing snow, a 4-wheeler will outperform a 2-wheeler every time.

If you prefer a more relaxed riding style, and you can afford the purchase price premium, a 4WD machine is the way to go. While you may never use the 4-wheeler to the maximum extent of its capabilities, the relative ease with which the 4-wheeler will allow you negotiate the trails, and the peace of mind and confidence which it instills, will make your riding experience a pleasant one, rather than one fraught with danger and frustration.

Three years ago I rode in the AHPA Poker Run for the first time. This event is the world’s biggest off-road event, 30 miles of the worst mud I’ve ever seen. I saw more than a few 2WD quads get stuck. And on the killer hillclimb on Trail C I passed two 2WD quads stuck in the middle of the hill by veering to my right through heavy brush on a steeper portion of the hill than the part the actual trail lay on. I could not have gone around the two stuck and unmoving 2WD quads on anything other than a 4x4. And before I’m criticized for passing these guys on the hill, let me say that I sat for over two minutes at the bottom of the hill waiting for the traffic to clear, that only the bottom one third of the hill was visible due to the dense foliage, and that when I encountered them I had only the barest fraction of a second to make a decision regarding continuing the climb or aborting and trying to back down the hill.

Right now in the automotive world 4WD SUVs are the absolute hottest segment of the market. The “soccer moms” and most of the others who buy them and drive them have probably never even heard of off-roading and could care less (in fact they’re probably the same effete tree-huggers that want to keep you out of the woods altogether, though that’s another story). But they know that for that one time in a hundred when they need the increased capability of 4WD to get through the snowstorm at rush hour and pickup little Johnny at the daycare center before it closes, they’ll make it with no sweat.

Two summers ago, when it finally became time to buy a quad for my then 13 year old daughter to ride, I only had two quads on my shopping list, the Honda TRX300 4x4 and the Kawasaki Bayou 300 4x4. Beginning in December ’97 I began searching the want ads. Eight months were to go by before I found a 300 4x4 that was reasonably priced and could meet my rather stringent used vehicle criteria. Last year Julia made her first trip to Cochranton astride her ’91 Bayou 300 4x4. She had no problem completing the very tough, very muddy 35 mile Trail B.

The 2WD vs. 4WD debate has occurred in this forum off and on several times in the past. Some posters have inferred that it is much harder to steer a 4WD quad, especially one with full-time 4WD, than it is to steer a 2WD quad. While it requires a little more effort to steer a full-time 4WD quad as compared to a 2WD quad, the actual difference is slight. To put this question of steering difficulty into perspective, consider the following: When my daughter began riding 4-1/2 years ago, she started on my winch equipped Bayou 400 4x4. The winch and mount add 35 pounds to the nose of the Bayou to bring its fully gassed weight up to 680 pounds. While Julia had some slight difficulty with the steering, most frequently at very low speeds, she successfully learned on, and rode, my 400 4x4 for three years before “downsizing” to a 300 4x4. Simply put, if a 10 year old girl can handle the steering on a winch equipped 400 4x4, then it should be obvious that you don’t have to be Arnold Schwarzenegger to steer one. In fact, any adult male bigger than Mickey Rooney should not even notice the difference.

So, in answer to the question “can one survive without 4WD?”, yes. As for the question, “Would I want to?”, absolutely not! Call it insurance if you will, but I believe that the extra money spent for 4WD is money well spent. There have been many times I have been thankful I went 4WD, and not one when I have had reason to regret it. If you are contemplating any truly serious technical trail riding, e.g., logs, streams, hillclimbs (both up and down), mud and rocks, as opposed to staying on dirt roads or well worn paths, 4WD is the ONLY way to go.

If you are interested in knowing more about how I came to buy my Kawasaki Bayou 400 4x4, please read my article “Decisions, Decisions”. It gives a detailed description of a method that allows you to make interbrand as well as intrabrand comparisons without feeling like you are comparing apples and oranges. While the article only deals with buying a new quad, the methodology described can also be applied to buying a used quad.

This article will probably give you some issues to consider that you won’t see covered in any magazine road test, and might not have thought about otherwise. It should help you sharpen your focus and put things in perspective. It is posted on the ATV Connection under the title “Buying An ATV The Definitive Way” and can be found in the archives of the Tech Tips subsection of the Features section. The article is now somewhat dated, but I believe you’ll still find it useful.

Army Man

 

I totally agree with Armyman. While you may not use 4 wheel drive much, when you do need it, you will be more than glad to have it. It's like our 4x4 truck, in the summer time it rarely ever is put into 4 wheel drive. You almost have to think about why we got a 4x4 instead of a 2x4. Then when winter rolls around, like it is now, we are glad to have the 4 wheel drive option on the snow covered roads. We also have a Honda Civic, and you will have one hell of a ride on snow covered streets, especially recently when the back was fishtailing and it was drifting out and almost stopped dead on the road from just 4". The truck in 4 wheel drive is almost unstoppable on the road. This is the same as our 4 wheelers. We don't need the 4 wheel drives hardly ever in the summer when it's dry out, but come winter and spring time, it's well worth it. Even such things like backing up a hill in reverse, a 4x4 will be much more capable of going up than a 2x4. I guess what I'm saying is during the dry seasons you might question whether the 4x4 was worth the extra money, but when you get to a mud hole or wherever a 2wd struggles, you will go "cool, so that's why people buy 4x4s!".

 

ok, here's one for the 4x2 folks. i know there a certain "timid" folks out there who think the world would end of they got stuck. the same folks who buy the 4x4 tanks that are seldom used for anything but paved roads. they get about 10-13 mpg gas milage are a true danger to drive due to their top heavy design, which causes them to flip over. why?? all because on the outside chance that once a year the road might be slippery. ice is ice 4x4 or 4x2 you will still slide off the road if you drive like an idiot. you can take a simple 4x2 front wheel drive and drive circles around about anything on the road.
so to with four wheelers. if you have an impelling desire to putt through waist deep skidder ruts you probably need a 4x4. on the other hand if you like a comfortable ride, ease of steering, better gas milage, less mechanical parts to wear out and fix, and if the worst happens are mechanically inclined enough to use a $15 come-along, a 4x2 would easily be a better choice. in addition, you save $800-$1000 up front when you purchase.
i have ridden a 4x4 for a while and now i throughly enjoy my 4x2 or the reasons mentioned above. i also enjoy tackling a good mud hole the 4x4 guys are so proud of going through just to show they did'nt really need all that extra hardware after all. i am not saying i never get stuck, but i have never had to walk home either, you haven't had any fun if you don't get stuck.
so i guess i could sum it up by saying if you worry a lot or navigate swamps 90% of the time you probably need a 4x4. on the other hand if you like to ride with an adventure every now and then a 4x2 may be your cup of tea.