For ranch work,a John Deere or Rhino might be better suited.

 

I have a cousin in NW Mn w/ a Polaris and he swears by it. He uses it everyday to chase cattle and haul bales, tools, etc... I have chased cattle with him, and those cow pies are just like boulders in the winter!!! They freeze hard as rocks!!!! He is very good w/ his maintenance though, so maybe thats why other people claim to have more problems with their Polaris?

 

My situation is probally close to yours. I have farm in North MS - 600-700 acres. Just bought my first ATV, a 2000 Honda Rancer 450 (manual shift). Got it from a guy near Corinth that rebuilds them.

I put a deep basket on the back, which has been great for carrying chainsaw, gas tank, tools & etc. The low reverse gear has come in handy. It handles mud and hills just fine. Not to mention I weigh 240.

It is not fancy and it is not fast, but it is doing what I want. In a few years I will proabally buy a new nice one, and I am sure it will be a Honda.

 

i would have to go with the yamaha kodiak 400 or grizzly 660. Both great,dependable, and beastly quads. The only thing i wouldn't get is an arctic cat (sry to all u cats fans [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img])

 

wait i take that back lol.....cat's are fine, i WOULDn't reccommend a polaris. (not too reliable, breakdown a lot)

 

I had a 450 Foreman and some times I needed more than just super low first gear. For work and technical rough trail riding a low range sub transmission is a must.

 

Actually, it would be better to ask which ATV's would be the worst to buy since that might be easier to answer. Or possibly, which features to look for instead of which brand is better.

As for brands, everyone has a favorite but unless they own and use all the various models, their opinions are biased or based on hearsay. I have a Yamaha 400 Kodiak 2-wheel drive that pulls multiple trailers, a box scraper/grader and spraying equipment all day long and has for the last four years without any problems. It cost less than a 500cc 4-wheel-drive machine, so is it better? Economically, certainly.

What would your definition of "best" be? Bang for the buck? Sheer power and traction? Reliability? Service? There are too many variables for an easy answer.

Do you know what I based my decision on the last time, other than the fact I knew I did not want another Honda? I liked the color of the one I saw on the showroom floor. It was a Yamaha so I knew it probably didn't suck any more than my previous machines and I could live with that. I just needed a few more cc's.

I've had two Hondas, both of them were put together poorly compared to my Yamaha but I'm not going to tell you they are better or worse. The dealer I bought them from in both cases sucked for service so that's something to consider as well. It's a different experience for everyone as to the best. For the most part, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

Take any advice posted here on which is the "best" with a grain of salt, including my own...

 

if money isn't a problem i'd go for a yamaha rhino. u got a bed that will haul a lot more than a 4-wheeler, standard 2" reciever, locking diffs, and a passenger seat. i live in arkansas and we had one that was a hoss. i never got it stuck even when i tried (crossed a pond, about waist deep) and that was with stock tires and a broke rear axle shaft. if your looking for something cheap though i have a 04 beartracker that has been "ridden hard and put up wet" and never given me a problem. but its only a 2x4 and 250cc, so it might not be exactly what your looking for. just depends on how much you are going to "use" it.

 

Look at a popo sportsmen800... great workhorse

 

The Polaris Sportsman 800 will out pull any of the ATVs listed so far. Last I looked, it could tow more than any quad on the market. However, AC did come out with a diesel ATV that I am very curious about. I have not examined it.

In all fairness everybody is also talking 500cc machines too. So not apples to apples (if people want to compare, which they will). I would not recommend anything Can-Am as their frames are not built for this type of thing. They are meant to be light and fast.