Get out and try a few,talk to some people that have had different makes so as there opinion is not biased. But in the end buy the one that turns your crank,your making the payments...cheers

 

Thanks for all the replies Im going to look at a sp500 this weekend, would rather have real gears but
this is one of those great deals? I hope. Thanks Chuck in Western NC mountains

 

good choice, a buddy of mine owns a honda 450s. while hunting about 2 years back we found a large oak tree that had fallen. it was about 30" in diameter. we cut it 8' from the base & we were both going to hook onto it to pull it back to camp. we decided first to see if one quad could pull it. my buddy (steve) hooked on to it & tried to take off. it would not move. finally he got about 2' of slack in the cable & gunned it, it did move but not for long. (about 5') then i hooked up to it, shifted into low, engaged 4x4, pulled the slack out & nailed it. made it all the way to camp (300 yds.) the weight of the sportsman, powerful engine & true 4x4 made the difference. i am not saying however that his quad sucks though. it has been a very good quad, though the sportsman has fewer limitations.

 

I use a Honda 450 Foreman for farm chores. The thing is built like a tank and pulls like a tractor. The key is to switch to good ag style tires. You will run out of traction before you run out of power with stock tires. I use 589 MS, stock 25" sizes.

 

you people still havent mentioned the prairie 650 it has a flat tourqe curve from 3000rmp to 8000 rpm and put this thing in low gear and you could pull a train. it has the most torque of any 4x4.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

yea, what he said ![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

yea, if the prarie
had independent suspension, it would be the baddest boy on the block. but it doesen't. hands down it's right up there on performance but it will not take you where independent suspension will. kawa, really needs to get in gear on this issue.

 

Arctic Cat 500

 

I love my honda foreman 400 4x4. It will spin all 4 wheels in 3rd gear on dry ground with new tires before it will bog down. The clutch engages just as soon as you apply the tiniest bit of throttle to it too, and ive never had it break down on me before. The 450 would probably be about the same too. I would also say an arctic cat or yamaha would be ok, but my uncle just bought a 99 yamaha kodiak 4x4 and it doesent seem to have as much low end torque as my honda, but it still runs good.

 

In case you noticed, if you ask 10 different people, you might get 10 different answers.

Just about any machine over 400 or 450 ccs should spin out before it runs out of power. The A/C machines seem geared lower, makes for easier pulling, but they are definately slower on open trails.

The Sportsman 500 is a good choice (as are about a dozen other bikes). The extra weight & true 4wd of the Sportsman makes for a good puller. In addition, the Rawhide tires they put on them now are a definate step above what you find stock on most machines. If the price is right, it is a good choice.