I talked to a friend who said that a Polaris 500 HO had equal power in a mud bog last week. If that is true then I am a little bumbed. I am not sure it's all true. I think that it might have been the rider. Has anyone seen these 2 together?

Forrest

 

Did the 2 quads have equal power or equal distance in the mud bog?I find it hard to beleive that the Kawi can go as far in the mud as the Sportsman,since the Sportsman has a distinct ground clearance advantage.

Bill

 

I agree with Bill. I think someone is misinterpreting power for distance traveled. The SP, as Bill stated, clearly has higher ground clearance than the 650, which gives the SP the advantage to going further. There really is no way in determining "power" equivalents when in the mud-unless both machines were so "bogged down", that neither could turn the tires. Usually in mud, tire spin happens frequently, and is necessary in cleaning out the tires to get a better bite, pulling you further through the hole. With that in mind, how then can you actually measure this tire spin to determine who has more power? Even if one machine was turning the tires at a faster speed, you still couldn't very well say it had "more power", as it could have been in a different range (i.e. high or low), producing higher rpm's and thus, spinning the tires at a faster rate. Horse power is equal to torque x rpm's/5252-or something like that, I don't remember the exact equation. Anyway, I'd be happy that the 650 went as far as the SPHO, as it severely lacks in ground clearance, which definately puts it at a disadvantage with the friction resistance involved by plowing through the mud, bulldozing it with the frame and undercarriage, rather than having a higher clearance, causing less friction for the SP. I don't know if that makes any sense or not, but I wouldn't be too bummed if I were you that the 650 even kept up with the SP in the mud is a damn good thing!

Besides, it really shouldn't matter anyway, you bought the machine that fit's your needs best-not the next guy.

Best of Luck, and Happy trails!

Mike

 

I may be "way off" on this subject, but it interests me because although the Sportsman 500 H.O. has more ground clearance (especially at the rear) when unloaded, it doesn't have all that much more with heavy riders on both machines because with independant suspension you lose ground clearance in the middle as the springs compress with the load. Looking at the rear ends, with the independant suspension there is more clearance down the center (the Prairie's solid axle having the final drive housing hanging down) but there is more to drag at the wheels ("U" joint guards etc.) where the Prairie has a skinny axle. So overall, the drag of the two shouldn't be as different as they appear when sitting side by side unloaded. The front ends are similar although the Sportsman has a bit more clearance. Both can lock all 4 wheels but the Prairie has more torque and should be able to spin the wheels easier. The type of mud would probably also play a part on determining if the weight difference of the quads was an advantage or disadvantage. All in all, with the same tires on both, and a heavy rider on both, my money is on the Prairie to go farther because of its torque advantage. I hope the magazines do a mud shootout of the biggest quads.

 

The HO is by far the better mudder. I am one of those so called "big riders" I have installed Polaris heavy duty "Fat Boy" springs front and rear. With me sitting on the quad at the center of the frame at it's lowest point is still over 10" inches with NO sag in the rear. The front spring is rated at #101 pounds and the rear is #140 pounds. Ride quality actually improves with these shocks. No body roll, and still rides like a Caddy.

I see your point though. Far too many big guys ride on stock springs. They really look stupid on the trails. If your going to be dumb ... You had better have a big winch!

 

My last bike was a Polaris with all wheel drive, and now I have the 650 with four wheel drive. I was amazed with the difference in the 4x4 "feel". I'm so used to the Polaris spinning its rear tires then the fronts kick in. With the 650 in 4x4 mode, it just goes. No initial spinning of the rears. Everytime I'm stopped on the 650 in mud, and give it gas, I waiting for the rears to spin before the fronts do because I'm still used to the polaris. I know this topic has been argued before. But now I realize and really think that the slight spinning of the rear tires on polaris quads hurts it. However, I'd still take the polaris all wheel drive over any 3 wheel drive limited slip 4x4.

 

It takes 1/5 of a tire rotation on the Polaris for the 4wd to kick in. Then the difference in axle ratios on the Sportsman becomes evident. The front axles have a gear reduction of 2.1 to 1 and the rear axle ratio is 3.10 to 1. This is the reason for the tire rotation of the front and rear to appear different.