Where I ride (desert and mountains), I primarily need 4X4 only to get over large rocks. This is technical rockhounding at its best, and it's incredible fun!! Traction isn't as much an issue as is rock size, because we hardly have any mud or snow. A 2X4 can get up many sketchy slopes as well as a 4X4, and if the traction is that bad, probably a 4X4 won't be making the climb either. A good example is that you don't see 4X4s out in the dunes!! Now, isn't that contrary to what intuition would suggest?? But out in the sand, the heavy 4X4 will just dig 4 big holes.

In the rocks, light weight and handling agility are most helpfull. This is slow, crawling, technical riding, so a heavy big bore monster is a disadvantage. Speed and horsepower just aren't needed, and will only get in the way.

Anyway, so I was wondering in the rest of the county, when do you need the 4X4?

 

Our property behind my house is primarily all swamps, mud and water. So having 4x4 is a must. But at my friends house, it is primarily all open fields. That is why I got a 650 4x4. Best of both worlds!

 

On Sunday, if I had not had a 4x4, I would still be sitting at the bottom of the yellow-clay hill which had just been wetted-down with about 3/4 inch of rain. It is quite an experience to have your machine in 4-wheel drive low range, on the gas, and still sliding backwards, picking up speed.

Most of the time around here I don't need 4x4 which is why I like having a machine that I can switch in and out of 4 wheel drive.

 

It has always been my impression that mud is the big issue with riders in the East. I think this is what has been driving the "bigger is better" wars between the manufacturers. Out here it rarely rains between April and Thanksgiving. This is really sport quad country, and utilities don't sell as well. I think a lot of utility buyers in the arid West, end up with more machine than they need.

 

i am from wisconsin, and this is utility country, maybe one out of 30 on the trails are sport atv's, 4x4s go all year round,
i am getting rid of my raptor and getting the new grizz tommorrow

 

I wish I lived closer to dunes. I probably wouldn't own a utility if I lived in California.

 

I need 4WD mainly for hill climbing. Many of the trails that I ride on have long steep hill climbs. Most of them involve avoiding huge ruts, while at the same time riding over rocks, and roots, with many sharp turns and going in between trees where I only have about a 1/2"(or less) of clearence on each side, as well as being muddy. Not the kind of hills where you can take a run at it and use your momentum to make it to the top, like a 2WD would need to do. When I have to claw my way to the top at slow speeds, I need all 4 wheels pulling for me. On a hill that is unobstructed, the 2WD quads can scramble right up them as good, or better than I can.
I also need 4WD when going through deep mud, obviously. Its been my experience that 2WD quads suffer from too little ground clearence more then they suffer from lack of traction. It blows me away sometimes some of the places those 2WD can get into. I ride with 2WD's fairly often, and for the most part they make it everywhere I do. If they can't go through it, they can usually go around it.

Rick

 

92LT-The "trouble" out here is you have to own a variety of machines to handle the highly variable conditions. One day you are in the dunes or flying down a desert wash, the next at 10,000' in the mountains, and the next on a bolder strewn mining road, etc. No single bike can do it all!!

 

One Place I didnt read mentioned was stream channels and creeks with running water.
You mentioned running 2 wheel drive quads over rocks in the desert, But when there is water running over huge rocks and moss on top of them also, a 2 wheel drive cant handle it. Actually alot of the time a 4 wheel drive cant handle it.

Ron

 

I like the peace of mind knowing that with the flick of a switch,I have 4x4 if it is needed.And you really cant plow snow real well with a 2wd ATV either.

Bill