Well someone i know has a Xpedition 425, and it works great around there farm. With the brown plastic, you can barely see its covered with cow Sh*t It works very well
About that rack capacity, its just a big joke, i've had 200lbs + on my front rack on my 85 Trail Boss, rated at like 65 lbs.
I think the Magnum 500 would be a great choice for a farm quad

 

If one sticks to the original topic here - I would have to concede that the AC500 is a better machine for the purpose mentioned.

I know the Sp500 can easily tow what the AC500 can (or more), but maintenance is also mentioned and the AC500 is definitely lower maintenance. I am refering to regular maintenance here not that the SP500 is falling apart all the time.

Of the things mentioned by Thor going wrong with his polaris ATVs I only experienced the cooling fan problem, which was quickly fixed under warranty. Whoops! Also Brakes and Tie rod ends. Both premanently solved by warranty using the new tie rod end "technology" and "new" brake pad compound.

The AC500 is a utility quad first and foremost. The SP500 is a Sport/Utility. So there are differences in the two machines that account for the roles they are expected to play.

SP500 in NS

 

All the farmers I know use Hondas except for my brother-in-law. He uses a Polaris 300. My brother in-law uses his differently than the other fellas though. My brother in-law uses his for checking steers and such, no work really just a quick nimble way to zip around the farm. All the other guys use Honda foremans. They like the auto-clutch so they don't have to worry about belt slippage and they like the solid rear axl for towing.

 

My son drove the 500 Autocat today and was impressed with the ride and the ruggedness of the Cat. He did say however that he could not make the rear tires spin on gravel. But he is used to the Xplorer 400 which is a real rock thrower.

Do the AC 500 5spds have more acceleration?

 

I THINK so, but i'm not positive. I know it sure feels alittle pepier, but never raced the 2 side by side.

 

Forgot to mention this, but if you know how to ride the cat, you can get it to spin in gears 2-4.

1St is allittle to low to spin them most of the time.

 

Actually, compared to anything other than a sport quad or a Wolverine, then the AC has a higher 1st gear. It is of course a dual range machine. Most other single range utilites use a lower first gear to compound not having a low range option. This big thing about throwing up rocks is that you are in 4wd. Makes it a little tougher. I guess that the new ones and the autos have that 2wd option, but I never considered rock slinging much of a selling point.

 

Andy,

It May not be very low compared to other bikes ont he market, but I still find it hard to "peel out" in first gear.

About the only thing I use 1st gear for when trail riding is going threw 10" deep square ditches, climbing an almost 80 degree canal, and if I want to go realy slow.

Other than that I normally take off in 2nd gear and when I get to 25 mph I cruise in 5th, or haul butt at 45-58(still have my throttle limiter set.

 

Hmmm. Maybe the lack of tire spin is a good thing. Perhaps that is why the Cats have good traction in the mud holes? Maybe it is the way that A-C has set up their clutches.

I know that when I get into a "suprise" mud hole with my magnum in high range the tranny does not seem to back shift fast enough and the engine likes to bog down. The problem is not apparent in low range but we do not always the foresight when evaluating innocent looking puddles.

Do the Cats require low range when negotiating mud?

 

I still don't know about the auto's with low range. If I'm riding mud, I put it in 1st gear high and lay on the gas. Its low enough to not bog down, but still high enough to keep decent wheel speed. My second option is normally 2nd gear low range. 1st low is real slow, and the only time I use it are on steep hills that require a very slow speed and good throttle control. In other words, no jump starts. The low range helps utilize the full torque of the machine to slowly negotiate the uneven spots and rock crawls.