Rancheres,
If its my Xplorer your refering to as not being able to hold up to recreational use,where the hell did you get that BS from?Aside from the chain adjustments [which is now being repaired by Polaris at NO cost to me],my Xplorer has been as bullet proof as any Honda out there.

My chain driven quad will do as much work out there as my Sportsman did,and without the added sag on the rear end when loaded.

I will agree with you on the two vs four stroke thing though.I think he would also benifit more from a 4 stroke engine for continued work.Im just saying that my Xplorer would do as much work as the Sportsman and it's a little more fun to ride afterwords,
Bill

 

I agree. A neighboring farmer had a '97 Polaris 4x4 with chain drive. All they used it for was to check irrigation pivots and winches. It had 8000 miles on it, and they had to spend around $1200-1500 to rebuild the clutch and replace the sprockets and chain. They said 'never again' on another chain drive utility ATV. I believe the only application where the chain drive is desirable, is for maximum power to the ground and speed.

 

i have owned 2 of the quads mentioned
1)magnum 325 4x4..great quad,just not much faster than 40-43 m.p.h...other thing i have alot of deep water i go thru to get to good trails therefore the belt wasnt good for my riding,i sunk it twice..this quad will have more than enough power to do chores,keep in mind it is not liquid cooled,may be a probelm if you do alot of idling
2)expedition 425,another good quad,advantage to this quad is its liquid cooled,all in all an awesome quad for what i do which is mostly trail and mud riding..if i had to use either for work i would take the exp over the magnum as im sure you will have alot of idle time which is not good for air cooled models..other than suzuki k/q polaris is the only model from the factory with real four wheel drive..good luck with your purchase,ride as many as you can,make a wish list of things you want then sit down and compare them against eachother

 

You must have rode a snowmachine,well these belts are the same or even better since most sleds have no low range option.Put it this way the wildest quad at 38hp is considered low powered, in snowmachine terms.

 

Jeffg, If all you're going to do is work on the farm : get the Suzuki 250- 300 4x4 with 15 forward speeds. I've been around three 250's since '93 and all that's been replaced on these are the CV boot covers.. ( Fence WIRE-CUTS). Keep in mind though,,, they are STRICTLY work machines. the Polaris's will destroy them in most other catogories. ride em hardd Polcat