I got the Hawkeye 2X4 for my wife, but she's not riding it much. My neighbor and I put some miles on it after the rains here a week or so ago and it did fine. Neither of us are small guys and it had no problem at all pulling us up the hills and through the mud. I would agree with the larger tires though.

 

my wifes trail blazer is been a real good machine. dont think because shes a woman she doesnt beat the hell out if it. she has rolled it 2 times and we put one set or reaa tires on it and its still taking the abuse she gives it.

 

I dont care if the Hawkeye only goes 40 mph, im not into speed. I only go about 60km/h on my KVF anyways and i only do wood work at my cottage. When im here in Carlisle (Near Hamilton, Ontario), i really use the 4 wheel drive. Are there any Hawkeye owners out there that have the 4x4 version? If so, what do you think about it?, is it worth the extra $??

Thanks.

Also, i really used my 4 wheel drive on my KVF today. At my cottage, theres still 35cm of snow in some areas, and i didnt know that till i got stuck. I was in the middle of nowhere, on a trail no-one really goes on and i was REALLY stuck. I have pics on my camera phone, but will take awhile to upload them. THANK GOD, i put my winch on a couple days before because i was a LONG away from the cottage and the 4 wheel drive wasnt helping much. The winch was struggling pretty badly and i was trying to lock the differential, although my right hand was taking the throttle and the left pushing the IN button on the winch. After a good 45 minutes, i finally got it on some hard packed ice and snow and got it out of that snow/mud pit. THIS IS A REASON WHY I WANT A 4X4 HAWKEYE, and with a winch of course.

 

My brother just bought my nephew a BLK/SIL Hawkeye 4x4. I am extremely impressed with its' performance on the trails. It has been wet here lately and the Hawkeye has driven past me on my 800 when I was wheelspinning trying to climb a nasty hill. 4x4 definately worth the extra money. You already know towing limits and what you have planned for it so I won't offer any advice as far as that goes. My nephew's only has about 5 hours on it and will flutter 49-50 mph with me on it. I am no monster, 6'-0" 175 but I think that those speeds are pretty respectable. The clutch engages right off of idle and pulls well throughout the RPM range. My brother already put the bumper on it and will be putting a winch on it soon. As mentioned before, it needs some decent tires. If the X2 wasn't going to suit my wife's utility needs better, I would be getting her the Hawkeye 4x4. Overall, I am thoroughly impressed. You are asking good questions, keep it up and feel confident that the Hawkeye is a solid, affordable pick.

 

i am a little confused on why the hawkeye can go by your 800 in the mud though? the tires onit are a joke in my opion for mud riding.

 

That Hawkeye is much lighter than the monster 800 Sportsman

 

06LimitedPred,

You hit the nail right on the head. It was due to a combination of the steep angle and the surface was a sloppy clay. The Hawkeye bit and I spun the tires just crawling.

 

It is also way better for riding off camber hills also. My Sportsman will slide side ways where as my Hawkeye will just walk on up it with no sliding at all.

 

go to your own forum with your 4x4 *cough*3x4* p.o.s okay ??
dont come here and insult polaris.
(to crazyatvspazz)

 

The Hawkeye has a wide ratio clutch, so it still has "low range" so to speak. While it doesn't have the power or as heavy drivetrain as a bigger machine for heavy work, gearing won't be your problem!

As for bigger tires, we put 25x8x12 Titan 489's on the front and 25x11x12 on the rear (stock Sportsman Takeoffs). It looks goofy.... But it clears them no problem through the whole suspension travel range and pulls them just fine, even over obstacles at low speeds. Like I said, it looks goofy, but it works great!