I am curious as to how much snow a Polaris Sportsman500HO can go through. If anyone knows how much for the HO, or even a regular Sportsman500, please reply. Thanks

 

dodgeram01,
im not really certain if your asking how much the quad costs or what it can go thru?I'll try and answer both,

Depending on where you live,Sportsmans range from 6200 on up in costs.

The Sportsman is simple one of the best mudders in the ATV industry today.It is helped by an AWD system that,when activated, supplies power to ALL four wheels instead of just three,like seen on allmost all other model 4x4 ATVs.

I also had a snow plow on my 99 model 500cc Sportsman,it worked like a charm.The Sportsman is a little on the heavy side[697lbs],but thats the down side to the best casual trail riding quad available on todays market.
Bill

 

I am trying to find out how many inches of snow a stock Sportsman500HO or a stock 2000 Sportsman500 could go through. Thanks for your info though.

 

From a stop in powder, I would say 1 1/2 to 2 feet. Going 30 mph and hitting a snow drift...4 feet deep..I have done it. Made it through too. It was about 8 feet long.

One suggestion: Stay on the packed trails. My father-in-law went into a field and 5 feet off the trail he dissapeared! He sunk it 5 feet deep! Had to pull him out with my quad...very fun though!

 

Depends what kind of run you have and if it's packed or not. On my 335 (yes, I know it's under powered) I've got high centered. So, Ground clearance playes a mojor role too.

 

tires make a big difference too. the stock tires on a sportsman are ok, but the goodyear mudrunners look to be much better. they can take u through a lot more snow because there self-cleaning.

later
jon

 

Well, after driving mine all last winter, my 2000 Sportsman performed awesomely! But it wasn't until I put on 27" claws and the Highlifter lift kit that it was ready to take on the real snow. The stock tires are "stuck" tires, and now with 27" claws, and the lift, AND a snow guard to keep the snow out of the rad, I'm ready for another fun winter. Next for my quad is the roller clutch from AAEN, and the handguards. I am building a true year-round off-road machine, and just love it! Oh yeah, don't forget the 100 plus ice screws in each tire for the slippery stuff, they of course come out in the spring. A trip to the hardware store for some 1" or shorter if you can find them, 1/4" head steel roofing screws work great. Don't put these in unless you have a deep lugged tire, found out the hard way and the stock tires are now perforated. Put a snow guard on if your in the deep powdery stuff, cause if that rad plugs up, she'll overheat for sure.

 

SWAC1,

Approximately about how many inches of snow were you able to make it through with the 27" claws and the highlifter kit?

 

Hey guys
I thought I would tell you my experience with "snow tires" and after 11 winters and 1500-2000mi per winter I think I know what I'm talking about.

Snow and mud are two compleatly different elements and a good snow tire does not have an aggressive tread like you see on all the mud tires. I have tried different tires over the years and watched my friends do the same and we all agree (amazing) that one of the best snow tires are the stock Xplorer ones. The Sportsman's tires have a more aggressive tread and although similar to the Xplorer's, it was clearly evident that the Xplorer tires were much better in the snow. So much so, that 2 of my friends who recently purcased HO's had the dealer intall Xplorer tires on them before they took delivery (no charge, they just swapped them)I know that you must be thinking that a very aggressive mud tire should be better in snow but the problem is that they simply dig four holes real quick. Years back, when the famous spider trak came out many people purchased them for use in the snow nobody kept them because they soon realized that an aggressive tire and snow just don't mix. I rarely see anyone on our winter trails with big lug tires and the ones I do see are most likely newbies and are going through the same learning curve as I did. If you want the best of both worlds the stock Xplorer tire with about 100 carbide tipped automotive studs/tire for the winter and another set of big lug tires for the mud and summer. Hope I have pointed some of you in the right direction. Enjoy

 

Truthfully, I have not been in the deep deep stuff yet, we usually get about 2-3 feet of unpacked snow in the bush, and that is what I want to try out. From experience, you can crawl thru most snow up to 2 feet, but thats in 4 wheel drive, and a crawl. This ain't sledding, so the deep stuff takes some time, and a snow guard for the rad is a MUST. If you haven't had experience with a Sportsman overheating when its 10 below outside, and you can't figure out why, now you will know. You have to keep the rad clear of snow, or anything else for that matter. The fan will run all day long, but if there is no air flow thru the rad, she'll boil over, and then out.