After reading this post:

a brave lemming replies....don"t take it so serious..but
a locked honda will win in deep mud because
a locked bike is better than an unlocked bike..please refer to page 82 in April 1998 dirt wheels mag. which says..when 4by4 operation is selected you don"t automatically get 4 wheel drive.front hubs just freewheel and the atv is in 2 wheel drive...untill the front axels rotation speed increases to a point 20per cent faster than the rotational speed of the outer hub.This is caused by the rear wheels spinning and since the front axels are tied directly to the rear by the driveshaft,the front axels rotational speed increases.At this point a hexagonal piece that surrounds the axel begins to push against the rollers and power is tranferred to the hub and wheel but only for that side ,if it doesn"t detect any slippage the other front wheel wont engage.
I dont personally understand all this but doen"t a true Locker pull 100 per cent all the time? If so a Locked Honda would be 20 per cent better using your own arguement that more is always better!
Even if you experience NO belt slippage .. a point many survey readers do , a Hondas positive gear driven system Will outlast and outperform.
Please dont jump on Hondas wagon yet but in June 1999 4 wheel atv action mag. on page 51 in 4 stroke Polaris survey only 40 per cent of owners were IMPRESSED with VALUE FOR PRICE PAID.. the other 60% were merely satisfied..I would think after reading your post it would be the other way around.OF course the Polaris Brakes,fit n finish and ease of maintenance didnt fare better!
Of course the whole world is out to get Polaris so you cant believe Anything you read.
Polaris has many things going for it but unless the total package Works day after day wihout the owner being a mech.they (polaris) will continue to rank 2nd in sales..gee guess whos 1st !!

After reading this post especially the part that says:

At this point a hexagonal piece that surrounds the axel begins to push against the rollers and power is tranferred to the hub and wheel but only for that side ,if it doesn"t detect any slippage the other front wheel wont engage.

Well my question for you Bill450es how does a wheel that is up in the air detect slippage after watching ATV tellevision this week the rider got the SPORTSMAN up on 3 wheels and you could actually see the other wheel that was up in the air moving the same amount as the tire that was in contact with the rock...so my question is Bill450es you are always asking for proof on your theories, so I have some you are completely wrong on your theorie about on a Polaris that whenever slippage occurs power is sent to only one wheel.
And I hate to break some of your hearts and I am not going to mention any brands but watch this episode and you will get to see some of those certain ones that are suppose to have improve differential slip spinning a tire in the air...

 

so what if the wheel in the air on your Spotsman is spinning. thats just wasted energy.

i have not experianced this three wheel drive stuff on my rancher yet. the wheel that has needed traction has always gotten it.

 

you've got too much time on your hands! I don't know why your so intimidated by the 450 and so bothered by his comments. Who gives a sh_t? Not I. Give it a rest, your just giving this forum a bad name.

 

I think ATVing was trying to prove a point to Bill.He is the one that came into our Forum[Polaris] and tried to explain to us that we only have three wheels spinning when the AWD is activated.

To Bill450es credit though,I have not seen him post, comment, or try to convince us otherwise,at least since my posting on the AWD subject.====BILL

 

Oh boy... Question..if your quad is in the air,or up side down..all 4 wheels are spinning...how many wheels are pulling?..lemmings feel there is a difference.
Isn't it funny we can choose what information or source to back us up..it's too bad we can't agree on what source is correct!!
It does keep life interesting !!
ps. Keep tire side down..no matter what you ride it does seem to work better!!

 

Bill450es makes a good point,however,on limited slip differentials,if you get one front tire in the air and one in the mud,the one that spins is the one sucking air.NOW,you are actually depending on just the REAR wheels to dig you out.If you have the identical circumstance on a Polaris AWD quad you will get all 4 wheels to spin at an equal rate,and the one front wheel in the mud will assist you in getting out.I guess you could technically say you are three wheel drive until the tire spinning in the air gets traction.No matter how you look at it,3 tires spinning for traction are still better than two.====BILL

 

This is easy to sum up. Any fool can tell. The Polaris has the superior traction when it comes to comparing its front end with that of a 450 or a Rancher. The Rancher has merely a jacked up limited slip which, granted, is still a LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL. The Polaris system is far superior when putting traction to the ground hands down. Can't call me biased, I own an AC 500 with an inferior limited slip, and I have seen numerous times that I spun a tire while another sat motionless. A limited slip with a tire in the air is a 2wd, because unless you live in a realm of expanding dimensions, that tire in the air ain't getting jack for traction and only the 2 in back are grabbing at anything. Any arguements to this are pointless, because everyone on this Polaris forum will back that up from experience.

 

I HAVE READ ALL I CAN ABOUT THIS. Does anybody in here know ANYTHING about limited slip differentials? It would take me all night to explain it to people with no mechanical knowledge. But here is a shortened version.
There are severa;l different kinds of differentials.
1. There is a locker type that totally locks both wheels all the time and spins them both at the same speed all the time (same as the rear)
2. There is the limited slip type which uses a (to keep it simple)spring loaded system on the spider gears to cause one wheel to be able to rotate at a different speed than the other (for ease of steering. The amount of slippage is determined by the amount of spring pressure. This spring pressure could be increased to the point of being nearly a locker.) This type DOES NOT stop supplying power to the wheel with traction just because the other wheel spins.
3. The (one wheel wonder) type that will only send power to the wheel that spins easiest which is not used on any quad that I know of.
4. The new AP type that Honda now uses which puts power to the wheel with the most traction.
This type I have had no experience with so I wont even venture a guess about the way it works.
I dont mean to single out anybody but it makes me crazy to sit and read all of this misinformation about differentials. I dont want to come across as the authority about them either but I do work on the stuff and have for the last 25 years so I think I am pretty clear on how they work. Sorry but I just had to blow off a little steam, OHHHH I feel much better now.

 

Thanks Trailboss 450, I too can't believe how many people have absolutely no idea how limited slip differentials work. I would like to say that the Ranchers new diff. WILL send power to the front wheel with traction. Soooooo could someone please explain to me what advantage a Polaris with the so called "true 4-wheel drive"has over the Honda Rancher, when stuck with one front tire in the air? Seems to me that the only differance is that the Polaris would be spinnig the tire in the air, while the Honda would only be spinning one front tire, the one with traction. I guess the Polaris has an advantage if you guys say so. By the way when both of the Hondas front tires are in the mud they will both pull, I know thats a hard concept for some people to grasp.

 

Well, one consideration over the whole Honda "SureTrac" (whatever) deal is that cornering ability is hampered as the Honda pushes while cornering. (See 4-Wheel ATV Action, May Issue, Rancher vs Prairie Shootout). Look, Honda has fabulous durability, but my Polaris 4X4 Magnum 325 outclimbs my buddies with their Ranchers and Wolverines due to its true 4-wheel drive capibility. I would never put down Hondas for durability, 'cause they are rock-solid, but in terms of traction, the Polaris has the edge...just admit it!