Since 1bullmoose came out and made the statement very plainly that honda was dropping the rubicon his credibility is at stake.If you know something of this nature to be fact then by all means tell the world.If on the other hand you are making it up and it is not true you can expect that others will believe that everything else you say is also B.S.

 

No idea if Honda is dropping the Rubicon. I have heard that their new 400 will have an updated version of the Rubicon tranny, but I haven't had that confirmed yet.
Bullmoose is right about one thing, though. If you want a machine that you can ignore maintanence on, the Honda may be the better one. Just change oil & filter, and clean the air cleaner. The Sportsman will take more maintanence, but it seems lately that the maintanence you have to do has been made easier & more convenient by Polaris.

Farmr

 

The "true" 4wd thing really gets me. As I understand it from reading the latest atvaction shootout, the polaris locker kicks in only when it senses a rear wheel spin. Better than no locker? yeah. But it's reactive instead of proactive. The yami and kawi lockers seem to be the real deal as oem equipment. But that's getting off subject.

 

Tutalls original post is he is going to use this machine
to log, plow, cultivate and disc 400 acres..

Let's not try to put him into our reasons for
buying either machine...

Which is the best machine for his application(farming), the reason
why we bought ours is irrelevant unless we farm it all day long
like it appears he will be doing.

I know if I had to sit my big butt on an atv all day long and
farm with it, I would hope to have the Sportsman 500, 600, or
700 under me( and the 600 or 700 would be the logical choice
for farming with 25%+ more torque than the 500).

 

It seems to me after reading through this thread, that Stubblejumper is trying to make this a mud flinging match by making the rubicon seem like it's somethin it's not, and that the sportsman is the worst quad out there. Where as Farmr123 is giving him unbiased information and telling it how it is.
It seems to me that most honda owners have to trash other manufactures for putting a better quad out there than honda. But that's just my observation.

Now as a former Polaris owner for 4 years, this has been my expierence with my quad.
It was one of the toughest most reliable I have ever had. I beat that machine till I thought it had enough, but it took it. I hooked it up to rocks weighing over 1200 pounds and it pulled them with ease. I rolled it down hills more times than I can count, and just had to adjust the handlebars when I was done.
All I had to do was change the oil, air filter and put gas in it. I only greased when I washed it and when I changed the oil, and never had a problem with it. I never had to touch the transmition either. The belt was the orginal and still had lots of life left in it. It went places in 2wd that some 4wd couldnt go.
If it wasnt for the price that I got my 500 Suzuki for last month, I would have had another Polaris in the garage, and actually, I"m looking for another one for a second quad.

Whatever pick i'm sure will be fine and do what you ask it too. but it's what quad does it better than the other, in my case, the Polaris out performed any othe quad out there.
My buddy had a foreman, and I brought the POlaris over to his house. NOt one month after having the honda, he traded it in for a 500 h.o. and has never looked back.

 

Easy there Stubblejumper. Just because my crystal ball (and the Honda rep for western Canada) says your quad is obsolete, that doesn't mean you can't trade it in for a Polaris.
But seriously, I do not believe Honda will give up the Rubicon name for their workhorse quad, but they will give up the transmission system that has tarnished their outstanding reputation for dependability. The Rincon will fit the sport utility market while the Rubicon nameplate will get a makeover into a serious work quad. If they build what I'm looking for you just might see me trade in my Polaris. If I'm wrong when the 2004 or 2005 models come out, then you can say whatever you want about my reputation.
To you, maybe your Rubicon is flawless and better than anything else in the world. That's great. To me, Honda and Polaris are different machines with different strengths and weakness. The Polaris suits my needs and those described by Tutall.

 

AAAnnnddd remember, the new sportsman atv's are more
maintenance free than the previous ones(a lot less zerk
fittings to grease).. i just don't see reliability or maintenance
as an issue on either machine since the 2003 models.. they
both will be dependable... the choice should still be made by which
is the best for the type of farming that will be done..either will
do the job, it's just the polaris will handle the load a little better
and in more comfort..but, whichever machine is chosen, it will
do the job just fine.

 

1bullmoose-My point was that if you make a statement as plainly as you did you should be absolutely sure that you are right.Opinions on various topics will differ but when outright statements like the rubicon being dropped turn out to be false your credibility will suffer and people will treat all other statements you make as further B.S.I see that you have already backtracked your position to say that the rubicon will not be dropped but will be changed.You state now that the transmission will be dropped but honda is telling us that the new rancher 400at will in fact use the same transmission.There seem to be large holes forming in your story.For the record I have never said at any time that the rubicon was flawless or that the polaris machines were the worst machines made.I do however still stand by my statement that the rubicon is a solid dependable workhorse and that no other manufacturer has a better reputation for reliability.I still also continue to believe that the honda automatic transmission is a superior design to any belt drive.

 

stubblejumper,

I just don't see the belt drive as an issue at all.
If you use the low range for hauling, plowing, cultivating,
or any time slow speed under load is necessary, you
won't have a problem...

it's only the idgits that run in high hear under these
conditions that get into trouble and smoke their belts.

BTW, I'd much rather spend 35 bucks for a belt every
2-3 years than ever have a honda transmission go bad.

Most dealers won't even work on them, they get sent
back to the factory techs...you don't even want to get
into the cost factor if it's out of warranty...and before
you say it... I know, honda transmission rarely go
bad, but if yours does, watch out... it'll cost you..

35 bucks every 2-3 years seems like really cheap
insurance to me.. Polaris transmissions rarely go
bad either.

 

for the record... i had a 1995 trailboss 250 with i can't begin
to tell u how many miles(several thousand) on it, the belt was
changed one time in 8 years.. My cousin now has it..
I havea 98 sp500.. belt changed once in 5 years.
I have an 01 sp 500 h.o... belt never changed in almost 3 years..
I have 2 hunting buddies with 1997 Polaris 4x4's.. belts never
changed..and they frequently prepare food plots and are constantly
hauling fertilizer and seed.. the belt has never been a problem.

the belt thing has really been blown out of proportion.. if
used correctly, it's just not an issue.