I had a 03 Rancher 4x4 and sold it because of lack of power and acceleration. It did not have 2-4 switch and did not have enough power with big mud tires. I was thinking of the Eiger as an alternative to one of the big quads. It has the 2-4 switch and most importand - high and low range.
My question is Does the Eiger have have ample power to get through the thick mud without over working the engine in low range and is it faster top speed than the rancher? Also. how does it compare to the Rancher in handling the whoops and occasional jumps.
I maintained the rancher VERY WELL but also rode it VERY VERY HARD! I had absolutely no problems with it. Do you think I would be happy with the Eiger????

Any input would be appreciated.

JustMe

 

Has anyone installed a snorkel on the Eiger? Any problems with deep water/mud?

Thanks,
JustMe

 

Just me,

I to had a rancher and sold it to get the EIger, for many of the reasons you have. it is definantly a step above the rancher it every category. it has more power, more acceleration, better suspension and so far my reliability is great. as for the jumps and whoops, that what I have my Z400 for. you still have to remember that any sport utilily is still pushing some serious weight so they are all limited on the big stuff. but for the every day trail stuff the eiger is fine.

 

From firsthand experience I can tell you that the only mud problems you'll have with the Eiger is by driving your 3' tall Eiger through a 4' deep muck hole. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

That's the reason for the .20 over on my machine - Did a field cleaning of the air filter but must have missed some grit and scratched the cylinder.

I've found the Eiger to be a great mud bike - even with just stock tires. With the low range there will be plenty of power, even with more agressive mud tires. I considered the Rancher but found the Eiger to be just a little better all around.

Jaybee

 

Hey Guys!
Thank you very much for the input. I am pretty much sold on the Eiger. As for the whoops etc. I ride two wheelers in the dry season so this type of terrain will only be occassional. The Rancher did OK in that dept. so if the Eiger is better then I'm sure I will be happy.
We go through deep water often exceeding the height of the factory snorkel. This is acomplished by bringing the front end way up or by installing a snorkel. With this kind of abuse maitenance is crucial and I sometimes wonder if I spend more time on that then riding! All of the electrical connections are Delectriced(non conductive grease), all seals are resealed with liquid gasket, and differential fluids are changed regulary along with crankcase oils and of course air filters.
Again, I appreciate all of your input, but has anyone installed a snorkel on an Eiger and/or wheelied through deep water? Also any problems with brake pads wearing out prematurely?
We ride in the EVERGLADES. It is not much fun to get stuck out there with the snakes/gators and all.

JustMe

 

I've not wheelied through deep water but the design of the front fenders will create a dry area at the top of the gas tank (where the stock snorkel is located). Because of this you can take most ATV's through water a little deeper than their snorkel depth...............

.....................unless, of course, you stop moving forward.

Jaybee

 

I love my '03 4x4 Eiger manual, in fact we bought too of 'em!!! The Eiger is also the fastest ATV in the 400cc, as low as you get the 5 speed. Great in mud, never got stuck! I have 1600km on mine since July 26th 2003! Everything has been great! Also I got mine for $6600 CDN!! BRAND NEW! Go with the Eiger!

 

my best friend just picker up his brand new 5 speed 4x4 on friday. We went riding all weekend and put on over a 100 miles. I was very impressed by the machine's performance compared to my vinson. The only thing we noticed was that you cant have it in low and reverse at the same time. this never caused a problem but in real sticky stuff you may not have the nuts to back up.

 

My 02 Eiger 4x4 5spd has been a really great and fun quad. It really is a great mud bike, I have '26 Super Swamper Vamps on mine and I go just about anywhere I want without being worried. Its also a pretty fast quad, I got mine up to 55mph and still had a lil throttle left, not much I think it might hit maybe 56-57mph. The 2WD/4WD drive lever is simple and is mechanical so you dont have to worry about any electrical problems during water/mud riding. Low/High range lever works great, In low you can about pull anything you want. Its a very good all around bike and for the price it cant be beat.

 

i love my eiger, i have gotten it stuck 3 times now, once when i went over what i thought was a feild (turned out to be a open sewer and had to pull it out with my massey 1020, with truff tires lol) again when riding with a few guys in the fire department, they got me unstuck then i pulled all 3 of them out at the same time, and again when i went over a beaver dam and drove into 3.5 feet of muck(wasnt worried till the headlights dissapeard under the muck and started to slip). as being uti. i used it durring grass fire season a life saver!