A new automatic for Yamaha? Thats news, I would like to hear more. I haven't seen it mentioned on their forum?

 

I love a manual shift quad but I have inly rode manuals except for the old Polaris Cylone that sucked compared to the new autos. I thinking about a utility atv for misc stuff like plowing snow and putting around to check out my deer blinds (my sport quads are to loud). Anyway how do the new auto really hold up to towing major loads. I used to have a 89 Big Bear and that thing would pull anything like a 1500lbs load of dirt. This is what I want is an unstopable quad, the Rubicon 500 is looking good and I figure I will get it the same time as my Raptor. I figure this will be it for my quad buy for a while till I get them paid off. But I still will get assecories.

 

I have had hi-po dirt bikes all of my life, when I wanted my first quad I wanted an automatic for what I was going to use it for. I plow snow, hunt, trail ride, and play in the mud and water. I bought a used 95' Polaris Sportsman 400. It plows snow as good as my friends 450 foreman. I have repeatedly had it in mud and water over the tires (25"). I do have better than stock tires ,but my polaris also does have more ground clearence than a 450 foreman and has proven it in the mud we play in. I would not a this point buy a shifting quad, I just love to ride and enjoy the out doors and spending my time shifting does not seem like as much fun on a sport utility quad, maybe a sport only quad it would have benifits that I could take advantage of. Oh, by the way with low range it will pull a nasty wheelie for a 600# quad.
Ingoldx1
95' polaris 400 Sportsman
99' polaris 250 Trail Boss

 

My 99 Sportsman was my first auto trans quad,I now own a 00 auto trans 400cc 2-stroke 4x4 Xplorer.I cant see me ever returning to shifting again.

The wet belt thing is generally badly over spoken and not true in the circumstances that I've encounterd.Im a avid mud runner and have never had my belt slip on me with my 00 Xplorer in any conditions.My Sportsman did slip on me once,that is ,after the dealership installed a HP clutch kit and installed the seal wrong.After the seal was replaced,no more slipping

You really need to test drive both type quads for yourself and make up your own choice based upon your riding tests,good luck===Bill

 

If you want a good automatic I would suggest the New Honda Rubicon 500 with their new beltless trans. Sounds pretty trick and usually Honda has excellent reliability.

 

If the Rubicon transmission does prove reliable. Then the other manufactureres will have to copy it or try to come up with something better. I don't know what would be better!

Automatics are here to stay, my next quad will be an automatic!

 

I would truely say to go with a manual tranny, because if you don't it will only take one time that you storm through a mud hole, Crawling up through a logging road or something, to drag a few logs down from the woods. The belt will get real wet on the way up the trail and you will have to push it back out of the wood lot...
Plus Manuals are much more fun, LOL.

Long live the king

 

ok, first of all, rarely do belts even get wet (ok, my seal is bad, but please, its 15 years old, a bead of caulking will fix my problem. 2nd, if you do get the belt wet, why on earth woulod you push it home? Its call drying the belt, lol.. i know it sounds tricky, but it really works! just put it in neutral, rev'er a lil bit, for a lil while (depending on how wet you got it) and then go again.

 

This is a utility forum so I assume that you are looking for utility work. I would absolutely choose a shift machine over the automatic. I did some major towing with my Rancher this past weekend. Pulled boats for about 4 hours down a really rough trail with no problems. I never left first gear the whole time. I know someone that has a SP500 and the tranny was damaged by driving up a hill. I'm not sure how or what happened, but it makes a terrible racket sound all the time now. Not the type of system I'd choose for work. For trail riding the auto is fun. But just remember that on a shifter, 1st thru 4th gears are just there to get to 5th, except when towing.

 

well, i've towed around farm wagons with my Trail Boss 250, and i don't even have a low gear. there should be no way he ruined the transmission going up a hill.. he should have it checked out. a auto will pull anything just as good, as long as its put in low range.