I like the Artic Cat , Its a great utility atv not for racing but for hauling elk and going on hard rocky trails with big tree stumps . I think the mags under rate artic cats because the take 800 miles before the start breaking in and then the power really comes alive on them.

 

I owned a polaris 700 and found the ebs on polaris to be crappy , it only works on the 2 rear wheels talk about a scary setup. I found myself slidding down the hills out of control and on the same hill my arctic cat would go down with no problem [ 4 wheel ebs ] works so much better.

 

I wouldnt recommend the sportsman 400 for pure utility work, I'd recommend a 500 or higher. But the title says 400 class, so that is the quad I am suggesting.

 

Bombardier Outlander 400 4x4 easily. The Suzuki Eiger is in 2nd place overall. The top speed on the Bomb is 65 MPH. No other 400 will even come close to that. Plus the suspension, the frame is state of the art. Nobody else offers all this in quad. But it's the most expensive 400.

 

WOW, 65mph!!! How steep is the hill you are going down???

 

My vote is with catterman, i think the ac is a great quad

 

WOW, 65mph!!! How steep is the hill you are going down???[/quote]


I have gotten mine up to 63 on GPS and i ran out of room. Some will go faster than others some with only do 55 - 60 others can get up to 62- 65. Great power for a 400.

 

no it isn't true. when one side slips it drags the other along through friction. 1/2 the plates connect to one axle, 1/2 to the other. very little power is transferred through the coupling when they are at the same speed. but when one side turns faster than the other, the fluid is heated and becomes so thick it links the plates together, driving both wheels. It's not instantaneous, but it works. I tried to find a video of it working, but I couldn't. Very impressive.

viscous couplings are used in some AWD cars too, linking the front and rear

visco lock, in my opinion, is the best all-around front differential in the business. Ride it and forget it. There when you need it, not there when you don't.

Outlander would have my vote for all-around sport/utility, not utility though. I wouldn't choose anything with a belt or small plastic racks for a true working utility. And yes, it is faster top end than my Rubicon, because of the gearing. If the AC 400 MRP with a manual and ACT rear and a locker is still available, it would be hard to beat (in the 400 only class). JMO!

Funny how people take marketing b/s as absolute fact. Some company's true 4wd isn't what it implies, particularly going downhill!! Just marketing b/s. I just shake my head when someone calls my Honda 3wd too. It isn't as good as a locker or viscous, but it isn't an open differential either. I have used the front brake to transfer power to the free spinning wheel. It does work.

 

Thanks propnut, very informative. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

There's a video of it working on the BRP web site. Can a viscous coupling completely lock the two sides together? I thought that was the drawback of them in AWD trucks, thus the need for an additional 4hi locked range.