Well i went to the polaris dealership today and the guy told me that polaris quads didn't need a dif lock cause all 4 wheels got power instead of one getting wheel and locking in the other one as kinda a parasite wheel... Is this true and is that just as good or better than a locker? He also told me if i were to look into getting a 2" lift kit it would put too much stress on the axle and it would be wise to get new axles and some other joint... Idk if he was just trying to sell me something cause he told me i would need a gorilla axle or some other after market higher strength one and idk if they sell those or not... And he said i should be able to fit 27" tires on a 500 stock polaris sportsman, does that change on the below 05 models? Again, thanks for all the help everyone i will hopefully be able to get exactly what im looking for thanks to everyone's help....

 

Bump, anyone on last post?

 

I'm not sure how the Polaris front end works, but I was under the impression that it is a limited slip type system on ones that don't have a locker. Even an open differential puts power to both wheels, until or unless one looses total traction. I think there was an era of Polaris machines that only applied engine braking to the back wheels. Maybe if you've settled on the Polaris brand, you might want to start a thread in that section to get more exposure to people who own them...

 

hey jordo25. i do alot of mudding and i havent read all the post on here but took a quick glance at them and it looks like you are curious about tire sizes and lifts. i also noticed you said you like the polaris. what i havent seen mentioned yet was an arctic cat. with the cat (from 2002 up) you get 12" ground clearence and IRS. some with diff lock, but i doubt for the budget you are on. i know for a fact , because i have them, that 28" swamp lites will fit without a lift and still have more than enough room on a 2002 cat with 14" of ground clearence. ( my pics are 27" though) though i do not have locker, most of the time i dont need it any way. be nice to have it though. i had thought about trading it in last year and trade in was about $2,000. so i would think you may be able to get one under $3,000. good luck with your choice and have fun

 

Good point. Artic Cat's do generally have more ground clearance in their respective classes.

Also, regarding the question about lift kits on Polaris machines, I've never known or heard of Polaris having weak axles, but any time you modify a machine to put more stress on parts, a person has to expect a change in service life of those parts... Polaris machines seem to be heavier than machines in the same class, by other brands. I don't necessarily think of that as a bad thing, since it means more steel, and probably contributes to a softer ride, and more planted steering at high speeds, which they seem to be known for.

 

true jeffintd. never heard of axles breaking on polaris. now on mine i have broke 2 axles, both with 27" tires which is the only mod i have on my bike. both times though it was under warrenty and the dealer took care of me. now with the 28's i havent broke anything so far and i do the same as i did with the 27's.in fact i havent broke an axle in 4 years so id say they are built a little better now.

 

Idk, the polaris website just calls it "true AWD" whatever that means... And i actually have looked at the Arctic Cats just recently and they seem nice too... Bass Pro is the local dealer here for them i was gonna go by there today but they were closed by the time i got back from nashville... My dad has about 10K cash that he just got from selling our racing go-kart stuff out and has another grand or two of stuff to still sell so my budget might be north of 3k now, not sure though and he doesn't really like talking about money a lot so im not gonna hound him on it.... I don't know if i would be going with 28" because i can't find any tires that big with an 8" wide 12" rim for the fronts.... Would 9" wide with a little extra air work? EDIT: I think i have narrowed it down to a polaris sportsman, can am outlander, arctic cat, and yamaha grizzlie... Any one of these better than the other or best out of them? I picked them for the irs and ground clearance. My main riding will be on trails but i want the ability to go pretty much anywhere i want to cause i will be hitting any mud holes i come by, lol... Im looking in the ~500 class on all of these too....

 

I bought my wife this '05 Honda Rancher 350 for $3k. It has 26" Pirelli Mudwisers and pulls them great in the mud(manual). I am putting a 2' lift on tomorrow($55 at local atv shop).
Seems to be great ATV for the money but I am certainly no expert!

 

Jordo here are some places you can find atv's cheap that most people wouldn't thing about , Title Pawn shop's , local Finance Companies ; and bank repo's like my brother found in the mid 90's he found a nice 89' Kawasaki 300 Bayou for $800.00 that turned out to be a good quad !

I live in Ga and atv's people advertise in the local new's paper's were asking $2,000.00 and up for the same price for quad's that weren't as good shape as the one for $800.00 from the Finace Company ; my brother kept it for over a year and the only thing he had trouble he had with iwas water had gotten into the fuel tank causing rust and trash in the carb !

He sold it to a guy he worked with for $2,100 , and the guy who bought it had a Kreem tank liner installed in the tank ; and it was good as new !

Not many people think of these place's when looking to buy a used ATV's , and you can get them for near nothing compaired to buying from the new paper and over the net ; it's well worth checking these place's as well as bank repo's .

Anyhow i hope you find a good one at a good price , and welcome to the forums ; and ride safely with what ever you buy !.........

 

i would not own a beltdrive quad............hondas arent belt