Well I've driven both brands and I'd say i'm more pleased with the AC, it will go through alot more w/o getting stuck than a polaris and the independent suspension seems alot nicer riding on the AC. The differential lock in is a very nice feature and yeah i'm not big on the factory tires but nobody ever keeps those anyways. The receiver hitch is a great idea, the suspension travel is better and the ground clearance but that's not much difference there. The H1 seems to have some pretty good torque too.

 

lol i don't like doing personal attacks but zorro you aren't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed are you? well maybe just a tool. i didn't say plastic skids were stronger then metal READ WHAT I WROTE. i said that they work better cause they slide better over terrain and don't hook like metal does. and if you bolt plastic in enough places it will become very sturdy and reliable. and whooopty doo you are 220 pounds and can stand on a rack. this proves what????? NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all i know is if you push metal rack to metal rack nothing will happen just maybe a lil paint swap. if you push metal to plastic then you will break plastic. i accidently knocked a chunk out of one of polaris's machines a couple years ago [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] imagine that metal pushing against plastic and the plastic breaks. oh and another thing i talked to a guy from here that got to many dui's and can't get a drivers license and i was riding my fourwheeler and came up to him this last weekend and he was on his 06 650 v2 and i asked him how many miles you got on that thing now he said 22,800 miles. he blew the motor at 14,000 cause apparently he never changes the oil. it looked pretty beat up but ran perfect. the last machine he had before that was an 04 400 arctic and he had almost 30,000 on it when he sold it and if i remember right i think he replaced a belt and did some electrical work to it and that was it.

 

people keep in mind that AC used to use suzuki engines from 07 and back AC just now started makin their own engines for all their quads so the mileage thing talked about above is more of a compliment to suzuki

 

his 650 has a kawi in it. yes the mileage thing does compliment suzuki and kawi but you gotta realize the rest is cat's design.

 

yeah i was jus sayin as far as the motor goes but cat did do a pretty good job with comfort and ergonomics

 

If they work better then they must be stronger. What are skids for genius? You implied that you can't stand on the plastic racks....that's what it "proves"......that you're wrong AGAIN.

 

oh the drama. jeez guys, no need to get pissy with each other- save it for the ATV banners...........

I just bought an AC 700. I looked at every model out there and between a lower price tag, and several key features- I decided Cat was the one for me.

Specifically versus the Polaris. The shop I went to has more Polaris ATV's used than anything else. The guys there say that Polaris just seems to come in for small things more than other brands. Just little things that shouldn't break to begin with.

Of all the Polaris they have out front- not one has an undamaged plastic rack system. Mostly on the front hinges, which seem to be the first thing to impact a tree. The storage capacity inside it isn't impressive anyway.

My first impression looking at a range of used Polaris is that the racks are better suited for a toy than a quad. Just my observation that out of a heap of used Polaris, most had beat up plastic racks.
On the other hand, even with quads that I've see with metal racks where the rest of the machine is hammered- the racks rarely look beat up.

So just from observation of used machines- I'm not impressed with plastic racks.

Other features set the Cat apart for me. I love that receiver. One look at the tiny receivers on the Polaris and I laughed. I don't doubt that the Polaris hitch is tough and all, but it sure ain't the full sized Cat receiver.

I wouldn't go around claiming one is 'junk' and the other perfect. I see ALOT of polaris quads out on the trails- so they must be solid enough for people to be buying them in droves.
It was just on a few key points that I prefer the Cat. As an overall package, I chose Cat. But that's not because I think the Polaris sucks or anything. But the Cat edges it in my opinion.

 

i agree lot with what u AC guys are saying, people like their own quads for their own reasons, i think AC has nice machines, i have ridden with guys who had last yrs 700 model, and i think they are nice units. i've only had polaris and i have had great luck with them, i don't think anyone will win the fight of whats more reliable, here in Iowa , it seems like nobody sells AC, and everybody sells polaris. I personally rode AC snowmobiles up till this yr when i sold my 99 ZR 600 , but i think AC has made HUGE improvements in their atvs and will be as popular as polaris. i absolutely wouldn't have even looked at AC quads till they came out with the 07 models.

as far as racks go , think i'd rather have plastic too, the metal ones just rust too fast, i had a 2000 polaris sportsman i bought new with plastic racks and never had a problem, never broke or cracked or anything,

 

You're not supposed to run into trees with your rack! They do make big heavy duty bumpers if you need them. I have front and rear on mine.
Steel bumpers/racks are extra on any atv.

 

Simple advice: Figure out what is important to you and try them out. Everybody has different needs/likes/wants. Do you know what yours are? If you say I want the best in everything you might want to go ride some. Like for me, I like something I can sit on and be comfortable because I go for long rides. I like my shifter on the right. I like storage because I pack a lunch and bring a big old thermos of coffee with me.

I think Artic Cat makes a good machine. People I know who have them seem to like them. There aren't as many people who own them as other machines (at least that I know) so I don't hear a huge amount of feedback on them. They don't meet all my personal needs so it's not the machine for me. It could be for you though.

My Polaris grades my road. I use it to push gravel. I haul tons of wood with it. I go trail riding all day with it. I plow lots of snow (which I still have in my yard...just won't go away). It's been great for both work and fun for me. I did have a 450 that had some electrical issues. But my 800 and 700 have been great.

If you want ultimate reliability, buy a Honda.

Lastly, folks save your childish banter for PMs. Nobody wants to read that garbage.