I read some of the forums mentioning all kinds of different brands for mudding, but none really mention hondas. I have a all stock 86 4x4 honda fourtrax 350. supposedly one of the strongest quads ever built in its class. how would it be for mudding?

 

Put a locker in the front end and a set of tires with good tread and it should do ok. it won't be overly powerful but should get the job done as long as you don't put too big of a tire on it.

 

The first thing I did was , got real mud tires. Saved original tires for really hard packed trails and stuff like that. THE MUD TIRES MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE....
more traction big time. Personally, I would not put alot of money in to hop it up. just ride and have fun.
The new quads with IRS and more ground clearence are quite a bit different.
Hey , just my opinion..

 

I've heard the term but never really understood. what is a locker? and how much would a good set of mud tires cost in all?

 

Depends on the tire size.. many people use the mudlites. after you get the size of the tires on there now do a search and see what prices you get.Personally I wouldnot go much bigger on that quad. you'll end up tearing up stuff quickly..

 

A locker is a differential locker. On the front of 4x4 quads, they have a differential to make turning easier. If 4x4 quads had solid front axles, turning would be MUCH harder. So a differential allows the inside wheel/axle to slip, making it much easier to turn. However when in high traction situations, the wheel with more traction usually just sits there and doesn't move, while the other wheel just spins. A 'locker' is something that locks the front differential so that both front wheel turn at the same speed, essentially like a solid axle. Allowing the wheel with traction to get power. But this is usually only used in certain slow going situations, wouldn't want to engage a locker while doing fast trail riding as steering difficulty goes way up and is harder on front end parts.

Hope this explains it to ya.

-Krait

 

I kind of get it. how does a set of standard mudlites cost?

 

Essentially, what you and I have with my old Honda 300 fourtrax is 3 wheel drive.

When we encounter a situation such as mud or trail conditions in which the front wheels slip, the wheel with the least traction gets all the power. If you're in mud then for the most part just one tire will turn. If you're on the trail and one tire is off the ground all of the power goes to the tire in the air. It's a drawback of Hondas which they still haven't corrected after all these years.

You can install a locker in the front differential of your ATV that allows for both wheels to put in situations that require four wheel drive. It's a huge improvement on ATVs like mine and yours. Look up "detroit locker" Best 300 bucks you'll ever spend on your ATV.

 

There's a little trick you can perform that'll help in a tough situation when only one tire is spinning. I'm really surprised no one ever mentions this in the ATV world because it's very widely known in the truck world. If you apply some pressure to the front brake when one front tire slips, it essentially creates an equal traction situation for both front tires, and will get them spinning in sync. It isn't as good as a locker, but it does work quite well. It works even better with a limited slip differential. This is exactly how electronic traction-control on a car works, except it's the computer hitting the brakes.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: BradW

There's a little trick you can perform that'll help in a tough situation when only one tire is spinning. I'm really surprised no one ever mentions this in the ATV world because it's very widely known in the truck world. If you apply some pressure to the front brake when one front tire slips, it essentially creates an equal traction situation for both front tires, and will get them spinning in sync. It isn't as good as a locker, but it does work quite well. It works even better with a limited slip differential. This is exactly how electronic traction-control on a car works, except it's the computer hitting the brakes.</end quote></div>

True or just get a Yamaha which has a locking front diff [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I rode with a guy who had a 350 Rancher 4x4 this past weekend.. he had 25" Bighorns on it! He made it up everything I did.. .took him a bit longer I think due to skill level.. but we had fun -- good little quad[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]