I would have to recommend the Rubicon as well. We use it on a dairy farm and we are constantly pulling stuff like gravity wagons, empty silage wagons and hay trailers, sometimes loaded.

Yeah there are times when I wished I had more power but it got the job done. If you are going to be mainly pulling, I wouldn't get one without liquid cooling and it definitely needs to be an SRA machine. Also the racks on the Rubicon are pretty strong as well. I have had them loaded with 150 to 200 pounds of gear and they held up.

 

Thank you to each of you. You've taught me a lot about SRAs, IRSs, brands and options.

I found a 2006 4x6 Gator with a dump bed and upgraded tires on Craigslist with 26 hours on it for $8500. I went to see it. It still has those little rubber nubs on the tires and it looks like it just came off of a showroom floor. The guy paid $11,200 and is going to sell it to me for $8200. I'm picking it up tomorrow.

P.S. I live on a road where half of the residents run quads over trails and through the woods. The run mostly Hondas, Kawasakis, and Suzukis. These guys are all gear heads and they can fix anything...and half of them have a broken Polaris sitting in their garage. Word on the street is NO MORE POLARIS QUADS.

 

The Polaris Sportsman is also a very good workhorse. Has lots of weight and lots of pulling power when need be. I pull a 4'X8' utility trailer with two water tanks one is a 30 gallon tank and the other is a 50 gallon tank.

 

well in your price range and the power that you need i would suggest a 2006 or newer Arctic Cat 650 H1 or even a brand new 2009 Arctic Cat 550 H1. The H1 engine has unrivaled low end stump pulling power and torque and would get the work done you need done without a sweat.

 

+1 on the Honda Rubicon. While a UTV or small tractor might be better for the work you are intending, as far as ATVs go the Rubicon has the best set up, particularly as it relates to it's transmission.