I've got an 89 Banshee that I've spent the past 9 months on fixing up and now I've decided to get a 4x4 for hunting purposes. We all know Banshees aren't worth a crap for hauling stuff, hunting on, or going slow through rough terrain and up mountain trails with large rocks. My question is which 4x4 ATV has good power, hunting ability, ground clearance or the ability for 27" tires without too many mounting problems, good reliability, good handling, no bugs related to specific models, and that their owners generally just enjoy to ride and hunt on. I'm either going to trade my Banshee for the ATV of my choice if I can find someone to do this or just sell it straight out and find a good ATV. Thanks for all help.

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Jeremiah Lucas

1989 Yamaha Banshee

 

Well your going to see alot of differant answers on this one.I like the Sportsman with it's auto transmission and big 500cc engine.I have 26 inch mud runner tires on it to with no scraping problems.I do wish it was lighter though.Honda is coming out with the Rubicon I think in May of this yr.500cc engine,liquid cooled,4wd,Auto trans with an option of shifting if you like.Sounds like a great quad to me.Best of Luck on whichever quad you purchase.===BILL

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My year 2000 polaris xpedition 425 cc 5 speed
serves me well for hunting. It has the power to pull very heavy loads. Its got the gear power to spin the wheels through deep mud and
for rock climbing, 1st. gear 4 wheel drive is the ticket. The only problem is that I dont think you can put 27 inch tires on it. I plan to put 26 inchers on mine this spring. Im still looking at various types of tires in the atv magazines. Easy shift reverse is a plus on this machine and the 4 gallon tank and superior gas mileage means that I have the guts to go deep in the woods on just the tank of gas. I have not even been stuck yet while driving down old logging roads with lots of deep water/mud holes. I grouse hunted
all fall and I had my best fall hunt ever. Hauling a deer out with the machine is also perfect with this machine. My dads hunting party used my atv to haul out deer. I have been pleased....

ranger chet, polaris year 2000 xpedition 425 cc 5 speed.

 

I agree with bill.....get a sportsman 500

 

Sportsman 500 Remington Edition.Already equipped with almost everything you'll need;bumpers,big tires,camo.,etc.

 

I guess I should have mentioned I'm not a Polaris fan. Sorry guys, nothing against them but they just don't appeal to me and a few of the guys around here have had bad luck with their reliability.

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Jeremiah Lucas

1989 Yamaha Banshee

 

I'd recommend the Suzuki King Quad for what you described. It handles technical trails with aplomb with it's super-lo and ft. diff lock options. I'd refer you to my reply to TF's post in the "Drivetrain,Susp,Tires" forum under the topic "ATV Drivetrains" for one example of KQ performance in super-lo range. Fitting 27" tires on a KQ would most likely affect it's performance in high range though, and it's a safe bet that only the 99 and newer models with their new bodywork have a chance to handle that size without rubbing. No worries on the reliability issue.
Z

 

I would also recommend the Kinq Quad. I use it all the time for hunting the bottoms of the Illinois river. Great power ability to lock the diff go 4wd or 2wd and has 3 sub ranges on the transmission. Best of all it is gear driven, which means no belt slippage in wet conditions. I am very pleased with my 99 KQ

 

Yeah I deffinetly want to stay away from bands in the tranny. I rode a friends 250 Suzuki king quad or whatever exactly it was called and that thing would go over just about anything in the super low 4x4 range. I went up a real steep bank that was around 80 yards long and ran over and pushed down all kinds of trees around 3" diameter. It didn't have a lot of power so I was wondering what size King Quad you guys were talking about. I guess I should have told you the models I was thinking about so here they are. Honda 400, 450 and not sure about the model difference like S and ES so let me know, Yamaha Kodiak, Big Bear, Grizzly, Kawasaki Bayou or Prairie in 400, Arctic Cats, and of course Suzukis 500 Quadmaster, and there 350's I think and not sure about what other models of these there are so I'll leave that up to your alls opinion. Like I said I don't really want to worry about belts slipping so I'm not sure which of these quads don't have belts to worry with. I listed my Banshee in the classifieds for sale or trade so check it out if you want to trade.

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Jeremiah Lucas

1989 Yamaha Banshee