I've been having these arguments now for a long time and would like to know everyone elses knowledge not thoughts. My fatherinlaw has a 2001 TRAXTER XT, and I have a 2000 Grizzly, he teases me all the time that my grizz could not do half the work his traxter could do, that I would burn a belt up, he says that a rubber belt will not work like gears or even go the distance. I have pulled really heavy loads with my grizz, like 1500 lbs with the trailer weight up in the mountains in low gear and it has never once had a problem.
When pulling is the belt taking all of that weight or is it just changing the gears in the bike. I know a geared machine seems stronger for pulling but is it. I've heard of other grizzly's with 6000 miles on the same belt that have been worked hard. This weekend we pulled 800-1000lbs of wood in a trailer with the Taxter out of the gully and to be honest I did wounder if my grizz would be up to it for the day like this traxer was.
Would an automatic work side by side with a Geared bike day in and day out without problems. Any one have knowledge of this. Now I know from experience that Yamaha has one of the most superior automatics out there but will it last like a geared bike.
Thanks
2000 Grizz
3600 Km's and not a problem.

 

Go to the Arctic Cat forum and talk to "Cowboy". He has a AC 500 Auto, and works the hell out of it and loves it. He has pulled his Suburban out, pulls logs, etc. He can tell you how much he really "WORKS" his 500![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] It has been a great machine for him as well as others in the AC forum.

 

geared all the way

 

I don't believe that it makes any difference... I have a QuadMaster 500 automatic, and my cousins have a QuadRunner 500 'GEARS/STANDARD'. My machine won the drag races, done just as well in the mud, and after a couple hours of riding hard, we hooked the machines back to back and then front to front, and my bike "the auto" won both pulls in two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive. I don't really think it makes a difference whether it's automatic or standard transmission.

 

No offense, but SH380 has no clue what he is talking about. Maybe it's just his OPINION to never buy an automatic, but he's still wrong. Belt drives came a long way through the years. They can work equally as hard as a geared quad.

" BUT OHH NO!!! WHAT IF YOU BURN ONE OF THOSE BELT THINGIES!? "

Well guess what fellas! It's only 10 minutes and $30 later that your problem is solved!

 

Even the best automatics are less efficient than gears. I think this is one of the factors that is fueling the utility big bore wars between the manufacturers. Everybody is rushing to come out with automatics, and they have to increase displacement to power the less efficient transmissions. So, bigger displacement doesn't necessarily translate into more power to the ground!

 

OOOOOHHH this is a good one! Lots of arguments possible here.

Here is my take on the matter.

I don't think it matters either way. I think the belt-drives will do as much work as the gear drives, with one disclaimer. It IS easier to abuse the belt drive, and burn it out quicker. If you pull heavy loads in HI range a lot, you WILL have problems. The reason I think the gear drives don't have this problem so much, is that either it CAN pull the load in a certain gear or it CAN'T, where with the belt, it will move the load, but slip enough to overheat.

That said, go to ANY ATV pull ANYWHERE, and I bet you more of the winners will be driving belt drive machines than gear drive.

As for the belt drive, if it is set up properly to pull (I think A/C is about the best in that respect, set up to PULL, not for speed) the belt drive will hold up very well doing WORK, and will usually outwork a comparable gear drive machine while doing it.

As for which machines are best in this, I would have to say (my opinion only) that the A/C has the setup for longest belt life doing heavy work, and I think Polaris perhaps will have the shortest belt life. However, with proper clutch setup, the Polaris can add greatly to belt life. Also, the Polaris has the simplest mechanism out there. So you get possibly shorter belt life, but a 20 minute, $30 job every 5000 miles (what my belt lasted), or a major undertaking, with a $400 price tag to rebuild the clutch on a manual-shift machine at about 9000 miles (again, speaking from experience).

Where the gear drive machines shine is pulling a load at a steady speed, especially over uneven terrain.

Where the auto shines is things like pushing snow, where it helps to get a 'run' or in instances where the speed and terrain will vary frequently.

 

Read this, Print this, Show this to your fatherinlaw. The write-up says it all.....and all Polaris have belt drive.

ATV Pulls

 

One thing to remember Yamaha was the first to come out with FULLY ENGAGED belt in there automatics. It was back in 97 when they came out with the 98 Grizzly. There belt drive was superior and then Suzuki followed and then Arctic Cat with the same designs.
But the war between gears and automatic is on. I have 3800km's and don't even have a crack in my belt. Just lost 5mph on my topend from a little wear. I've dragged logs that weigh 900lbs through creeks, up hills and around. I camp and load the bike up really heavy and it still seems to be able to work without any problems. I just have this thought in my head that is OLD school, that gears are better, starting to slowly change because of the great system yamaha has.
Who else works there machine like this besides COWBOY who works his AC on a constant basis.
Anyone drag any moose out this year, how did your machines perform. If you have a polaris make sure to work it only in LOW gear as it will blow the belt off like my 2 friends HO SP and explorer 500 machines. Polaris unfortunatley still has the skiidoo type system that is not constantly engaged causing belt failor.
2000 grizzly
3800 km's (like a Rock)

 

Not a big yamaha fan, for their atv line up anyway (BUT DO LIKE SOME OF THEIR 2 WHEELERS) BUT THERE IS A GUY IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD with a grizz that has 16000 kilometers on the original belt. As far as I am concerned that is impressive for the belt side.