Looking at buying one of them, and while i was at the honda dealer he told me of a head to head shootout between the rancher and kodiak. He said the honda won(of course) but wanted to know if anyone had heard this and if so what happened. Also here are some questions on the kodiak. Do the belts get wet and how much water or mud have you been in with one. Also how powerful are they truley. And any other info would be great. Thanks

 

i never saw a shootout between them. There was one between the Kodiak and the Foreman ES. The Kodiak won that one buy a good margin. They are both nice machines i have never gotten my belt wet but when it happens there is a drain plug on the bottom so it really is not a big deal. They are both verry diffrent machines you cant really directly compare them fairly.

 

I believe you can compare the Kodiak and the Racher. For one where i live i can get a Kodiak for 5500 and a esRancher for 5500. When prices are the same, the machine itself should be compared. The Kodiak i like because of the sportiness and the suspension. However belts simply are not as dependable as shaft drives, due to water and flat out wear. On the other hand the Ranchers are over priced, underpowered, and suspension is a difference here to. But if they are anything like the Old 300, that they are replacing then they are worth the extra money. I have owned both a Big Bear 350 and a trx300 and i still have my 88 trx300. Infact it still goes where the 4 and 500 still go. But i believe the Kodiak can too. Only thing is the belt drive, That is simply the biggest down fall i see, the rest i like(as long as it will be as dependable as a HONDA).

 

Here in Georgia the RancherES 4x4 is $800.00 less than the Kodiak.
I must tell you I was sold on the Honda until I had the chance to ride both machines on 5 acres of trails with small hills. I rode the Rancher first for about 20 minutes and seemed to like it. I don't think the Electric shift is for me though. I have friends that love it though. When I wanted to shift in a section that required me to have a firm grip on the left bar I had to loosen it in order to shift with the thumb. I'm sure it would get better with time. I hit the wrong one too and that was not fun.
Then the Kodiak. I was in 4X4 on the Kodiak the first 10 minutes and did not know it. The ride was plush and the power increase was noticeable. Engine braking is excellent. I then went to 2x4 and began flicking it around. I then got back on the Rancher. After 1 lap I wanted back on the Kodiak. I was converted.
I did this 3 times to be sure and went to the Yamaha dealer.
More Power, More suspension and adjustability, Disk brakes, 2x4 or 4x4 option, start in any gear, Dual range Auto tranny and more.
I was one of those people that FEARED the BELT. I liked the machine so much that I decided to go for it and If I didn't like it I would sell it and eat the loss. I have 100 + hours on it now and she will NOT be sold.
You need do ditch your Honda dealer. The Rancher is a small bore class machine and he is asking large bore prices. Check out other Honda dealers.
You should ride them both and decide also.

 

The "fear of belts" is largely derived from people with little to no experience with them. If you are from the great white north and have been riding sleds for as long as we have, you'll agree that belts are simple and relatively maintenance free. Wet belts in atv's are rare and easy to prevent with simple mods and common sense (I realize the latter is often in short supply) even in worse-case conditions. Still concerned?....carry a spare $20 belt.... they are simple to change if needed. "Because-it-has-a-belt" is a nonsense excuse not to buy to anyone that understands them.

 

A belt is not a excuse not to buy the Kodiak. It is a real concern. The Rancher has a better front end, due to a more real 4x4ing differential and only one vent to worry about water getting in, not two to three on the kodiak. Also if you have every road snowmobiles, you would know they are not in water up over the belt probably ever. So i admit, i have never owned a belt drive ATV. But i have owned plently of ATV's and not looking to have to stop anywhere to let a belt dry in the middle of no where. The spare belt also is not 20$ here, try 79.99 here at the Yama dealer. I also do actually like the Kodiak better, but i can't afford belt problems and don't like the limited slip for the kind of mud we ride in all day. However i am more impressed with kodiak when i rode them i have to admit. I guess i will just need to see what my gut instinct tells me and go for it. Either machine will be great and both will get the job done. It is NICE to have such problems as these:-) Thanks for the help and advice, it is ally very helpful.

therock: One question would really help out, how much water can one consistently put the kodiak in to, floating or up to top of tires, etc. Truly the only thing that is holding me off buying the kodiak is water performance. But any info you could give would help alot. THANKS

 

My two cents since you want opinions ... I too looked at the Kodiak, the Rancher ES and I also looked at the Sportsman 335. I bought the SP335 because feature for feature it is unmatched. It has all of the good features of both the Honda and the Yamaha combined in one package. It's major disadvantage is being underpowered relative to it's weight. Both the Yamaha and the Honda felt sportier than the SP335 but for my purposes, the IRS, the real and selectable 4wd and the automatic transmission offered the features I wanted. You may or may not agree, regardless, I have had my SP335 in so much water (unintentionally), that I swamped my air filter box and trashed the stock filter ... without the slightest belt slippage. This was after playing in a mud/water hole that the Foreman's and Ranchers that were along wouldn't even try. I have driven it through water, mud, you name it, it performs admirably with zero slippage. I've posted this info not to try to sell you on the Polaris, but to tell you that there are belt-driven products that don't have problems with slippage.

 

"belts are not as dependable as shafts" I think your a bit confused about this belt thing. See the kodiak is a auto - "belt" driven quad whereas the rancher as a semi manual transmision, old fashion gears. Both units are shaft drive however. I know the Kodiak has had some posts here regarding belt slippage, don't know if it's a huge deal however.

The second part of your post I don't understand is your remarks regarding it being underpowered. You stated that your old 300 went through anything, well I got news for you, if you liked the old 300 the rancher will feel like a rocket compared to it.

As respects price, I think the kodiak is a much better deal, around here the kodiak is a good 700 - 900 dollars more, I guess if the belt thing isn't a huge deal for you I think the kodiak is a better deal.

either way there both gread quads.

 

The shootout was between the Rancher and the Big Bear..the Rancher beat it, but not by much. There was also a shoot out between the Kodiak and the Big Bear, and the Kodiak beat the BB in all categories. Alot of people like to say that the BB and Kodiak are the same animal only diff is transmissions...they are dead wrong.

Both of the machines you are looking at are great quads, and I don't think you can make a good arguement about who's more dependable, Honda or Yamaha with today's machines. They are both are extremely dependable in my opinion. Your belt concern is a valid concern.. I ride with a guy who has one and his belt has never slipped, on the other hand another buddy of mine just bought one and his slipped once, but dried out quickly and he was on his way.

Good luck with your decision.

 

You are right about the Kodiak & Big Bear, they are totally different quads. The Kodiak was designed new from the ground up. The Kodiak crushed the Big Bear in a shoot out.

Back to the original post. If you can indeed get the Kodiak for the same price as the Rancher, I would have to lean towards the Kodiak. However, If you compare the MSRP of the 2 then the difference is $700. Now the choice to pick the better quad is not as clear.

The Kodiak was my second choice. Both are great quads. You won't go wrong with either.

Test drive them both, then the choice will be clear which is best for you.