Hey everyone, I was decideding between the Honda Rancher 4x4 ES,Yamaha Wolverine,Honda 400ex, Then I noticed the Yamaha Big Bear 400 4x4, I have now made my mind up,I am now trying to decide between the Big Bear 400 4x4 or Honda Rancher 4x4 ES. I will be doing mostly trail and mudd riding and want a 4x4 machine, ONe of my concerns is I know the Honda has the limited slip front diff. and will it go through mudd just as good as other 4x4's that are TRUE 4x4? The thing that is leaning me more towards the Big Bear is that it has a bigger engine,IN/OUT 4x4 and it is still $200 less in retail price, How has the Reliablity been on the Big bear so far(It don't have to be just the 2002 Model)and for those of you that have the 2002 Big Bear 4x4 how does it do,Does it have more power over the Rancher? And is the Big Bear TRUE 4 WHEEL DRIVE or does it have the LIMITED SLIP FRONT DIFF? I want to get back home everytime I go out and ride and I know that the Honda will get me back but I think Yamaha Has now caught up with Honda in the reliability, DOes the IN/OUT 4 WHEEL DRIVE button work well? I like the feature of the IN/OUT 4 WHEEL DRIVE because when I get on the dirt roads and take turns I can put it in 2x4 and slide the back around and fishtail through the turns and then when I come to the mud I can throw her in 4x4 and have FUN, I will also be hauling some stuff around the yard, Overall I just want to know which is the funnest trail machine? And what can I expect to pay for a 2002 Yamaha Big Bear 4x4(MSRP:$5,199)? THanks and sorry for the Long post,Also I have a 1991 Honda XR250R Dirt bike with a Wiseco High Compression Piston,Supertrapp Exhaust,K&N Air Filter,How will the Rancher and Big Bear 4x4 compare to the XR? Thanks Matt

 

I don't think that Yamaha has caught up to Honda in terms of reliability, I think they were always just as good.
They've been making the Big Bear for about 15 years now, with only subtle improvements, and no drastic changes. I don't think you'll find a more reliable quad.

That said, I think you're making a big mistake by not considering the Wolverine. It may be a bit more expensive, but the performance is head and shoulders above anything else in it's class.

Then again by putting a higher compression piston and maybe changing the cam in the Big Bear, you will do wonders for the performance of the Big Bear. And it does have lower gearing which will be good if you want to put on really big tires.

The lower gearing will really hurt it on the top end though. Even the Wolverine could use another gear on top. The Big Bear is really geared to low for long distance riding.

 

Thanks for the reply Newfiebullet, I had considered the Wolverine but heard people say that the 4 wheel drive on it sucked and that it could'nt go through mud and water, I heard that people were driving them through water and then it would start bogging when you hit the gas, I think the Wolverine looks great and I had really planned on getting one but then that stuff scared me, I think I read most of that on ATV Time forums. Is the 4 wheel Drive on the Wolverine TRUE 4X4 or is it like a slip Front DIFF like the Rancher? How realiable is the Wolverine? I want something that I can pretty much count on to get me through the mud? The mud around here is not up the our seats all the time but in certain places is, How much can I expect to pay Out The Door for a Wolverine? They Retail for $5,699, Thanks Again, BTW I don't know if that stuff I read about the Wolverine is true but people said it was happening to them, Matt

 

Between the Rancher and the BigBear, the Rancher is a better choice for the money unless you plan work more than play. You can't take the Rancher out of4WD, but it has the same differential that the Rubicon has. It's easy to steer and actually has 4WD [unlike the limited slip of the BigBear]. The BigBear has more power down low for pulling loads and hauling but handles squirelly compared to the Rancher when ridden hard. The 2WD/4WD option on the BigBear is nice, but with it's differential, I don't see where it matters anyway except to make it easier to steer.

I say just pick which ever one you can get the best deal on. Both machines have their advantages and disadvantages. Just toss the coin on these two.

 

Honda says that their front differential is somehow different from previous differentials but the Ranchers that ride in our groups act no diffent than the 4trax 300 in our group. I am not bashing ranchers in any way. I am just telling you what I have saw with my own eyes. When ranchers are stuck with one front tire on dry and one on slick mud the one on the dry does not turn. There is 3 different ranchers in my riding groups and they all do the same thing. The only four wheelers that I have seen that do not do this is the grizzly and the Kawa 650 which both have front diff lock.

 

<< Thanks for the reply Newfiebullet, I had considered the Wolverine but heard people say that the 4 wheel drive on it sucked and that it could'nt go through mud and water, I heard that people were driving them through water and then it would start bogging when you hit the gas, I think the Wolverine looks great and I had really planned on getting one but then that stuff scared me, >>



All I can say about this is that you shouldn't believe everything people say. The Wolverine is one of the most capable quads out there, though the small stock tires can limit it somewhat.

Check out some of My Pictures

They don't even begin to show what you can do with a Wolverine.

 

I would never own another machine that was/is full time 4X4. It's great if you mud ride 100% of the time, but if you want to trail ride, like you said you will, you will want the ability to have 2 wheel drive.

 

IM DECIDING ON THIS ONE TOO!

But I would want a 2x4 manual shift rancher.

bigbear 400 has on/off? I didnt know that!

 

pushed enter too soon,

whats the top speed of the rancher 2x4 and the big bear 2x4?

which is heavier? Which is more fun? Im even considering a 2000 trx300 2x4, and i really like that quad, my neighbour has one, its got holeshots on the back and spider trak on the front and it looks sweet. Its the only utility quad that has a kickstart, and I dont know why, but id rather kick a machine than pull it.

I was looking at some ranchers, they have a little more rack space in the front but they dont have as much in the back when compared to a 2000 trx300 2x4... why?

TOP SPEED OF BOTH MACHINES???

 

The big bear has bigger motor,more power, disc brakes on front has choice of 2 or 4 .I think you get a lot more with the big bear.