I'm about to purchase my first Quad and am looking for a little advice. I've been looking primarily at Kodiaks, Big Bear, and Foremans. I do ALOT of hunting and I would primarily be using the quad for that....BUT...hehehe there's always that time between hunting season. Price does play a bit of a factor here too.

I can pick up a 4X4 Big Bear for $4875, a Kodiak for $6100, or a Foreman 400 for $5100. I'm really leaning towards the Big Bear right now....here's why and please correct me if I'm wrong(I'm new to this). If I'm using this quad in a timber then ground clearance is important. The Foreman 400 only get 7.3 inches of ground clearance, the 450 gets 7.7. The Big Bear and Kodiak both have 9.6 inches and according to tech specs they have a tighter turning radius. Based on that info I'm thinking that my best bet is to stay with a Yamaha.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

I have a 2000 BigBear and went through the same shopping formula as you, ground clearance turning radius etc. Price made a big difference. I purchased the B.B. and haven't regreted it a bit. It works hard and plays hard, emphesis on play as that is what I have used it for most. I also compared it to the Honda Rancher and it got to be a closer call. I finally went with larger displacement and my experience with Yamaha's in the past. A friend of mine has a Rancher and it too is a fine machine, it doesn't seem to make as much torque as the BB but it certainly isn't hurting for power. We haven't drag raced or had a pull off yet but I think it would be a close contest. His Rancher has the new style locking diff that is reported to be a better deal, but in handling it causes a little jerking as it seems to be hunting for which tire to apply traction to. The limited slip in the front of the BB seems to be a little less quirky in the handling department and hasn't caused any problems when it comes to obstacles,if a tire in the air spins,just apply a little front brake and both front tires will pull.
I don't regret my choice of the BB and I think it will be fun and useful for a long time to come.
Hope this helps.

 

i'd take the BB out of those two. but if you wanted the best quad in that size catagory then get the rancher. at least test out a rancher when you test the foreman400. you'll like the rancher better than the foreman400 and maybe better than the BB.

 

Take the Big Bear, its a newer design, the 400 hasn't been updated in a few years now. You should take a look a the Rancher for a few hundred dollars more than the BB.

 

I'd jump on the rancher also. I've got one and I got mine for hunting too. 4x4 es ran me 4900 bucks, and if you want the foot shift take 200 bucks off that price. This is a totally redesigned quad and is worth a good look. If you had to choose from the 3 mentioned I'd do the big bear . . . the foreman400 is a little outdated.

 

Get real, the rancher is not as nearly as good a design as the big bear 400, the bear has much more torque, better handleing, and overall much more power

 

The Big Bear isn't that much better than the Rancher, I should know, I had a Big Bear 400 4X4, now I have a Rancher 350 4X4. The Big Bear may have more torque, but it doesn't handle any better than the Rancher and the Rancher isn't very far behind the Big Bear on power. I ride with a friend that still has his 2000 Big Bear 4X4 and we stay right on eachothers tails the whole time.

 

My choice would be the Big Bear. I bought the Kodiak 2 weeks ago and love it. The prices you have are a little high far my area. Take a look at www.yamahadiscountprices.com they will come off 400 dollars of what the price is on thier web page. I paid 5199 on my Kodiak. They are also a honda dealer, so you can check hondas prices also. Shop around some more.

 

My choice be the Rancher or the Big bear the rancher in my opinon is a better quad than the Foreman a little amaller yes but than the Big Bear isnt a true 400 either. But with either one you cant go wrong. And the Rancher beat the Big Bear in ATV action mag.

 

Thanks for all the helpful info. Saturday I went ahead and bought the Big Bear, I agree with most of you that the Rancher and the Big Bear are a tough choose. It just came down to the dealership that wanted to work with me the most. So far I love it, now my wife says she needs one..hehe.