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4 Wheelers

Best Brand

  • Honda

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Polaris

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Yamaha

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

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  • Total voters
    0
S

sic 'em reds

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
623
Location
WA
My wife is an orchard/vineyard crop advisor and uses a 4 wheeler alot. The company has provided her with a Honda electronic shift Rancher for the past couple years. I think it's about a 300, but don't know for sure. Has 4WD.

The company decided they want to have the crop advisors to lease a 4 wheeler, and the company will pay $2,000 a year to pay it off and then it is ours. We have to lease it in our name. Seems like an alright deal, we can use it here if we want.

Never bought one myself, so I am looking for advice on which ones are the best. She doesn't need one that is too big. The one she's had is almost too big for her. She needs 4WD because some of the rows can get pretty wet and boggy.

Not sure which brand is the best. The Honda she has is pretty nice. I've used it a couple times and like it. Just never had a real use for one and don't know where to start.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks
 
If she wants small stay away from Polaris.. Maybe their hawkeye level isn't too bad but as soon as you go up to a 400 those suckers get big. I have a 500 and while I like the way it rides and its speed my wife says its just to big for her. I have a Yamaha 400 as well that I like and has been a real bullet proof ride.The new ones have the independant rear wheels instead of the soild axel like mine does.. For general trouble free the simplier the better but for rough ground I have to say the indepents Rear suspension sure is nice.

Hear nothing but wonderful things about Hondas, I just didn't like the dealer I talked too.
 
I've had pretty good luck with both Honda and Suzuki. I prefer the smaller 4wd atv's like the 300's. If they get too big they are hard to handle, and some are the size of a small pick-up. The main thing is to change the oil on a regular basis and find something your wife is comfortable with. I would try to stay away from all the electronic gizmos they come with, the vibration and moisture kills them and it runs the price tag up.
 
I went with the Honda- just because we have a dealer here...Its the rancher 300 with electric shift (automatic) and 4WD-- I only have about 900 miles on it but like it allright-- altho it is cold blooded to start on cold days- and takes a while to warm up to run good...
Its plumb big enough for what I use it for-- and I've rode a few of the big ones that about take off from underneath you-- I don't need that....

Everyone tells me that if your in a cold region the others are easier starting than a Honda....
 
Mine both start up good in the winter.. Especialy when I have the throttle set right. The EFI ones of course start real nice but that is just one more thing to go wrong as N/D said... the Yamaha takes a bit longer to warm up than the Polaris but the Yamaha has been more reliable overall (As long as I don't kill the batery :roll: )...

Try to find a place that sells more than one brand and go for a test drive.. Gotta be what feels right.
 
The Yamaha's are all cold blooded,I have had 2 of the 3-wheelers 2 of the BearTracker 250s and a sreet bike everyone needed to be started and left to idle for 5 minutes then they ran real well if you got in a hurry and took right off sometimes they would die and then they flood.

I like the smaller 2 wd machines they manuver better than the 4 wd and if they get stuck I can lift them up set them on dry ground and walk them out.My brother has a 700 Grizzley which has LOTS of power and is nice but if you get it stuck you need the winch or a tractor to get it out thing has more power than a WD Allis.

I just need something handy and reasonably priced if I going to spend 6 to $8000 I will buy a pickup.You know heater and a radio.
 
There's 100's of quads up here that are used by outfitters-Honda's are dependable but crude-ask my back after a 100 mile day. I'd say that Yamaha's are by far the best overall quad at least in our neck of the woods. Honda's rarely have a breakdown but you lose your brakes even on the brand new machines after a week in the bush-you learn how to downshift real quick lol.
 
We've got a shed of King Quads and Grizzlies. Both are good but the King Quads (Suzuki) are superior in about every way, from turning and handling, to stability and performance and ease of maintenance. I hate the little solid axle 4 wheelers (we've had a slug of small Hondas like that over the years), I think they all beat you to death...and don't waist your money on something that doesn't have automatic transmission. My advice is to spend a little more and get something that you're going to be really satisfied with.
 
As NR said, Hondas are a little on the crude side with regards to ride, but they are generally tough.

But the best ATV on the market, bar none, are the Can-Ams. Tough as nails. The Visco-Lok 4WD is excellent for going through the rough stuff. Its a little nicer than fully locking, since it will properly vary torque output to each axle and help with torque steer. The independent rear suspension is second to none, keeping the hind end flat on tight turns while still giving plenty of travel.

Rod
 
We have a 91 polaris 250 and a 95 polaris 400 both two wheel drive. They don't seem to be to bad but I still prefer a good horse.
 
Think carefully on what you really need it for. Is there alot of shifting espescially to reverse? Will you be pulling something? If I did alot of pulling or have hitch weight I would stay away from independent rear suspension. If you have alot of rough ground to cover, indepent rear suspension is the way to go. If you want it big, but turning is a problem go with the new power steering models. Some models of Honda ranchers stayed in 4 wheel drive all the time. You won't go wrong with honda or yamaha, its the options that will disappoint you. My local dealer will not even consider a polaris trade.
 
Those Rhino's are probably a bit more practical than a quad around a ranch for fencing and stuff like that. The dealer brought us one out to testdrive last spring and if your into ATV's they're a pretty handy rig. They've got a quad on tracks set up in town right now -it's a pretty mean looking yamaha. Spring bear season just eats quads up-imagine two miles of straight winching to get through some muskkegs. It's the grossest job you can imagine-packing KFC grease and dead beavers all over hells half acre-that's why I don't do it lol.
 
How much weight could be towed with the independent rear suspension?

She mainly uses it just to scoot around in the orchards and vineyards, checking for bugs, disease, fertility issues. It needs to handle easily since the rows can get pretty tight. It can get pretty rough so I could see where an independent rear would be nice for her.

Are the Can-Ams the old Bombadiers? Aren't they the same thing as an Artic Cat?

We have a Honda dealer about 15 miles away and most guys like to deal with him. We also have a couple dealers in Moses Lake that have all the other brands. Might have to run in tomorrow and look at the Yamaha's.
 
I have a Honda Rancher electronic shift. Has almost 6,000 miles on it. Never been off the ranch and the only thing I have done to it is change the oil twice, the oil filter once, one new battery, and one set of tires. It's the handiest and best piece of equipment on this place.
 
A couple more points about 4 wheelers.
Granted, the Hondas are not the best ride. The Polaris might be the best ride, but they are the worst for maintenance. The dealer in Waco that handles all brands said the only reason they liked to sell a Polaris was that they were back in the shop all the time.
My Rancher is full time 4 wheel drive. That makes them harder to turn. Next one I buy won't be full time 4wd. but it will definitely be Honda.
A friend of mine ( rancher ) uses 5 or 6 4 wheelers in his operation. He uses Honda Foremans. I think they are 550 cc now. He uses them very hard dragging feeders , calf crates, etc that he should be using a tractor for. He tried one Polaris and has been strictly Honda now for 6 -7 years.
I am sure he would say they are as close to bullet proff as a machine can be.
 
A couple more points about 4 wheelers.
Granted, the Hondas are not the best ride. The Polaris might be the best ride, but they are the worst for maintenance. The dealer in Waco that handles all brands said the only reason they liked to sell a Polaris was that they were back in the shop all the time.
My Rancher is full time 4 wheel drive. That makes them harder to turn. Next one I buy won't be full time 4wd. but it will definitely be Honda.
A friend of mine ( rancher ) uses 5 or 6 4 wheelers in his operation. He uses Honda Foremans. I think they are 550 cc now. He uses them very hard dragging feeders , calf crates, etc that he should be using a tractor for. He tried one Polaris and has been strictly Honda now for 6 -7 years.
I am sure he would say they are as close to bullet proff as a machine can be.
 
sic 'em reds said:
How much weight could be towed with the independent rear suspension?

Are the Can-Ams the old Bombadiers? Aren't they the same thing as an Artic Cat?
Click to expand...

The Can-Am independent rear allows you to tow every bit as much as a solid axle. I'm not really sure where the idea comes from that an indy rear suspension would reduce your towing capacity, since your only concerns are traction and too much weight for the transmission to handle safely. As long as the indy suspension is sprung high enough, it won't squat.

Can-Ams are the old Bombardiers, however they are nothing like a Cat. Generally Cat, Kawasaki (and sometimes Suzuki) share technology.

Rod
 
we have 3 Yamaha 450 Kodiaks (2 2004 Models, 1 2005 Model) with 36,000 combined miles between the three of them and the only thing we have done as far as maintenance is oil change every 1500 miles and a new set of brake pads on each. They have really been reliable for us.
 

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