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Four wheeler

Honda is the best for being a rugged machine that will take alot of abuse and will keep going. We have two hondas machines, one is a rancher and the other is a fourman 500. The rancher is good because it is small and has pretty good ground clearance, but the ride is bad in pastures, the fourman has bad ground clearance but rides like a dream in pastures. My father-in-law just got a Polaris 650 touring and you want to talk about a smooth riding machine. I keep trying to get him to let me use it when I check cattle or chase bulls but no luck yet. All he is going to use it for is riding in the moutians when they take a weekend trip to our elk camp during the summer. So I thought I could break it in for him :-) But it cost a hell alot more than the two honda machines we got, my advise is go with the Honda either the fourman or the rubacon I think that is what it's called you wont go wrong with either of them.
 
Cal, thanks for your kind thoughts. Things are going well, and I am 'back at the ranch.' I'm glad to be here. It's a long story with a good inending.

tenbach 70, point taken: Mr. FH has already put mud flaps on the Grizzley!!! :) :) :)

Our daughter has a Polaris that they like, but they have problems with it.
The last time they took it to the repair shop the man there said he
probably wouln't reccommend they buy another Polaris. But it is a fact they tend to be hard on machinery.
 
over the last 28 years ive had numerous rides the toughest had to be the honda big red 200 the worst was the polaris 350,yamaha grizzly 600&660 were good till the rear ends went out after 13000 kms.the floor boards were also weak.currently we have 2 arctic cat 400's they seem to be standing upto the torture test ,i put on over 5ooo kms a year .the only thing id like to improve is the cv boots.arctic cat definately has the best rack system.i might add i am hard on these machines as i am 6ft 7in.weighing 350#and definately like to use speed to out run cows in timbered conditions
 
miocene said:
over the last 28 years ive had numerous rides the toughest had to be the honda big red 200 the worst was the polaris 350,yamaha grizzly 600&660 were good till the rear ends went out after 13000 kms.the floor boards were also weak.currently we have 2 arctic cat 400's they seem to be standing upto the torture test ,i put on over 5ooo kms a year .the only thing id like to improve is the cv boots.arctic cat definately has the best rack system.i might add i am hard on these machines as i am 6ft 7in.weighing 350#and definately like to use speed to out run cows in timbered conditions
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6ft 7in.weighing 350# and you take all that guff from Gcreek? :wink: :D :D
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
miocene said:
over the last 28 years ive had numerous rides the toughest had to be the honda big red 200 the worst was the polaris 350,yamaha grizzly 600&660 were good till the rear ends went out after 13000 kms.the floor boards were also weak.currently we have 2 arctic cat 400's they seem to be standing upto the torture test ,i put on over 5ooo kms a year .the only thing id like to improve is the cv boots.arctic cat definately has the best rack system.i might add i am hard on these machines as i am 6ft 7in.weighing 350#and definately like to use speed to out run cows in timbered conditions
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6ft 7in.weighing 350# and you take all that guff from Gcreek? :wink: :D :D
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Gcreek runs fast, wrestles bears to the death, has coyotes for pets :? :? oh wait, the coyote taming is your deal. :wink: :D
 
Yep got to love the old Honda Big Red. When I was little my parents had a Big Red 3 wheeler. Man did I love riding that thing I think you could have jumped it off a 20 story building and that darn thing would still run. I had the bright idea of going throught a big water hole with that darn thing :) . I got about half way and the front tire just sunk in the mud and that back end shot me over the handle bars like I was shot out of a cannon :shock: . I had it so stuck when it was fliped over that I had to run to the house get our loader out and lift it out of the mud, making sure I did all this before mom and dad got home to see what I did :wink: . To my surprise the dang thing started right up and ran like a top for a good 5 yrs after that. I did finally tell them that when it finally stop running :lol:
 
in swampy conditions the 3 wheelers were better if you had to go over the same track repeatedly.the quads are great if you have a trail or fence right of way to follow. i have had the grizzlys stuck so bad i needed to go get a fwd tractor to lift them out. :mad: the polaris 's were hard on bushing's and motors.these arctic cats seem to be tough all over after 2 years they are still going strong .the 2nd one is 1.5 years old and has over 8000 kms on it
 
I guess I'm just not "with it " but I still use my 1996 extended cab S10 ZR2 ( high clearance )

Gets about 21 MPG has heat and air goes to town as easy as fencing - - - 318,000 miles and still looks respectable ( plenty of scratches but no dents )

My family got really upset in about 2000 when I painted it red white and blue to match my dump trucks.

It looks like I'm going coon hunting when I put 135 gal of diesel in the back to go fill equipment in the gravel pit but it is like the energizer bunny and just keeps going and going and going.

I thought the transmission was going out but the repair shop told me I needed an ignition switch ( I thought they were nuts but it cured the transmission ) and about 3 months ago I had to have an intake manifold gasket installed - - - - several sets of tires and thats about all - - - - I am going to have to put a drivers seat in it soon but I bet I could buy several trucks just like it for the cost of a good 4 wheeler.
 
George said:
I guess I'm just not "with it " but I still use my 1996 extended cab S10 ZR2 ( high clearance )

Gets about 21 MPG has heat and air goes to town as easy as fencing - - - 318,000 miles and still looks respectable ( plenty of scratches but no dents )

My family got really upset in about 2000 when I painted it red white and blue to match my dump trucks.

It looks like I'm going coon hunting when I put 135 gal of diesel in the back to go fill equipment in the gravel pit but it is like the energizer bunny and just keeps going and going and going.

I thought the transmission was going out but the repair shop told me I needed an ignition switch ( I thought they were nuts but it cured the transmission ) and about 3 months ago I had to have an intake manifold gasket installed - - - - several sets of tires and thats about all - - - - I am going to have to put a drivers seat in it soon but I bet I could buy several trucks just like it for the cost of a good 4 wheeler.
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Do you do all your sorting and cattle work with it too?
 
CF Moto ATVs...as John mentioned. We were in Sturgis today and
tried one out. Here is what we found. Really good-looking machine (actually the best looking 4 wheeler I've ever seen).
No fuel injected engine--carburator--and it quit when I started to
go...it quit twice. Now maybe it was me, but the Yamaha doesn't do
that. Also it was really tough steering. Even Mr. FH said so, but
the friend that was with us thought they had something 'too tight'
that needed loosened up. And it vibrated...a lot...both on the
pavement in on the trail.

Also, we weren't real satisified getting parts in a timely fashion if needed and since Hersurds are the only dealer in this part
of the country that could be a potential problem.

So we left it there.

Oh, pricewise--these were '08's...One was a 2-seater, extra long and it was $6795. The regular size one was $5495, both showing about a $900
discount at those prices.

They did have a brochure on one of the ATV's (like a Mule or Gator or one of those types) that looked verrrrry interesting. They sound like a good deal, and look good and they are priced at $7800. The box dumps, too.

FWIW
 
There is no comparison between a Honda and any other quad hands down.Or at least up until they started putting electric shift and 4x4 disconnect buttons on them.They started going downhill a little when they started putting electronics, plastic racks and running boards on them which brought the quality down to Yamaha and the rest of the Japanese ones,but I don't know anyone that would buy a second Polaris once the novelty of good price was overshadowed by the realization of the crappy product.We have 4 honda quads on our place and an old three wheeler that all still run and everything works in any weather.The three wheeler doesn't get used very often for obvious reasons and it is a 1983.The next oldest is a 1987 350 fourtrax and it still runs fine but doesn't get used more than a couple times a month.The other three are two 400 foreman's,a 1996 and 2000 and a 1999 450 foreman that get rode at least three times per week and every day during calving.All 4 bikes have tipped cows when needed to get in maternity pens and although we have horses and use them when nescessary the honda is the horse of choice on this outfit.
 
I've got a pair of Yamaha Beartracker's 250 cc 2 wd if I get stuck I can lift them up set them on a new track and drive them out. They are'nt so darn big and clumsy as the the bigger quad's if I need something bigger than the 250's I will take a pickup or a tractor.
 
Thanks for the test drive report, FH! :D I shoulda made an effort to come to town that day and volunteer to be a test driver myself. Did you make it in time for the free lunch? :wink:

Those prices do sound like a lot for an outfit that runs a bit rough and steers hard. It wouldn't bother me so much if Hersrud's was my only local parts source. It would bother me more to be needing much in the way of parts in the first place.
 
Cal

That depends on what you call working cattle. I can move them to a small area with it by driving ( most times calling ) and then get on a horse or on foot with the dogs.

If the going gets rough I still like a dirt bike better than a 4 wheeler. I guess I'm just to stuck in my ways - - - -I have had dirt bikes since about 1960 and have seen a much better safety record with them. I feel many people get themselves in trouble with 3 or 4 wheelers and my 250cc honda goes where a 4 wheeler would fear to tread but it does take training to operate safely.
 
Cal said:
George said:
I guess I'm just not "with it " but I still use my 1996 extended cab S10 ZR2 ( high clearance )

Gets about 21 MPG has heat and air goes to town as easy as fencing - - - 318,000 miles and still looks respectable ( plenty of scratches but no dents )

My family got really upset in about 2000 when I painted it red white and blue to match my dump trucks.

It looks like I'm going coon hunting when I put 135 gal of diesel in the back to go fill equipment in the gravel pit but it is like the energizer bunny and just keeps going and going and going.

I thought the transmission was going out but the repair shop told me I needed an ignition switch ( I thought they were nuts but it cured the transmission ) and about 3 months ago I had to have an intake manifold gasket installed - - - - several sets of tires and thats about all - - - - I am going to have to put a drivers seat in it soon but I bet I could buy several trucks just like it for the cost of a good 4 wheeler.
Click to expand...
Do you do all your sorting and cattle work with it too?
Click to expand...

Doesn't everyone have a cow/bull tough grill guard?
 
I see some guys are buying those little Jap trucks-most seem to like them and are a bit cheaper than a quad. I couldn't get to my cows on one so we'll stick to ponies at our place-I'd rather ride then dig a bike out of the loonshit.
 
Northern Rancher said:
I see some guys are buying those little Jap trucks-most seem to like them and are a bit cheaper than a quad. I couldn't get to my cows on one so we'll stick to ponies at our place-I'd rather ride then dig a bike out of the loonshit.
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My old used to be neighbor Teddy has those. They drive them all over the sandhills in pursuit or care of bison and the help speak highly of them including how little fuel they use.
 

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