Honda ATV question

I have two 2008 Honda 420 TRX's with manual shift. They have the straight back axle.

I'm 5'8 and 220lbs and have no issues with these bikes. I also use mine to plow my neighbours and my own driveway. No issues.

For people that are going on about speed and whatnot, it's all BS! It's all in how you ride. Out on the trails in our groups that go, usually its me and my buddy on his Raptor 700 at the front, and I keep up to him fine. I'd rather have a solid rear axle any day over IRS.
 
Buddy of mine just got a new Honda. He has been in to quads, dirt bikes and sleds his whole life and knows how to pick out a good machine. He LOVES it and says that one of the best things about it is the transmission; very very smooth and it makes for a really nice ride. Integrated GPS is a nice touch as well.
 
I have the 500, I think the engine is closer to 400?

I weigh more then you and mine pulled a good size moose out this year. Runs great, all the time.
 
I have an 86 trx 350... this thing is small, and definitely slow, but i manage to log 25 cords of wood every year with it with a ''skidder'' trailing in the back.

we haul our moose every year with a trx 300, using a small trailer the same width as the atv.

It is not powerful enough to put snow tracks on it though...

I know you can do it with the 420, Brother in law has done that and hauls a decent size wood trailer with grapple with it

looks like this
2zrfg2a.jpg

n6uudf.jpg
 
Demonical said:
I've also got a 2004 450 Foreman; manual trans. It's a rugged, slow, dependable machine, that cannot keep up to the faster 'sporty' belt-drive machines. It cannot do a wheelie.

It will last for years and years, with almost no maintenance, but then so will a Yamaha, Kawie etc... but you got to expect some issues with the belt drive, from time to time.

If you want faster, more recreational friendly then the Honda is not your machine.
If you want the opportunity to pop wheelies and potentially land the thing on your head, then the Honda is not for you.
If 60 km/h is too slow, the Honda is not for you.
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^ X2, My 450 is not fast, but is fast enough. Full out, going downhill I can hit 80km/h. Mine is also a manual transmission as I didn't want the electric shift.

I did a wheelie once with mine but there was a 800lb mosse attached to the back hung up on a stump. Leaned forward and it was back on the ground and in motion.

If you decide to go big I am sure you won't be disappointed. Mine does what I expect it to do at a very reasonable cost.

The only maintenance issue I have had with mine is the rear drum brake which just requires preventative maintenance if you are using it just for chores. If mud bogging it will be more of an issue.
 
pilot24 said:
I have an 86 trx 350... this thing is small, and definitely slow, but i manage to log 25 cords of wood every year with it with a ''skidder'' trailing in the back.

we haul our moose every year with a trx 300, using a small trailer the same width as the atv.

It is not powerful enough to put snow tracks on it though...

I know you can do it with the 420, Brother in law has done that and hauls a decent size wood trailer with grapple with it

looks like this
2zrfg2a.jpg

n6uudf.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice set up. I see a winter welding project in my near future.
 
you get a lot of strength from the leverage. I am able with this 350 to haul, on relatively good grounds, 3 logs of 12 feet 10-12 inch diameter(now I have 3 chokes hooking directly lower main beam.)

In bad terrain though, I loose traction to the rear since the weight of trees pulls the rear up.

I'm thinking of buidling a strong sleight to hold the rear of the logs in open roads to use it in winter (forget about getting into good snow if road not open)

All that to say, you can haul a lot from a small atv ;) if you look dumb on a small atv doesn't matter.. to me anyways... if it does the work
 
My uncle has and still uses an 86 honda big red.(200cc). Year after year he has hauled moose and deer out of the bush with no problem. its a solid rear axle with NO shocks. The truth is your riding in the bush/driveway, not going down the road in a caddy if you expect a silky smooth ride get a caddy. I ride a honda fourtrax (350), and it will do and go anywhere i want it to. I have the elec shift and love it(only prob i have had with it is the rev gear has a seperate plug under it that has gotten pulled off by a branch. 2 sec fix.) I'm 6'' and 200lbs so the 420 will be a great machine for you and you'll still be able to lift the rear end.
 
A lot of guys here have said it, and I will echo it. Displacement is overrated and traction doesn't have enough attention paid to it. The best money you can spend on an upgrade for your quad is new tires, stock tires generally suck hard. A 420 should be able to do anything you want with it, except maybe go faster than good sense says you should. A buddy has one and has put it through its paces and it works well. I have both a 350 and a 700 (neither are Hondas however) and both work well for plowing, hauling moose, dragging logs etc as long as you can get traction. I use chains on the 350 for plowing, and the 700 has Mudlite XTRs which work well for plowing as well.
 
I have a 2004 Rubicon and love it...I use it every day on my property from pulling out trailers and trailers of fire wood (2 cords of hard maple per trailer load) to hauling deer/moose to plowing snow all winter. I personally would never go with anything but a straight axle in the rear for what I do. I don't do much trail riding anymore and really only do "real" work with it. If I put that much weight on the trailer with an IRS quad it would be doing a wheely or draging the diff on the ground. I put a set of 27" Mud Bugs on it the day I brought it home and let me tell ya...this thing is like a tractor...pulls, pulls and pulls some more! If you are looking to do real work the straight axle is the best. If you are in the market for used and want the best Honda work horse ever...look for a TRX350 with the solid front axle! it is a true tractor and lives forever. My brother had one and other than being stiffer than a mule on the trail you couldn't kill it!
 
I own several Honda's great bikes I have a rancher which is a little light for what I like I am 260lbs I like my 500 foreman it has great power and is a real work horse. I find it a bit rough alright but no problems or issues.
Good luck
 
I've got a honda 400 ranchman, and it's all the power I need. I've got three hondas and they are / have been very reliable. I pull 2 sets of diamond harrows with it on my gravel road and once in a while on my hay flat to smooth out hay swaths from the previous year. It is probably good to note that I have the 5 speed manual transmission, and I think a better choice then the electric tranny or the fully automatic or hydrostatic , for what I use mine for.
 
Get something that has a high and low gear settings.

A 420 will have lots of power, bigger is not always better.

jigger08 said:
I am 6'2" AND 230lbs looking for an ATV to hunt,hopefully pull a moose and plow a 150' driveway.I am sure that bigger is better but would a Honda 420 Rancher fill the bill.My wife took it upon herself(she's great)to shop around and her father tipped me off that this was the 2010 model that she was led too.I have about a week to intervene if this choice is not appropriate.I think it is too small.....what are your thoughts folks?
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I'd say get the 500 model, with hi/low range and the 5 speed foot shift. Good workhorse bike, my buddy had one. Then he bought a Rincon 680, a POS. No bottom end power, in the mud lots of times it could barely turn the mud lites. There was no Hi/Low range on it, just the 5 speed electric shift trans. Buddy hated it, he could go through more mud with his 500trx. This guy was a Honda nut since we were kids, and now he's got a can am. If you want a workhorse, buy a smaller honda, if you want more performance, get a can am or yamaha. Oh yeah, for plowing driveways, and pulling trees/moose out of the bush, buy good tires and/or tire chains. They're more than worth it.
 
I wanted a honda. Rincon had poor transmission for what i wanted, seemed like it would be a good machine for farms. Rubicon still has drum brakes in the rear and STILL doesn't have EFI. If the 420 is enough power for you then it is honda's best offerinf IMO.

I went with an Outlander 800 in the end. Put some 28" tires on and it is fantastic.

I was a honda guy to until recently. The only thing that they have that iz better than can-am, yamaha, suzuki, or kawi is reliability.... And that doesn't seem to be as sure as it once was.
 
i have a 2007 honda rubicon .
i use it to plow snow all winter in several driveways and a couple parking lots .
when the snow is gone it is packing around 1200 pounds of mining equipment most weekends .
only thing that i would add to it would be power steering . ( they added it the following year )
 
My cousin "Bigfoot" is 6'3" and 350 lbs. He uses an older Honda 300 for his moose hunting. We've pulled many moose out with 300, and 350cc machines.
If it's a problem trail, we use two machines, but usually one will suffice.
 
It totally depends on how you plan on using it. If you just want something that can pull a moose out then anything over a 250 will do it. If you want something to plow lots of snow then 400 or bigger. If you are like me and want to ride almost every weekend and use it for hunting three months of each year and cutting firewood then the biggest you can afford. Also the prices will vary from $5000 to $14,000 so that is likely the determining factor. For me I would never buy another quad unless it has independent rear suspension.
For me a big part of what brand to buy is the dealership. If you plan on doing your own repairs then not as big of a deal. Stick with the known brands like Honda, Yamaha, Susuki, etc. Stay away from the knock of Chinese stuff.
 
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