4-Wheelers

sbound

sbound

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Location
On station eight, shooting the second low house.
Seeing as most of us use 4-wheelers for big game hunting, I was hoping to have some of your comments on which models you have owned and whether or not they have been reliable for you.

I am currently looking for something to use for deer and moose hunting, but with the wide array of models on the market I'm torn. I am presently leaning toward the Suzuki Eiger, or possibly a Vinson. I have heard that the Honda is also a great machine though.

Your thoughts on which models are preferable for hunting applications are appreicated.

Thanks
 
I have a 03 Vinson 5-speed I bought new, I have 5500k on it and the only thing I had to do to it was changed the brakes in the back of it! It has been super reliable, and tough. As far as Hondas go, everybody likes theme, until the have to fix them, the parts are retardaldy expensive!
 
I have owned honda and yamaha.Friends own these as well as suzuki,kawasaki and polaris.The honda and yamaha products seem to require the least maintenance and the polaris by far the most.My personal favorite for a hunting quad is the honda rubicon.The hydrostatic transmission is incredibly smooth and reliable and has no belt to slip.It also provides amazing engine braking for steep downhills.My rubicon is a 2002 model and other than oil changes and one valve adjustment,it has required no maintenance or repairs despite towing and hauling some very large loads.
 
Rotaxpower said:
As far as Hondas go, everybody likes theme, until the have to fix them, the parts are retardaldy expensive!
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Thats because once you have to fix them you are looking for parts for a 10year old machine :D

I just went through this whole picking an ATV angst last year. I ended up getting a 2004 Honda 450S, but the yamahas were a close second, I avoided polaris like the plaque. You will notice a fairly substantial price change once you get above 500cc. My 450 has all the power I need to haul moose, logs and plow snow. Engine power is not the number one factor for hauling/pushing ability (for speed yes), traction is, once you start to spin the larger motors only spin yur wheels faster. My 450 tops out around 75 km/hr which is pretty slow for a quad but more than enough on a bush road. I went with a solid rear axle and a manual transmission, the ole tried and true - very little maintenance.

We have 1986 Hondas at work that are still going strong, all damage has been due to operator stupidity and speeding, cracked fenders and such. The only mechanical component needing service were the brakes after about 10 years (and oil changes of course).

My only complaint about the Honda is the fact I don't think they use torque wrenches at the factory as half my bolts were loose within the first month. Not a bid deal but I did have to spending an evening torquing everything down and I did lose the end cap on my handle bars.
 
I have an 03 vinson with the 5 speed. I love it but had hoped it would climb hills a bit better. My brother inlaw's 94 worn out 400 Foreman eats mine every time. :-(
I don't even have 800 km's on it yet, my park gear has crapped out and the shifting is really stiff and gross, especially in snow or muck. I baby it too.
I fear I will have to take it in for service. I can hardly wait for that bill.
 
I've got an 04 Vinson 500 automatic and I like it for the moose hunting I do and recreational driving. My only complaint about the Suzuki automatic is that the reverse is crappy in the mud. I guess it was suppose to be some sort of speed limiter. 1100 or 1200km's on it now and only an oil change so far. Brakes will be next with the next oil change. I also use this machine to plow my driveway.

As for the Polaris, I would have liked a sportman 500 6x6 since I have tried one before but almost all the bearings were already changed and grease fittings were added. I guess it was high maintenance. Nice soft ride though with the extra length and 6 wheel drive is always nice.

I've also owned a Honda Foreman and it was nice and comfortable to drive but stupid me I sold it. It was an early model 400.

The Yamaha Big Bears (350) are a good sturdy choice as well but I found mine to be a little top heavy, maybe the shocks were already gone.

I still miss the Suzuki King Quad 300. With 45 possibly forward gears you could pull just about anything as long as you have traction. The full diff lock was a nice touch in a small 300cc machine that you don't see much.

Just my .02. Derek
 
I ride a 2001 honda rubicon as well. 5000k so far and have never done anything to it other than front brakes and set up the valves. Love this machine aspecially the tranny. Like buttah. My buddy rides a honda 400(old one) hes never done a stitch of work to it.My other buddy used to ride a very old honda foreman 350 which he kicked the #### out of and sold it to his brother in law who continues to kick the #### out of it. He replaced it with a new honda 450 foreman which he is presently kicking the #### out of.
 
I have an 05 Yami Grizzly SE. It has 1000k on it. My buddy has an 05 Suzuki King Quad. They are very similar, the KQ seems to have a bit more ooomph, but not a huge difference.
So far, they have been awsome. (As they should be being brand new!)
Honda probably has the best name in the business, but it seems as though they're riding that name out now, they are missing some features that the other manufactures have done with their machines.
My Yammi is a strong runner, I've been through almost any kind of terrain with no problem. Being a 660, it doesn't lack any power.
The front rack is rated for 99lbs, and I put my 200 lb deer on it a couple weeks ago....you wouldn't even know it was there!!
No problems, knock wood. I'd honestly say that I'd go with any manufacturer, except 3.
Polaris = Whenever I've seen a broken machine, it says Polaris on it.
Bombardier & Arctic Cat = Stick to skidoo's guys! Artic Cat, although I think the prettiest bike on the market, from what I've seen, lacks a whole bunch of power.

Yami
Kawi
Suzuki
Honda

Tried tested and true!
 
I had an eiger automatic for three years, it was a great quad, Then I bought a Polaris 600 I don't like it at all, gets stuck very easily in muskeg, very hard to steere on tight trails(great on open trails) gave it to my wife who rides only open raods. Then bought a Arctic cat 500 one word awesome, cant get it stuck(unless on purpose) smooth enough ride, lots of power.
 
I have a Honda Rubicon with 27" Mud Bugs it is a good quad, especaly if you want reliablity. That being said my dad also has a 2001 Rubican with 26" Mud Bugs that had both the front wheel bearings pop out. I guess it was a common problem that year and has been fixed. I also find that my 2004 has more power and a better front diff than his, the differnce between our quads is night and day. Not because of the power difference (which is very small) but because of the front diff. My dad's is allways a 3 wheel drive when one of the front tires looses tracton. Mine doesn not have that problem nearly as bad.

I would stay away from the Honda Rincon (it's a 600 or something like that, dosent matter because a 450 will out pull it) if you want to do real work, the crappy tranny was not desighned for hunter type of guys, it has no low range and you will curse it when you find yourself in a pickle.

I know guys with Honda 300, 350, 450, 500's, Yamaha 660Grizzlys, Kawasaki 700 and 750's, and Suzuki 700 and 500Vinsons. They are all ok, the Vinson is very comparable to the Rubicon in power and had a fairly good reputation for reliablitity.

If I wanted a quad with more power and softer suspension than my Honda I would go with the Suzuki 700 king quad. It has a real diff lock, lots of power and a smooth ride. I am impressd with it.
 
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I bought a used 2000 Kawasaki 300 KVF almost three years ago. It's only a two wheel drive, but it works great. Handles very well. Always starts. I am very happy with this quad. and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.


SC.............................
 
I have a 04 Yamaha 350 bruin. For the money it's tough to beat! I've beat the crap out of it and it's served me well. It was a great "bambulance" this year. We hauled out 4 deer with it. I had a 91 honda trx 300 fourtraxx before that. It was good to me too. As far as I know It's still running strong.

Dave.
 
I too have been looking. My brother in law recently purchased the 2005 Bombardier Outlander, ...what a nice machine. With the recent announcement of the Bombardier 650 due in March, it sure has me leaning that way. Many, many great features on them.
The New Outlander is apparently a big improvement over the previous attempts.

My opinion anyway.
lildave
 
2000 350 Yamaha Big Bear, very nice, we have had a few problems but that can all be tagged to the step brother, I have never heard of anyone rolling or tipping or breaking more parts on any vehicle. I will say this, if anything does go wrong on it they are very open and we have always been able to get it going and back home. This being said the only problems we have had besides the abusive stuff was the carb, it has froze up and clogged up but that is very minor for anyone who has basic mechanical skills.
 
notenough said:
I still miss the Suzuki King Quad 300. With 45 possibly forward gears you could pull just about anything as long as you have traction. The full diff lock was a nice touch in a small 300cc machine that you don't see much.
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I still have my Suzuki LTF4WD and have never found any reason to get anything more....and mine is only the 250cc.:D

I worked for a polaris dealer for 11 years and that was reason enough for me to never own one of them!!
 
I like the hondas myself, I've used 300, 350, 400, 450, and the 500 for work. I had a 400 that I used for several years and it was great, the company had a few 300's as well but I was the supervisor and if someone broke down or got stranded I would end up going out to recover the machine. I finally got myself one now that I'm not working in forestry now, its a honda 450. I don't see the need to go any bigger, I really liked the 300's great little machine lots of power and light enough that when you got stuck it was not a huge problem getting unstuck. The first thing I did to my 450 was put on a winch, its too heavy to unstuck without one. As for speed you don't need speed out in the bush, unless you have a death wish. One of the trails at my camp comes down a short steep hill and makes a hard turn at the bottom. Guess what there are always smashed trees and the occasional quad part or broken plastic at the bottom. So in my opinion your best choices are the Honda 350, 400, or 450, they don't make the 300 any more
 
I have a 2003 Yamaha Grizzly 660 and it is unbelievable. Pulls moose like nobodys business and smooth like a cadillac.

I'm biased towards this machine but one piece of advice I will give is, regardless of which manufacturer you go with make sure that you get all around independent suspension. This makes all the difference in the world when you are hauling or riding rough terrain. The solid rear axle machines are inferior in any offroad application by far.
 
I'm biased towards this machine but one piece of advice I will give is, regardless of which manufacturer you go with make sure that you get all around independent suspension. This makes all the difference in the world when you are hauling or riding rough terrain. The solid rear axle machines are inferior in any offroad application by far.
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The machines with four wheel independent suspention certainly ride smoother,but I prefer a solid rear axle on a working quad.When you are hauling heavy loads un uneven terrain I find the solid rear axle more stable.Also when you put a heavy load on the rear of a machine with independent suspension,you lose ground clearance as the suspension settles.
 
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