help finding the right 4wheeler

[morefishplease]

I'm gathering info on 4wheelers and I need help. I don't know much so any help would be greatly appreciated. I plan on buying this summer/fall. I'm looking for a wheeler for basically ice fishing, pulling a fish house, and thats about it, maybe plow the driveway. My questions are, if i buy fairly new, like 07-08 what would be the avg. mileage the machine should have on it? And what size engine would get me by, 500? I'm doing a lot of research on the net to get familar with 4wheelers and I figured I would post being that you guys already own these machines and could start me out in the right direction. Thanks

[Blaze]

How big of a fishhouse are you talking? An Otter/portable, a wheelhouse, or a skidhouse? A 500 will do most anything you would ever need it to do. That being said, I picked up a Polaris 800 off an auction this year and love it! One feature I would highly recommend is EFI, especially for cold weather ice fishing. Makes starting a breeze. Also, if you're pulling a larger, heavier house, look into getting tire chains for added traction.

I'm sure others will have plenty of interesting opinions to share.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Dozer]

Pretty hard to go wrong with a 500 Polaris Sportsman. That being said I have a 660 Grizzly and am pretty satisfied with it.

[Norsky]

I just bought the 08 yamaha grizzly 700 -see other post- after much research online and talking to people. I was amazed at how cheap I got it, I know where they have some '08 left and how little you can get them for. [email protected]

[crothmeier]

I'd look for EFI for sure, most already have it though, just turn the key and go. no choke, no cold-blooded kills in the winter. I had a '05 Polaris Sportsman 700EFI and loved it.

[hondarider550]

I would not buy anything less than a 500 cc machine if you are going to be pushing snow and pulling an ice house across the lake. I own a 300cc Suzuki and love it but if I ever trade up it will be nothing smaller than a 500 cc for sure.

[Hafnutz]

If you are looking at 07 and 08 machines you can't go wrong with any of them as long as you stay with the name brands. Don't get in over your head and buy too big. A 350-400 cc and bigger will do what you want. Look at all of them at the various dealers and take your best deal. After you have it for a couple years you will know more about them and may decide to upgrade. Don't get hung up on a particular brand.

[gr8icefishinmind]

I bought a 07 kawasaki Brute Force 650 last summer, it was a carryover and had no miles so basically brand new just a year old! Anyways, a 500 should be plenty big although it is always fun to say you have more power. I got a heck of a deal on mine cause it was a carryover model so i couldn't turn it down! More power means more problems though as many 700 and 800 models have problems with drive train before the smaller models cause the machine can't handle the power. Only thing I would have different on mine would be to have EFI, but, as far as the turn the key and go comment made.....that is false! You should always let your wheeler warm up, and EFI only means more things to worry about electronically. My Brute Force starts with no problems no matter how cold out. But, EFI is nice as is power steering which is now on alot of wheelers. I went wheeler shopping with two brands on my mind....a Yamaha Grizzly and a Brute Force, drove them both and the Brute Force had way more snap than the Griz. But both were awesome machines!! The dealer I went to sold Kawasaki, Honda, Polaris, Can-Am and Yamaha! The salesman said don't buy a Polaris and, if you can afford it, buy Can-Am as they are the top of the line wheeler in all aspects! But I love the Kawasaki, especially the V-Twin motor which gives it alot of snap!!! Mine pulls my 7x12 crank down house with no problem. But good luck in your search, just don't go too big and don't go too small!!

If I was you, I would wait a few months til dealers try to get rid of the 08 models they have left over and you will find some great deals out there!!!

[morefishplease]

Thanks everyone, it's nice to get started in the right direction and your info is very usefull.

[coombia21]

i have a king quad 750 and i love it i ride with 5 other kings some 700 and some 450 and the king quad it a better machine than most and it is very cheap i bought mine at heinens in osseo for 5300

[snoozebutton]

Glad you started this morefishplease, some good info here. I'm in the market for one also but my wife's not "in the market" yet.

[opsirc]

when I bought my Artic Cat 650, I did a lot of looking around. I looked for the features I wanted and then compared all the machines, and chosse the Cat. I was going to buy a 400, but managed to get the 650 for only a couple hundred more.

[jltimm]

There seems to be alot of good prices on leftover Arctic Cats.

[piker007]

Just remember the bigger the motor the bigger the atv. If you get stuck alot of times you can weasel a smaller atv out without much problems but the bigger ones are a chore. A 300 should be enough power for most anything and still easy to handle. Selectable 4x4 is also great so is independent suspension.

[jltimm]

piker007 wrote: Just remember the bigger the motor the bigger the atv.

Not true. A Kingquad 700,750, and 450 are virtually the same weight and the exact same body size. The Yamaha Grizzly 700 and 450 are very close in weight, but the 450 has the smaller body of the 2. All the newer Arctic Cats I've seen have been the same size bodies with different engines.Weights do vary on the Cat's though, and they are mostly heavy quads.

[DRH1175]

I have a 400 Honda Foreman and man it has power. I was looking for something for Ice fishing and to drag the deer out. It is very realiable and can pull about the bigest fishouse that an atv can pull.

[trapperdirk]

I have a 400 Big Bear and it being a semi -auto manual and shaft driven has all the power of the big bores in low gear . If she snubbed out then I shouldn't be there and neither should anybody with a big bore because ATV's frames are only meant to yank and carry so much and things bust if you go overboard .I push alot of snow and gravel too and she don't snub for lack of power ever .I also get better fuel mileage than the bigger rigs and bust a heck of a lot less because I can't travel at the speeds they do .

That being said alot of mods can be done to the big bores with heavier clutches,axles and tires, etc which increase performance but it comes with a price and I think it is hard on them because your pushing them often beyond their means .

Some brands are heavier than others but often it's minimal if dealing cc 's as in apples to apples . These differences are often just in frame weight and strength of frame although the popos seem to outdo themselves compared to say the can ams .

At this point I'm getting too old to fall into the trap of bigger is better but I just get what suits my personal needs and an ATV is just another tool for me and splash and dash I don't need . LOL

Easy to maintain and something I can work on myself with a minimal amount of tools way back in the bush is what I like in an ATV and with EFI or too much computer electronics is beyond my abilities .They do have their positives though .

TD

[Hafnutz]

I agree with trapperdirk. Bigger isn't always better. I ride a 700 but if this one goes away it will replaced by something a lot smaller. Better gas mileage, easier to get unstuck, easier to haul and load. Lots of advantages. I do mostly trail riding where you can't go 60-70 mph anyway.

[opsirc]

as far as weight the 650 was only 50 -60 pounds more that the 400, so I went with MORE POWER, [as Tim the Toolman Taylor would say].

[gr8icefishinmind]

If I was going to buy a wheeler with less cc power, I would defiently go honda! The Honda Fourman 450 is an absolute beast! LOTS of power and is geared low so pulling is no problem, but, you lack top end speed! Still it is an awesome machine!!!! Hondas have always been one of the most reliable wheelers available!!!

[fishorgolf]

I have a honda rancher and it has been perfect for my needs which is mostly hunting, fishing and some trail riding. I looked at the bigger more high tech ones but I wanted something that would last forever and have as few problems as possible. I when so far as to get a manual shift and no gauges.

[KLoopBinaction]

I have 800 can am, love the thing, ya gotta get skid plates right away, but the machine is sweet, I added 14" rims, gives me more clearance, but robbed some lower torque, put plenty of power,, PLENTY

[Iambjm]

We bought a Polaris 500 X2 last winter, put chains on it and a plow. I did get it stuck in the yard once this winter, but had it up to the Burntside bash and had no trouble getting around. The X2 is a 2 up with a dump box, and is rated for for up to 400 pounds on the rear rack and up to 1250 pounds towing. My brother in law has a Polaris 350 which he used this winter to tow a trailer with 10 hay bales and 14 people on around his snow covered trails. We didn't do to much shopping around as most of the people I know have Polaris and are happy with them. If I had it to do over I would go for 2 ATV's instead of the 2 up. Here is a picture of mine, including the slight rear fender damage (have the fender tied on with a piece of string)from when the hubby tipped it over in the yard. (Just had to throw that in as he is always harping on me about safety)

[morefishplease]

I really appreciate all the input that everyone is adding to this post! It's all very helpful in my search for a machine this year. Thanks a lot everyone!!!

[kdawg]

Just remember the bigger the motor the bigger the atv. If you get stuck alot of times you can weasel a smaller atv out without much problems but the bigger ones are a chore. A 300 should be enough power for most anything and still easy to handle. Selectable 4x4 is also great so is independent suspension.

I couldn't agree more. The smaller the wheeler, the more "nimble" it will be - no exceptions to this rule, I've ridden most of em (size-wise). My last rig was a 300 and my current rig is a sportsman 450. Never ever had I wished I had a bigger machine (I haven't plowed snow with mine, so this aspect I can't give definitive advice, however I suspect I would have more than enough power for plowing). Pulling portable fish house, trailers loaded to the hilt, dragging deer out of the woods, trail riding - it excels at all of the above. I am particular to Polaris, however, I have no doubt that yamaha, A.C., Bombarier, Kawa, etc. ALL make good, reliable rigs. Whereever you go, and this site is no different, you will find peopl who tell you that "this one's junk and that one's the cat's meow", only to talk to another guy who will tell you just the opposite. I'd buy ANY newer machine nowaday's provided the price was right.

Good luck.