Advice/Opinions On Quads...

[Stoneman]

Got the green light to start shopping for a pair of quads. Only problem is, they've gotta be more utilitarian than fun. That's the ONLY way I'm gonna get away with this...

So I'm gonna be looking for a (brand new) package deal. Mine'll be the one we try putting a plow on, small trailer, shit like that. We can gear hers more towards the fun side of it, but keep in mind she's only 100lbs. soaking wet...

Niether of us really want the latest monster, mondo, sporty quad. They've both gotta be fairly tame with one bearing the brunt of mosta the actual work...

[Wishbone]

check out polaris, i don't have one but every one i know that hunts has them and loves them. plus you can get factory equipment like plows and trailers and such

[Stoneman]

I'm gonna be checkin' 'em ALL out. Figure we're lookin' to get at least a pair (mebbe a li'l one for my li'l one) so we'll have some good bargaining chips. I haven't even really started to poke around much, but at this point I'm not RULING anyone out...

[Karaya One]

Yamaha Grizzly 450 can do just about everything.

My shops who deal with Polaris love the ATV product, but every one of them complain that they are a pain to work on.

[Stoneman]

I'm lookin' more at the big dogs for me. Mostly because...well, just because. Something over 600cc's. Mine's gotta haul, pull, plow, and tow...

Cheryl's will be the smallish one. In the 350-450cc range. Ease of operation, 2-up friendly on hers. Something she can tool around on while I'm playin'...

[PinHead]

I have the Sportsman 600 twin and love it. I bought it new as a leftover at the end of 04 and don't regret going for Polaris. I bought my son an 06 Sawtooth 200 which has been great as well.
The MOM's down here got a truckload of 500 sportsmans with some toys already on them, like a nice winch. He was offering some sweet deals I am not too sure what he has left. If you would like I could make a run over there easy enough to see what he has on hand, the shop is only 5 min. from me.

[R7]

I'll bring the big dog up this weekend and you can see what it's got

I haven't been following the 4x4/utility scene to much in the past but I may start looking soon as well for my new place, snowplow, trailer...the works. I already know I'll go with the big Grizzly, it's a Yamaha and that efi 700 (686 to be exact) is just a awesome motor. Get the 700 for you and the 450 for big shirl
I've also heard a lot of good things about the Suzuki 700.

They're all pretty good but from what I've seen, the models from the big 4 from Japan are the most reliable and best built. Polaris's are OK but they will require more nickle and dime type fixxes than the others...which are not all that costly but get agrivating when you're working on it rather than riding it.

You're on the right track wanting new though, a 4x4 quad is not something I'd buy used

[Stoneman]

Definitely NOT used! I've been reading good things about that there King Quad thang from Zook too. Although it may seem it, I'm not particularly brand loyal. But Suzi's have always been good to me. Well, except from that scored cam thing from all those wheelies...

[mikeb]

i used to be way into the 4x4 quads. i now polaris is popular but there the harly of quads...nuff said. every group/club ride i went on we towed one out of the woods.

all the big bores from the big four are good. the kawi's have v twins, prairie/brute force 650/750. enough power to put it on its back rack by stabbing the throttle, big power. the new grizz looks real good, just redesigned and updated. i know my local dealer in keene will let you test ride them all (they sell them all) find a place and test ride'em. the honda rancher 400 auto sounds the best for the wife. very user friendly.

i had a praire that i had WAY modified, lift kit, winch, plow, power commander, piped+ jetted. 27 inch mud tires etc... BEAST!

i miss my redneck quad, lots ah fun.

[SQUIZZ636]

the sportsmans are great but like said befor the are a pain to work on and have had some recall issues. My fav. is the grizzly. I love the power and handling. I have ridin all the major brands.
lis

[Karaya One]

The big Grizzly is an awesome machine. Hopefully they fixed / made stronger their CV joints on the redesign. Grizz's eat CV joints.

[SQUIZZ636]

just get a set of gorilla axles.

[jwm2k3]

+1 on the Polaris. Check the Hawkeye for the wife and the Sportsman for you.

[Stoneman]

Thought outside the box and decided to spend our money locally (dealer in town) and're picking these up tomorrow afternoon...

Mine (the 400 4x4) is getting the 2500lb winch and plow set-up...

Hers (the 250 2x4 fully automatic-CVT) isn't...

Arctic Cat

Arctic Cat

Prices were about the same for every comparible model we looked into. Deciding factors were local dealer and standard 3 year warranty. Read, 3 years come standard...

[mikeb]

the cats are a good work quad. great ground clearance. did you test ride the 650? they run the kawi v-twin in that model. anyways congrats.

[Stoneman]

the cats are a good work quad. great ground clearance. did you test ride the 650? they run the kawi v-twin in that model. anyways congrats.

Once we started looking around, we really didn't hafta dig too deep. We hadta get two and we (kinda) had a budget, which is why I went for the 400. I woulda loved to get any big-ass quad, but the price jumps from the 400 to the 500 to the 650 & 700's were pretty steep by any manufacturer. My primary concerns were being able to skid small trees uphill, plowing, lugging firewood, moving the boat around, pulling the kids around on a tube and some off-road fun. I think the 400'll fit the bill nicely. I didn't even wanna spend as much as we did. The manufacturer's standard three year warranty was plenty attractive too!

[Stoneman]

Oh, we're not actually pickin' mine up 'til next weekend. They'll be delivering Big Shirl's sometime this week, no extra charge. My plow won't be in 'til Wednesday so I told 'em to take their time with it...

[mikeb]

right on, the big bores are getting pricey. you get the manual plow set-up or winch? i always went with the manual cause its faster raising and lowering the blade and if your winch shits the bed you can still plow. one hell of a work out to if you've got alot to plow.

things are a blast in the snow, your kids will lov um!

[Stoneman]

I need the winch to pull small trees uphill. There was some dude plowing out our cove this weekend with a quad that had the winch set-up. Seemed to work pretty damn good. So good in fact, THAT'S what pushed us over the edge. We sat there watching him for about 20 minutes and said 'fuggit, let's go see 'em in person'...

[legalspeed]

Don't foget to give Morrison Cycles in Madbury, NH a call.

[Stoneman]

Don't foget to give Morrison Cycles in Madbury, NH a call.

What about, my man?

[ChR1s]

A 400 is fine. We've got a Yamaha Kodiak 450 (now Grizzly) that we've used to haul firewood, drag some bigass tree stumps and haul a 25HP chipper around on some rugged terrain. Power was not a problem. It manages to push the snow quite well, too. I do want to get some chains for it though. As for trailers, we've got a "Brush Buggy" that is super burly. I don't think you'll want to use the winch for plow actuation -- manual is much quicker to use. If you do use a winch, you'll want to anchor the vehicle up against a tree. A decent brush bar helps there. I use our quad quite a bit now for yard work, but I still hate riding the pieces of shit.

[Stoneman]

A 400 is fine. We've got a Yamaha Kodiak 450 (now Grizzly) that we've used to haul firewood, drag some bigass tree stumps and haul a 25HP chipper around on some rugged terrain. Power was not a problem. It manages to push the snow quite well, too. I do want to get some chains for it though. As for trailers, we've got a "Brush Buggy" that is super burly. I don't think you'll want to use the winch for plow actuation -- manual is much quicker to use. If you do use a winch, you'll want to anchor the vehicle up against a tree. A decent brush bar helps there. I use our quad quite a bit now for yard work, but I still hate riding the pieces of shit.

All good to know, Chris...

-Even with 4WD, you still need (want) chains? Does yours have low?

-I've got my trusty ol' Harbor Freight trailer, and I have a little wagon-type trailer...

-I keep hearing that manual op. of the plow is the better choice. How is that handled now that they're installing the winch & plow already? I didn't realize I had the option of manual with the set-up I'm getting...

-Already got the brush bar on order, deluxe even! And the rear guard. And hand guards...

-I've already wondered how the hell to anchor the quad while winching trees. Solution? My truck...

I haven't had a quad since the early 90's. Back then, it was all for fun with an occasional local competition. I honestly can't wait to get it out on the trails. You just don't like 'em for recreation?

[ChR1s]

All good to know, Chris...

-Even with 4WD, you still need (want) chains? Does yours have low?

-I've got my trusty ol' Harbor Freight trailer, and I have a little wagon-type trailer...

-I keep hearing that manual op. of the plow is the better choice. How is that handled now that they're installing the winch & plow already? I didn't realize I had the option of manual with the set-up I'm getting...

-Already got the brush bar on order, deluxe even! And the rear guard. And hand guards...

-I've already wondered how the hell to anchor the quad while winching trees. Solution? My truck...

I haven't had a quad since the early 90's. Back then, it was all for fun with an occasional local competition. I honestly can't wait to get it out on the trails. You just don't like 'em for recreation?

The Kodiak has a CV trans, low range, and an on command full-lock front diff. When all four wheels are locked, it goes. I want chains for pushing snow out our driveway and across the street because the road's got a sizeable grade to it, and it's paved. Got some side slipping going on, and that aint cool.

You should be able to have both the manual plow actuator in place, and the winch mounted up with fairlead. The winch is way too slow to spool out/in. It's nice to have the manual deal if you'll be doing short runs and backing up.

I've been out on trails with the quad. If it's smooth terrain, it's okay. The snow smooths them out a lot. A quad just does not even compare to riding a bike off-road though. A bike offers a lot more feedback, and allows you to constantly improve riding skills. The quad is like a sit-down PWC. Sure, they're fun. To a point.

[Stoneman]

Thanks for the info...

I got outta dirtbike riding and went to quads. To me, quads were far more fun - 'back then' anyways. None the less, it'll be fun to get back on one for whatever reason...