Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's 1986 Honda Foreman. Durability ?

I'm now the owner of my Dad's old 350 Foreman.
We've purchased a piece of hunting property, and I have both minor logging and food plot work.
I don't own a farm tractor, so my needs are going to have to be done with the Foreman.
There's a number of garden tractor/atv implements I've gathered.
A Brinley single bottom mold board plow with turf cutter disc up front.
A small disc, a raker tooth cultivator and a cute little box blade complete with rakers.
The box blade rotates 180 deg.
We made up a winch/tongs skidder trailer for pulling logs from a bunch of road salt killed hardwood trees.
That area will be cleared for food plot.

Will the old 350 Foreman take a beating like that and not break hard to find parts or plain wear out?
It hasn't had any rough use since the late 80's. Since then it's just been used for deer retrieval duties mainly. Bet it isn't more than 50 miles in the last 20 years.
Even so, rubber parts get old, cracks and mud/water don't do nice things then to original C/V joints and such.

Old stuff breaks, even stuff that was good when it was new. If antiques are your hobby then it can be a fun past time to restore and use old stuff, but for me a 30 year old ATV isn't going to be reliable enough. With it being your dad's ATV nostalgia certainly comes into play also.


I don't like working on things any more, I just want it to start, be able to run it hard and put it up without undue maintenance. I tend to run newer equipment for that reason. My time's too valuable to be constantly fixing things that I need to work right now.

Yes, it will be very reliable. But you are asking a lot of an old 350 to be doing tillage work and such.

They are easy to get parts for if you need to.

They are bulletproof

I don't know where "here an there" is.

Around "here" $2-3k will buy a good AC WD-45 or an 8N, or Farmall H.
They will out work a 4 wheeler. Hell, under many condition, they will out
pull new 4 wheel drive tractors of similar power.

Don't tell anyone that, they will say you are nuts.
Get them in mud, you'll show "em.

dude...that foreman will take almost any beating you give it. The only thing you'll probably run out of is power.

Those old solid front axle Foreman's are badass and getting harder to find anymore. I rode one a long time ago and it was a beast and pretty snappy for a 350. I have no doubt it will pull whatever you need it too, within reason of course.

I saw my neighbor pull a load of spruce logs that had to weigh 2 tons. He did it with a Honda Foreman 400.

I’ve skidded some good sized logs/ trunks with it, even poorly chained ones digging the nose in. The old 350 just singing along in 2nd, throwing dirt from all four chained up tires.
I know it will do it, at least temporarily. Avoiding breaking it is important.
A new or newer used larger machine would be ideal, but finances say just use this one and try to take care of it.

I wouldn't trade mine for anything out there. I bought mine new late in 1987, so its a 1988. Damn dependable and I still use it. These last few years I only use it to bush hog, carry me to my hunting stand, and drag Deer out. I've thought about getting a newer one, but I'll never part with this one. Great machines................................

Seems like you are going to have roots in your food plt area and that may well be an issue with any plow.
The disc may well stir up the top of the soil enough to plant a food plot crop. Roots may be a problem here too.

I recall a Honda 4 wheeler the electritions had in an oil refinerie..they had a little trailer the pulled behind it with all the essentials in it ..it was there in 1991 when I first went there it was pretty used so I'm thinking it was probably a mid 80 s model...it always sat outside and had a duct taped seat...the rubber handle bar grips were warn down smooth ...I never saw any one do any maintance of any kind the tires were wore down smooth with only a trace of the tread on the edges....they would fire it up in the morning and run it around and do whatever sparkys do...I was always amazed at that machine...it was there still going out every day in 2012 when I left...they did put new tires on about 2010...I doubt the advrage guy would run one as much as they did that one..

Bullet Proof

Trick question, right? You really need to ask if a 32 year old atv is reliable??

laughed out loud when I read the title of this thread....

I had an 87' Foreman for several years. It was 10 years old and farmer owned when I got it.

I assume the farmer let it sit and idle for long periods and it didn't get full lubrication to the top end. So, rocker arms and camshaft were trashed. I had the top end rebuilt and had no other issues with the engine.

Negatives in my book were:

- Metal gas tank (rust)
- Electric fuel pump (mine went out twice)
- Solid front axle (rougher ride)

With that said, they're absolute tanks. I rode it hard and put it away wet several times. Parts can be had pretty easily. If you ever need something specific feel free to PM me.

Glad I could provide some entertainment.

This one has had a pretty easy life.

Your Foreman is really nice man.

Are those Bear Claw tires?

Thanks m stevenson. It has been a very reliable workhorse. Practically zero issues in all these years. The tires are Swamp Fox AMS tires.

I put a set of Maxxis Sur Trac's on mine. Not sure if they're still in production, but nice tires as well.