Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's what's the best four wheeler for the money

I a m.getting to the age that it's too hard to drag deer and haul treestands any more .What's the best reliable four wheeler for the money .I.use to use a Polaris 325 but it was small for certain things I did .A 50 is the maximum as far as I want to try to handle .

I love my Honda 250 (2wd) for meat retrieval, but I would highly suggest something with fuel injection. Today's fuel is hell on on carbs that sit and the EPA standards will have you popping and idling like crap until you cut past the plug to get to the fuel screw.

I think an early 20teen yamaha grizzly was about perfection.
I have a honda rancher and my wife rides an 18 kodiak. But I think the grizzly is best.

Suzuki or Honda

I use non-alcohol gas in all my small engines. It's worth the extra cost. I can buy a lot of gas for what a set of injectors can cost

It ain't a Can-Am I can tell you that!

If it were my money and I was looking for an all around wheeler, I'd look hard at the Honda Rancher with power steering and IRS.

I would also take a good look at the Yamaha grizzly/kodiak

I agree with this. Had one a few years ago. Wanted a bigger machine so bought a Suzuki Kingquad. Love my KQ, but the Rancher is probably a better deal. Have a Foreman at work, and do not like it.

Yamaha Grizzly or Kodiak, or a Honda Rancher. Only way I would go. Find one with power steering if possible. Depending on age and ground you cover.

I'll agree with several who've mentioned the Honda Rancher and the Yamaha Grizzly (or newer Kodiak). I think these models are the most bang for the buck.

Everyone has different preferences for how they are going to use an ATV. Folks seem to really like power steering....I use an atv every day and don't feel like I would need it....but I'm only doing short trips taking out hay, etc....very different from long trail rides. Independent rear suspension is nice for riding....for my use I much prefer the solid rear axle for pulling trailers. I think the Rancher is a better bang for the buck than a Foreman, but I went with a Foreman on my last purchase because I needed the locking front differential for a couple of places. Do you want gears or CVT? Lots of stuff to look at, decide what's most important to you and then look at the Rancher vs Kodiak to see what lines up best with what you want.

Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Toyota debate....

they are all pretty good. That said, I have run Polaris500's for 20 years with no complaints....

Honda

We have an older Kawasaki 300 and Polaris 500 and actually the old air cooled Kawasaki is easier to work on and maintain. If I was looking at a new one it would probably be a Yamaha or Honda, but which ever servicing dealer was closer to where you would need to bring it.

I'm partial to either a Honda Rancher or Foreman. I know 2 different people with 1988 models that are still used hard. I agree that fuel injection is a big plus, but Honda didn't go that route until 2008, so it'll have to be fairly new to get it. I have a 2008 Rancher and a 2017 Foreman. Both have been great, but I realize it is way too early to comment on the 17.

I've also seen Kawasaki and Yamaha's do very good work too. They probably are just as good as Honda.

I volunteer with a group that helps when searches are organized for missing, presumed dead, people. We are really searching for remains and we use ATV's for support vehicles. We beat the crap out of them. Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki are the only ones I've never seen fail.

I like Honda’s myself. I’ve got an 03’ Foreman foot shift with 3,000 miles and it’s a tank. I like the older Ranchers as well, but hard to find not beat on.

I'm a Polaris fan as I own a 570 Sportsman and a Ranger 900XP. With that being said, and if I was buying an ATV today, I would go Yamaha Grizzly first, and Honda Fourtrax Foreman Rubicon second. When I bought my Sportsman, the wife was fresh out of grad school and I was still AD military so money was fairly tight. I take care of my stuff and the only issues I've had are a dead battery on the Sportsman and a burnt up a belt on the Ranger after getting stuck on some muskeg out moose hunting. The past 4 years, I have had limited time to ride, but that is changing this summer/fall when I get home from my current contract job. I like the power I have on the Sportsman and I think it's a great machine for the price, but buying for longevity it's Honda or Yamaha. The only reason I rate the Yamaha over Honda is the Yamaha has more power than the Honda.

I have a 2010 honda rancher with power steering. I wouldn't change a thing, I'd get the same thing again. I'll never buy another one without power steering.

I had a Honda Rancher-- great great machine----- The last week of 2018 deer season I bought a 2019 Honda Pioneer 500 for less than $9,000---- Very compact -- seats 2---- Believe me power steering not needed---- I'll never go back to a regular ATV after owning one of these. Web

I have a 50" Polaris 800 and 2 friends have 570's. They're all about the same size as your Pioneer. I love the size and handling. The only advantage I can see in an ATV is that you can step off on one side on steep side hills. For everything else, I'll take the SxS every time. I did put a 2" lift kit in mine. It doesn't sound like much but it sure made it easier going over rocks and we have plenty of those.

Rock Chuck --- I'm still in the learning stage with this Mini SxS but the low clearance did put ??? in my mind. I'm almost certain I'll only use it on my camps property that has well over 2 miles of rocky rutted logging roads. 98% of the driving is on these roads--- Some parts of the roads 16%-20% grade+. Honda put 5 speed shaft driven in this. ---- We also have a Yamaha Viking
also a Great machine... -Web