Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 4x4 ATV?

I’ve had them all. Enjoy your purchase. Sounds like a great deal.

2004 grizzly
2008 Rhino
2010 Honda
2011 Ranger 700
2014 Ranger 800
2018 Ranger 1000

Sounds like we all love the one we got.

Pros and cons with independent rear suspension. Pros are (of course) smoother ride in the rough stuff. Cons are, for one hitching a trailer with any tongue weight crushes the rear suspension. With a solid axle, the hitch is tied to the axle and is unsprung.

I use mine for pulling a 1000 lb trailer of hay bales feeding livestock.

There are pros and cons to shaft drive and rear differential versus solid rear axle. Rear diff turns tighter. Solid rear axle never loses traction when one wheel is on slick stuff.

In '03 after serious consideration, the Suzuki 500 Vinson won out even over the Honda. I would not trade it today for anything on the market. It simply does everything I need perfectly. High, Low, and reverse. Auto speed via a snow mobile belt. Had a new belt in the shed for three years, still running on the original.

Solid rear axle, push button 4x4 select. I have replaced the seat cover, brake pads and tires. It has 8 ply radials on it now.

But all that does nothing to help a guy decide between new models.

The registration, and license plates, and frame tag all say mine is a motorcycle. So do the helmet laws. I am pretty sure that makes it a "bike" of some nature.

I’m a Polaris fan, but I don’t think you can beat Honda for longevity.

I've had several different Hondas & Polaris both 4 wheelers and UTVs. I've also had 1 Yamaha. If you want trouble free and rugged durability go Honda. Polaris are not bad but not anywhere near as durable as a Honda over the long haul. They just keep going and going. If you're willing to work on em regularly or have a shop do it go Polaris. My Yamaha was a great machine when it wasn't broken down which was often. Honda for me

Not much recommendation for Can-Ams.

They are very well represented here in this neck of the woods where there are lots of ATVs. I have a 650 Max XT Outlander.

I have three of those in my bear camp. 2 manual and one automatic like yours. They have been flawless EXCEPT for the automatic had to have the bevel gear replaced last fall. Keep an eye on that, 1500.00 dollar fix.
To the OP
To upgrade now I would go Can Am and power steering a must like Beaver said. They are so efficient and powerful these days that to drop down in frame size from my 500’s to a 400 or so for prowling around the bush and mountains would be a big consideration.

Osky

I have the 2016 version of this. It's been pretty much trouble free for the past 3 years but I'm not hard on it. The only thing I had to repair was replacing the winch switch.
Mine came with a windshield which I was going to sell but now I've decided I really like it, especially in the cold months.
Edit: That price seems pretty high. Mine was about $6300 3 years ago.

It is going to be interesting to read the side by side comparison between that Polaris and the Yamaha by the OP. Much as I think that I'd like a new 450 Kodiak, the only local dealer up north is a Polaris dealer. Our 400 Sportsman Polaris has worked well enough when I can keep the battery charged and thumbs up on that windshield too in cold weather and riding through low hanging branches. Plastic fore and aft for racks makes me take the much older Honda with the steel racks and low range when I need to work it.