Need a atv and I can't decide. I found a nice 2x4 Honda atv for around 2k only a couple years old;I can pay cash for it. My other option is to wait until the spring and buy a new 4x4 for 6-7k I would have to finance half of it. Looking for something to ride on trails and haul deer out with. Won't be hitting mud if I can avoid it.

Buy the 2 wheel drive .

2 wheel drive won't hardly drag anything that will tear up the ground, if you're planning on doing any food plots.

But it will do just about everything else....

Quads are getting to be a rare bird in my parts...especially 2x4

Its SxS out here....Utah's 75% public land reflects that

Honda is best choice...or Yamaha....4x4 is a better investment

Used market in Utah is great..check link....

Just watch for scams....usually a few dickheads on KSL...

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=33051936&cat=145&lpid=1&search=&ad_cid=1

i see you live in Vt. i assume you will ride this offroad and maybe in the snow. buy the 4x4. and buy one with a locking diff if you can. i have used my 4x4 locked before and i am not a serious offroader. look around for a good used one. i bought a low hours 2007 yamaha big bear 400 for $3500 a few years ago. it was adult owned and like new. i have had zero problems with it and it now has almost 2000 miles now on it and my twin teenagers beat the piss out of it and i am not shy about hauling or yanking anything with it.

You'll love your 2WD until you get stuck the first time.

A 2WD will go most place you want to go but won't do the heavy work

A 2x4 will go about anywhere. but they don,t back up worth a chit on steep hills, if you start down a hill and decide It might be too much or the trail is blocked, you will have to get off and pull it around by Hand, been there done that....They go ok in light snow but not so good when it gets deep, I would go for 4x4.

People up here want almost new price for a 5 year old beat up 4x4. So I will likely buy new unless I see a good deal. Those big bear 400 are nice to bad yamaha discontinued them.

I loved my 4wd until I got stuck the first time...

I stuck it Good.!

An ATV winch is a worthwhile investment...

I winch will be installed immediately either way.

I have a 300cc 2x4 Kaw with a locking rear axle. With the axle locked, It'll climb like crazy with only me aboard but not with a load. I have to keep it revved too high and with a load on the rear its too easy to flip. I can't slow down and keep the traction. In snow its worthless unless chained. Better tires than I have would be a help, though.

I won this in a drawing in '99. I made a big mistake by not paying the extra to get a 4x4 instead. I've regretted it ever since.

The 2wd will go most places you would take a 4wd. But a 4wd will do it nice and slow with finesse. You will not have to rip and tear. Also you still have those places that a 2wd wont do.

I have a little arctic cat 250 4x4 two wheel drives get you into trouble and 4 wheel drive gets you out of trouble

wrangler makes a great point

4x4 and a winch

You couldn't give me 2x4 atv. My fil had one and it was difficult to get up the very slight hill in their driveway with a skiff snow. The miserable machine was helpless in many situations.

Since you live in the nawth, a 4x4 would probably be best, because of the snow, ice, etc.

In the south, either will work, especially if you got a winch. 2x4 may not be as good in the mud, but with a winch, it doesnt make a whole lot of difference. At least up here in the hills of La.

Buy a 4x4 and you won't need a damn winch

I have one of each, the 2X4 was bought for my grandson to drive when he visits here.



His Dad and Mom are the other riders.

I found that the 2X4 was very handy. So much so, that I bring it hunting unless there is a lot of snow.

Hauls deer out fine...



I use the 4X4 anytime I go ice fishing, because of the deep snow we once in a while
run into out on Lake Erie. But a lot of the times it's not even needed then..



Unless you go looking for trouble (or fun!!) you will seldom need an electric winch.
I mounted a boat winch on the front of mine, and needed it a grand total of once in 15 years.
I have a ratchet in the tool box to operate the winch.
Saves weight, and money.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Don't forget the winch! You Won't use it much but it will save your butt when you need it.

I've had mine 4 years now and I've used it twice.

You will never hear " I wish I had got 2x4 Not the 4x4. I just got anew 4x4 to replace my 3wheeler. The best money I ever spent as I can now go for a ride and not feel like I have been for a ride. Clint

4x4 if you want to get out of some tough spots without having to walk

I've never got stuck with my 2x4 but I've never taken it into a place where I'm not positive I can get it out.
With 2x4, snow is the biggest problem. It doesn't take anything to get it stuck. On dry ground, it's not a bad machine if you don't push it too far.

Two year old, 2WD Honda for $2k vs new 4WD for $6-7k with notes...getting a winch regardless...call me crazy, but I'd get the 2WD.
I've had, and have, both. If mud, rocks and technical stuff isn't on the menu, just trails and easy riding, a 2WD with good tires will serve you well.
If they were a lot closer in price I'd get a 4WD.

A big problem with 2x4 is they don't steer in mud or deep snow. The front wheels just plow sideways as you're being pushed straight down the trail by the rears. Forget about climbing out of muddy ruts unless you pick up a lot of speed and the risk that goes with it. The front wheels pulling on 4x4 negates all that.

I had a winch on my '03 Kawasaki that had over 14,000 miles on it and I used the winch exactly once in all that time. I used it to get a 2x4 machine out of a mud hole when he got high centered. If I had had a rope I wouldn't even have needed the winch.

Spend the money for a 4x4 with a locking front differential. A winch is optional after that.

few years ago i bought a yamaha grizz 700cc. I could have done just as well for less money with the 450/500cc version. It has power steering, independent suspension, lockers, push button 4x4, disc brakes. Also has an engine brake when you let off the gas so i rarely use the brakes. Son in law has a 2x2 polaris. The big difference is in really knarley country i can gear down, use the 4x4 and crawl over things, he has to gun it which increases the risk.
I was going to put a winch on it too, but i have never got into enough serious doo that it was worth it, the ones i see with them basically they are a hood ornament.
I have to add i have now cranked three elk, and two deer up in a tree with that quad.

We bought a Yamaha Grizz 700 last year for farm/ranch use.

It's a beasty machine for sure. Almost flipped it a few times but luckily was going slow enough to bail off and keep it from going over.

Just like pickups I'd go 4x4 all the way.

Buy a 4x4 with a locking front differential AND a good winch. You'll be a lot happier in the long run.

you could get one of these with cutting / turning breaks and studded tires. 1640 cc 3rd gear will do 70 mph and take corners like a formula 1, can even be street legal there fairly cheep in the north east Iv'e got $2,000 in mine and can school $15,000 razors with it

no more quads for me.........Rhino........

full cage....diff lock....seat belts.....heater....top........

4500# winch...12" clearance.....fuuukkkerrr will climb a tree....

27x9x14's GBC radials on all four corners...

My brother has one of each, I have a 4X4 Honda. I also ride with some folks who have both The 4X2's do a lot better than expected. But at the end of the day the 4X2's have to avoid some places or be pulled through at times.

I'd keep looking, deals on used 4X4 ATV's are out there. The 4X2's will always be cheaper and for a reason.

The first question is why do you need an atv? The rest of your questions should be easy to answer then.

Given the choice between a 4x4 and 2wd I'd pick the 4x4 every time. Given the same choice and $5K left in my pocket it would be a different story. 2wd atv's will go a surprising amount of places, they're not helpless by any means. Smaller 2wd's are better because of the light weight and if they get stuck most of the time you can get off and pull them out by hand while goosing the throttle. On my first ATV I put a winch, I hardly ever used it and then the switch shorted out so it didn't work when I needed it anyway. Only one time did I ever get it stuck where I had to use the winch, that was when I high centered it in a rut. On my last ATV I didn't bother with the winch and haven't missed it.

Personally I'd buy the 2wd and some good tires for the rear and save the money. If you find out you need the 4x4 then you should be able to get almost all your money back out of it.

Can one of you expert ATV guys educate me as to what high centered means?

When the inbetwee keeps the tires off the ground, or enough so they don't have traction enough to move the machine. Deep ruts, mud, snow, the odd rock....

Yeah Bob...ruts ain't never too deep...it's just too high in the center. Get with the program.

Yeah. Tires much bigger in diameter reduce that problem.

4x4s sure work better in the mountains.

Probably be a good idea to demonstrate it for him at the next hog hunt. Bob can run the winch cable out for you...

I only need one smartass for my education, not half the damn membership.

Sorry Bob, it's a redneck thing. Always blame the ground for being too high...your vehicle can never be too low.

Yall must not have real mud in Tx., steep enough hills to have to winch up or down, or creeks to cross with steep banks.

if you can go with 4 wheel drive and a winch of at least 2500 pound rating. Power steering is also a safety feature that might save you a few medical bills. My wife's new grizzly has the power steering and it is the cats meow. My old Big bear is not worn out yet but when I replace it I will have power steering.

Side-by-sides are great, until you have to go into the woods.

Wait and find a good used 4x4 (I prefer Honda, I have an old Foreman and a newer Rincon 680) but many other good machines out there as well�When it's in the budget change out the tires for slightly taller, more aggressive thread pattern�I have ITP Mathems and Mudlites on my two quads (makes a huge positive difference in what you can traverse) and bolt on a quality winch�.Tow strap, couple of slings, ax, bow saw, shovel and you are good to go. Might sound like overkill but in the country where the hunting camp is located there are all types of terrain�only part of it is flat and I have used the above tools many times to get out of a "Situation".

My two cents

My offspring. Takes after his mom's side of the family...

2x4 is not going to cut on my hunt club. terrain is just to steep.
4x4 in the 500 range is the way to go. heavy enough to push snow. get a good winch. warn,not those north tool or harbor freight junk winches. they won't last long. take your pick as far as brand. if buying a new one i'd look at power steering. on a heavy machine it makes a big differents if you ride all day. i'd also buy fuel injection. no more choking it and hard cold starting.hit the switch and it idles even in 0deg weather. side-by-sides are popular here to but i couldn't use one on my hunt because it won't fit on any of our trails. some are narrow enough for most trails but to tall . the 4ft utv's are dangerous as hell. they are to top heavy.

where i hunt we carry 200ft of rope with us all the time. if a deer goes off a steep mountain we just pull them up with the rope and atv. if you are going to push snow you need at least a 500.

4x4 unless you want a toy for the sand.

I have a 2006 Arctic Cat 650 TRV. Best four wheeler I've ever used. For where I'm at, I cannot imagine a more useless machine than a two wheel drive ATV, except maybe a Rocon. I guess I can see them in some of the dryer climates but even there why handicap yourself?

A four wheel drive ATV with good tires, a winch loaded with synthetic cable, 100 feet of extra rope and a folding boat anchor and you can go about anywhere or get out of about anywhere.

I have always been a Honda guy but had an opera unity to buy a yamaha big bear really cheap that some kids ha trashed. After fixing it up some with new plastic and front wheel bearings it is back in shape. It's been a really good machine. I also picked up a suzuki. And really like it better than any I have riden.
May as well get a 4x4.....I rarely ust the feature but when you need it you need it...

i know everyone says buy a honda but we have had nothing but problems with every honda we've had in our riding group. engines and transmissions both sucked on the ones friends have had.i had a 1996 yamaha kodiak 400 that was one tough ass atv. i rode it for 10
over 10 years. then i had back problems and went for a smoother ride. i bought a new 2007 polaris 500x2. been a great bike so far.just tripped 2000miles.

Get the 4x4 with a wrench. Then you have no problems or regrets.

I've owned both versions, 2wd and 4wd Honda's. I've been a lot of places I probably shouldn't have with the 2wd due to it being lightweight and having good tires. I went to a 4wd version several years afterwards and will never buy another 2wd wheeler again.

I've owned 3 Honda's and have never had any issues other than a few wheel bearings on my 04 Foreman only because I ride in so much mud.

The one thing my Hondas never had was diff lock but Honda has finally stepped up and added it to their machines. IMO, they are worth the money if you ever have to ride in any kind of deep mud or do any climbing.

Man it sure looks cold up there.

But, it looks like they are riding on a road or lake, definitely not in the woods.

My Rhino will go anywhere my Foreman will go. I actually use the Rhino more now for my hunting than I use the Foreman, it carries all my gear in and I can get a whole cut up moose in it and back to my truck. Most other side by sides are too wide but the Rhino is one of the narrowest of the bunch.

you are right the narrow side-by-sides will go where most 4x4 atv's will but i've seen to many people hurt in the narrow utv's . they turn over very easily with them being so top heavy . i had 2 buddies that had polaris rzr's they both flipped them a few times. 2 friends bought those new honda sbs that are 4ft wide . one of them has been on its side 3 times that i know of.