# What ATV to buy?



## northerngoosehunter (Mar 22, 2006)

I am in the market for a new ATV and was wondering your guy's opinion on what model to buy. I think I have narrowed it down between a Honda Rubicon and a Yamaha Grizzly. I think I am leaning a little more towards the Yamaha, but I know Honda makes one hell of an ATV. Any input or advice would be great. I am looking for a utility quad for hunting and doing a little work on small acreage so I am really not concerned with speed. What do you guys think is the most reliable quad? Also all the ATV dealers claim they are excellent at plowing snow, but I have heard they are not very efficient. Any input on how they move snow would be great. Thanks


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## Ac_EsS (Jul 3, 2007)

grizzly imo. there area alot of attachments for the plow just like if you had a plow on your truck


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## bowtechin (Apr 8, 2007)

I've owned a Yammy and a Honda. Both have been great machines for me, but the Yamaha finally has seen its day. It has been rode hard and performed great, but actually I'm looking at an Artic Cat for my new wheeler. The more I look at them the more I'm impressed. Might want to check those out once if you haven't. A lot of the newer machines are great quads. Depends on what you look for when you get specific such as ride, power, etc.


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## northerngoosehunter (Mar 22, 2006)

I also really like the acrtic cat it looked like a great machine that was made for work, however; every dealer I talked to told me to stay away from arctic cat. I have also talked to alot of people who have had serious problems with them and the Polaris dealer in town wont even take them in on trade anymore because they cant get ride of them.

But I sure liked the look of arctic cat.


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## coyote_buster (Mar 11, 2007)

Have you considered a Yamaha Rhino or a John Deere Gator. For hog farm work that I do I think that my dad should have gotten one of those for hauling feed. You could also get the John Deere Buck.


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## honkbuster3 (Jan 11, 2006)

I also agree that the yamaha grizzly is a great atv to own. I have known many people that own them and have little to no problem with them at all. A all around good atv. I would also recommend a yamaha rhino. I own one and have put it through hell and back and it keeps running just as good as before plus they are practically the same as a grizzly but u get a bed to haul stuff around in. :beer:


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## greenheadfallon (Oct 19, 2005)

honkbuster3 said:


> I also agree that the yamaha grizzly is a great atv to own. I have known many people that own them and have little to no problem with them at all. A all around good atv. I would also recommend a yamaha rhino. I own one and have put it through hell and back and it keeps running just as good as before plus they are practically the same as a grizzly but u get a bed to haul stuff around in. :beer:


he is tellin the truth about puttin that rhino thru hell, i was there on probably the worst runs we made, if only that pond wasnt so deep....


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## northerngoosehunter (Mar 22, 2006)

I like the rhino too, but I cant afford the price and I would like something I can put in the back of the pickup and go.


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## coyote_buster (Mar 11, 2007)

Do you know what the price is on a John Deere Buck. It is moreless a cross between fourwheeler and rhino. And if you get one that doesn't have the fuel tank right in front of the seat you don't have to worry about getting the seat dirty.


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## duckbuster434 (Apr 11, 2005)

I have a rubicon with 6500 miles on it and it has been rode hard and the only work its ever needed is oil changes.


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## honkbuster3 (Jan 11, 2006)

greenheadfallon said:


> he is tellin the truth about puttin that rhino thru hell, i was there on probably the worst runs we made, if only that pond wasnt so deep....


 Ya it might of been a little too deep for a rhino.......we needed a boat :beer: :wink: Good times though


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## Mad Lure (May 26, 2007)

I have a new grizzly and I love it. If you go to a dealership and test it out I'm sure you'll be amazed at how well built they are. And having that power steering makes using it much easier than other 4 wheelers. I used to think it was just a gimick, but after owning one I don't think I would ever go back to a quad without it. Even in 4 wheel drive with the diff locked you can control it with just one hand. Makes plowing snow a breeze. I put one of the swisher implement systems on it and it works great. Plus you can add just about any attachment you could dream of including a dump bucket. I would say find a dealership that will let you test them out and see what you like.


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## bowtechin (Apr 8, 2007)

Just out of curiousity, what was the deal with the Artic cat? I can't see it being the engine, b/c if I recall that is made by Suzuki and I've heard nothing but good things about those engines. I'm not much of a waterfowl hunters but have a few friends who are and they went with the Cats with the dump box on it and have had no problems and love their machines. I'm in the beginning stage of looking so still not 100% sure on one yet.

It's funny b/c the articat and Yamaha guys will say the same kind of stuff about Polaris.


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## angus 1 (Jan 14, 2007)

I'm a Polaris man myself, we have 2 , 500's and a 700 here on the ranch and I wouldn't trade them for anything.


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## driggy (Apr 26, 2005)

How come you're not considering the Honda Foreman? It is the real utility quad of the Honda line. It should be cheaper than the Rubicon. The new ones even have power steering. I have a Rancher and I can do pretty much what everybody else can do and it is only a 400cc. Been a few times I could do alot more as mine didn't weigh as much as theirs.

Don't know what the issues are with the A/Cs but I did see one thing that needs to be addressed. Was out riding with 3 others, 2 on A/Cs. The leader of the pack hit a football sized rock that sent his right leg into the handle bar. No more thottle lever, it was plastic. If you own one and ride in rough areas, you may want to see if there is a heavier duty replacement for it.


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## bowtechin (Apr 8, 2007)

That doesn't make sense to have it plastic. One tip over and that would be broke.

Definently can't go wrong with a Honda. Can't vouge for northerghntr, but I'm just exploring all my options. Honda is always up there, just can't decide which model to go with if I would buy a Honda. Have an older 300 and has been an excellent machine with no problems.


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## northerngoosehunter (Mar 22, 2006)

No doubt about it, Honda makes an awesome quad. Every dealer I have talked to says good things about Honda, but one thing I dont like is they seem to be a little bland or plain compared to other models. I have also heard a couple people/dealers say that one problem with Honda is they have been very stubborn to upgrade their quads and some of the other companies are now catching up with Honda's machines.


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## Madison (Mar 1, 2002)

Honda all the way!..

Artic Cat would be my second choice.


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

Im an arctic cat man myself, just becaused I was brought up on them just the same as Fords but lately, the last two months I been thinking to myself, it doesnt really matter what brand you get these days, it will perform great and very efficient, if it didnt, they wouldnt be in business anymore. Every machine has its flaws, or ishould say weak points where another machine is stronger in that area but that mach may lack in its own areas itself. Myself, I run a 650H1 AC-great machine, had a few problems but nothing mechanical except the battery goes dead every now and then and I snapped the throttle lever while riding one day but that was more than likely cause because of the thumb assist on it-ps the lever was some sort of metal. If I were you, I would explore all your options and test drive them before you buy, I know I will when I get my new truck.

Also with the snow plow part, any machine will push snow, the main thing to consider is your tire options, chains, and weight of the machine to get the best traction-our machine did alot of heavey plowing this past winter and it worked great when the traction was fairly bad but dont expect it to push 3 feet of snow on ice.-thats where speed comes into play 

Let us know what you choose


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## glv (May 31, 2007)

I think anything that Yamaha builds is good. They might not be the fastest or have the best options all of the time, but for the most part they will always get you home. Super reliable. There are always lemons though. I have a yamaha kodiak and it is really reliable and I never think twice about it not working. If I were to buy another atv besides a yamaha I would go Honda. I am looking at a Rhino to replace the kodiak. I like the side by side idea. Some rhino owners I know are really happy with them. If you are looking for quality, Yamaha is the way to go.


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## northerngoosehunter (Mar 22, 2006)

USSapper said:


> Let us know what you choose


I purchased a new Yamaha 660 Grizzly. I have only put three miles on it, but it seems like an awesome machine. Thanks for everyone's help and input, it was nice to receive educational and intelligent answers.


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## mshutt (Apr 21, 2007)

Hmm its a great work horse, but for hunting? if yoru hunting and want to be some what stealthy/quite, i woulda went with the honda no dought. But Yamaha is a great machine for any job, especially if you by the big boy tires :beer:


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Last summer I purchased a side by side. I got different stories from everyone when it came to the Yamaha Rhino and the Polaris Ranger. Then someone said the Rhino had a lot better ride. A dealer who sells both said to that fellow, you better go somewhere and ride them one right after another and you will change your mind. So I started looking up dealers who sold both. I found four in North Dakota and South Dakota (I suppose there are more). All four told me if I was going to hunt only that the Rhino would be best. All four also told me that if I was going to work it at all that the Polaris was much heavier built and would withstand hard use and heavy hauling better. Then the clincher. If your going to push snow it has nearly double the weight, wider and more stable, and most of all the electronic fuel injection will start in the winter time.

Two fellows from Alaska responded and said their Rhino's would not start whereas the Rangers started easily in cold weather. Then also, my neighbor to the west tells me that when the snow is deep he leaves the Honda, Yamaha, and Arctic Cats behind. I asked why. He said because when you lock them in 4X4 the front differential still slips in all but the Polaris. So I checked that out. Yup, the rear differentials are locked in all of them, but for the most part all but the Polaris are really 3 wheel drive.

The one very important thing for me is the ability to unlock the rear wheel drive. I use mine around the yard to haul dirt, spray dandelions etc. The Arctic Cat I tried chewed up the lawn really bad. I don't know how the Rhino would do in that situation, I didn't try it. Does the rear differential unlock? The local dealer said it didn't, but he was presenting that to me as a plus. I couldn't make him understand that I didn't want an all time locked rear differential.

I had to take my plow mount down to the local welding shop and have the mount reinforced. It does push a lot of snow. I purchased chains and have never needed them.

I wanted to use this machine for hunting also, so I purchased a silencer. Not the muffler from Cabela's, but what they called a silencer. It came out of North Carolina I think. I found it on the internet.


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

> The Arctic Cat I tried chewed up the lawn really bad.


Im really surprised, I know for sure that our AC has a locking and unlocking rear differential. I tested it out once on at our cabin with it locked-the rear wheels really chewed it up then in unlocked-it had no affect on the grass, just tracks


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

That could be right. I was using the new side by side, and I couldn't find a place to unlock the rear differential.


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