[striper]

Now that I have been diagnosed with RA I am going to have to change the method of some of my hunting. I live to shoot crows and that requires a lots of carrying all that is required to the fields. Living in Ga have lots of clay and when it rains now I am screwed. I do not want a 4 wheeler truck or car had plenty of those after living in the mnts of Colo 20 years. So a good 4 wheel atv , used will be what I am looking for. Suggestions and ideas welcome. TY Do not want to spend more than 4000. Is this realistic?

 

[sliverbulletexpress]

Honda Foreman 4x4 period.

 

[wolfram]

I have three Polaris 500 sportsman models (everybody gets there own bike), two of them are 2000 year models and the other is a 1999, I bought them all used with asking prices between $2,300 and $3,000. We ride the crap out of them and have not had problems other than tire punctures.

These bikes will haul alot of weight and will even pull a trailer full of wood with no problem. They are bikes though and it takes a fair amount of upper body strength and agility to operate them. You may be more comfortable in a UTV (side by side) with a steering wheel. Those machines have very roomy boxes for gear too. Down side to a UTV is that you probably won't find a good one for $4,000.

 

[oldgahchamp]

I recently bought a used John Deere 'Gator'. It is a 6x4 ( 4 drive wheels in the rear). I wish I had bought one of these years ago. You do not have to step over anything to get in. They have a small dump box in the rear with 1000lbs capacity. My Wife calls it HERS. You can buy a nice used Gator for 3500 and up, maybe less, depending on the amount of hours on the meter. I am going to sell my 2002 Polaris the first chance I get. Larry Evans

 

[grntitan]

I 2nd the Honda Foreman. I had a Polaris Sportsman 2-stroke and the 2-stroke fumes would linger on your person forever. I would even change into my hunting clothes after i arrived at where i parked my 4-wheeler. I just couldn't shake that smell. I love 2-strokes but not for hunting Whitetail. Got a used Foreman and don't regret it. I will admit the Polaris had tons of power and better ground clearance but i ain't found anything i do that the Honda can't handle.

Matt

 

[Bisi]

Check "Craigslist" there are usually a lot on there. $4K will buy you a hell of a used ATV. A lot of people buy em and find out they don't have any place to ride em, so if you look around you can find a good used low mile or low hour quad.

Only thing I would advise is to avoid one that is full time 4x4, go with one that you can push a switch so you can go from 2 wheel to 4 wheel drive. Only thing wrong with full time 4x4 is that it is harder to steer than a 2 wheel drive unit.

I also prefer driveshaft over chain drive, but that is just me, no other reason. Ditto for water cooled over an air cooled motor too.

 

[Old Fowler]

Hard to beat a Honda Rancher or Foreman for value and dependability. A Yamaha would be my second choice.

OF

 

[blkcloud]

You couldnt give me a atv other than a honda.. a 300 rancher will do all you want.. plus it will start everytime you want it to..!!

 

[shot410ga]

Argo Conquest if you want to go anywhere any time. 8 wheel drive, seats 6 or plenty of gear. Fits in the back of a standard pickup. Drive on and drive off. You get the capability you can afford. They are not cheap.

 

[Luckyman]

YAMAHA!!!!! Stands for You And Me Are Hauling Ass!!!!!!

Nothing even comes close!!!! I have owned a year 2000 Kodiak 4X4 (ATV of the year for that year BTW) now for close to 11 years and it has never not started for any reason!!! I have fully submerged the quad in a deep stream and it never stopped running! It runs in the cold, heat it doesn't matter and I have never ever had any major mechanical issues with it what so ever! I have had to change the rear break pads and replace a carb needle seat but that was due to the crap gas we have here in IL...Unreal! My buddy has a Grizzly 660 and he has
had nothing but a great experience as well...Also the Yamahas weigh much less than the Hondas and Polaris for that matter and the transmissions are bullet proof! Everything about it is bullet proof!

 

[short shucker]

I've got a couple of buddies that work in a multi-line dealership and I asked them this very question before I bought mine.

Their reply was that Yamaha and Honda make by far the best four wheel ATV/UTV on the market. They based this on sales and what's in the service shop. You see Yamaha's and Honda's in the shop for service and everything else because it is broken.

The difference, for me, came down to the hardware used. I prefer disk brakes, independant suspension, and the simplicity of the Yamaha Transmission. I've had my Kodiak 450 for 5 years now and the only think I've done to it is change the oil, clean the air filter, and adjust the valves one time (I've used mine a lot around the property and believe in taking care of what I own).

ss

 

[poacherjoe]

Toss a coin! I have a Honda and a Yamaha and they work great.Freinds have Arctic cat,Polaris,etc and they luv em.It all depends on what you plan and where you plan on using it!I had to look at the price first and then figure ground clearance and how much weight it could hold for my usage.

2 wheel drive can get you almost anywhere the 4 wheel drive's can go,You just have to use more throttle.Ebay has some very good deals on Atv's.Make sure you can find one within driving distance so you can abort any costly shipping charges.Some people buy them to use on a hunting trip and then they end up selling them because they live in the city and have no other use for it.

Also if you plan on buying a used one look for an older owner that has'nt abused it and has done proper maintanance.Young kids can beat them up quickly.PJ

 

[Trap4]

Lucky Man, I sure agree with you , Yamaha, Yamaha, Yamaha---\

Trap-4

 

[Luckyman]

I bought mine right after they completely revamped the entire platform in 2000 and upgraded the motor to a 401 CC liquid cooled thumper with 11-1 compression and never looked back...This actually became the platform for all of their ATV's and they haven't changed much in the last 11 years....Usually they say stay away from first model year of anything but not a Yamaha...Their R&D and Q/C is unequaled! Look at their snowmobiles...First year of making a 4 stroke sled and one guy put over 10,000 miles on it in the first year of ownership! Unreal!

I also own a Yamaha stereo as well as have friends that play Yamaha instruments and anything that has the Yamaha Tuning Fork Logo is a sign of excellence just like Mercedes Benz or Krieghoff Shotguns etc. etc...Reputation established over decades and decades that can't be denied on anything the name Yamaha is on!

 

[treefrog]

Bombardier is second to nobody in the off road market. (SKI DOO) Check out the Can-Am Outlander. Visit their web site where Hp verses CC's is compared to all other manufactures. Rotax motors just perform and last. Watch hill climbs, mud bogs - look at suspensions, 4 wd drive set ups.
Go on ATV sites where they run them all see what they say

 

[Robb]

Kubota RTV. Shaft drive diesel. Everything else is a souped up golf cart.

 

[Luckyman]

Ride-em all if you can and then make up your mind...That's what I did and there was no comparison...Yamaha hands down...Compare price quality and owner reviews and there are plenty out there on all makes...

 

[SeldomShoots]

If you have to carry a lot of gear, would you be better off with a UTV? If so, I would say its hard to beat a Yamaha Rhino or Kawasaki Teryx.

John

 

[Rooksd1]

Ca Am Outlander no comparison. I have owned and raced them all. Better ride, more power, good warranty, will last a longtime with proper maint.

 

[CharlieAMA]

I have a Kawasaki 750 Brute Force. 4WD, power, etc. Will do 62 MPH. This is my second one. The first one got stolen from in front of my house. The ranch I day work for also has one. They also have a Kawasaki Mule, which works great. It is slower, but you can carry more stuff in the back. Alot of people around here(Amarillo) have their aluminum dog boxes mounted on the back. What ever you get, make sure you put that tire sealer goop in the tires. It will save you alot of misery. Charlie Henderson