4x4 ATV Opinions

[Shrimpy]

I need a little help here guys, I am/will possibly be entering into a business venture that is going to require the purchase of a 4x4 ATV. In doing research, I have narrowed it down to either the Yamaha 660 grizzly or Polaris 700 or 500 H. O. . The reason for the large displacement is 1. I am a big guy (or as Bill Lins would say I am "Horizontally Challenged"), 2. It will be in mud about 90% of the time and pulling a mower.



I like both the Yam. and Pol. because they have independent rear suspentions, FULLY lockable diffs, and look good. The ability to have plenty of grunt (a la Cummins Torque) is very important. Speed is NOT what I am looking for. The mud will be both the loose sloshy kind and the hard packed but slippery type also.



If anyone can offer good and bad for both I would appreciate it..... Let your opinions Fly... ... ...





Thanks Jim

 

[jeepit]

Check out "atv"thread I started 11-4-02 in this forum. Also check highlifter.com.

 

[Shrimpy]

Thanks Jeepit, did not know of the other thread. As usual I asked before searching .....

 

[Idaho CTD]

I have a Yamaha Grizzly 660 and love it. The only things I would change: Exhaust sounds weak/ funny and the gear growl (the drive train noise). I have a couple friends with 500HO's and one of them rode my griz and was pretty impressed. You said you weren't concerned with speed but this thing will almost pull the front tires off of the ground from a stand still. Tons of power.



Nathan

 

[MUDDY]

yamahas spend much less time in the shop than the polaris do

 

[ddesau]

4 x 4 atv's

Well I can't help you with your choice as I have a Suzuki 4 x4. One thing you should consider tho is the extended warranty- the average warranty on a ATV is usually 6 months. I negotiated a 4 yr extended warranty for about $400 - To me its worth it for the piece of mind and since you will be using the machine in mud and using it hard an extended warranty would be helpful.

 

[Diesel Freak]

I have heard many good things about the Kawasaki Prairie 650.



I rode a Polaris Sportsman 700 once... . it was heavy and throttle response sucked. If you are set on getting a Polaris I strongly recomend the Sportsman 500 HO. The 500 is lighter than the 700, and is actually the better quad IMO. It also helps that the 500 is quicker out of the hole than the 700.



I have a modified Polaris Scrambler 500... I love the machine, I beat the ever living crap out of it... and it has never been in the shop for a mechanical reason that was not my fault to begin with... rolling a quad has a tendency to break things regardless of the brand.



Just a quick FYI... if you plan on going slower than 15 MPH for an extended period of time with a Polaris... make sure youn are in low range.



#ad

 

[Champane Flight]

Ozark

I have checked them all out this year and my favorite by far is the Suzuki Ozark, great usable power and handling. The thing I didn't like on the Polaris 700 is the lack of usable power. Man, it flys, but you really don't need to on a ATV, good way to get hurt. Get what you like though, you are the one who has to ride it. What type of terain are you going to be riding? And what loads?

 

[jpeterson]

Originally posted by Diesel Freak





I rode a Polaris Sportsman 700 once... . it was heavy and throttle response sucked. If you are set on getting a Polaris I strongly recomend the Sportsman 500 HO. The 500 is lighter than the 700, and is actually the better quad IMO. It also helps that the 500 is quicker out of the hole than the 700.

We have a '02 700 and a '01 500 H. 0. , the 700 absolutely walks all over the 500 and that's with a lighter rider on the 500. The 700 also rides much better and handles better than the 500.



The 40lb weight penalty for the 700 isn't noticeable. I would definitely recommend the 700 over the 500.



Now if we would ever get any snow I'd could give you a plowing comparison. 700 vs. 500 vs JD 320



Jeremy

 

[Todd T]

I would stay away from the Polaris if you are a heavy guy and or plan to putt around at slow speeds alot. especially if you will be pulling a load at slow speeds and stopping frequently. the polaris drive train is belt driven using centrifugal clutchs. all that slipping wears the belt and grooves the pulleys out and makes them not work well.



a guy i work with bought the same one you are looking at to pull one of those mower decks behind it. he mows about an acre a week with it. his clutch went out in 6 months. he is a big guy and i asked him if he used the low range and he said "always". and the dealer wouldnt warrantee it. its a "wear item"

 

[ddesau]

Re: Ozark

Originally posted by Champane Flight

I have checked them all out this year and my favorite by far is the Suzuki Ozark, great usable power and handling. The thing I didn't like on the Polaris 700 is the lack of usable power. Man, it flys, but you really don't need to on a ATV, good way to get hurt. Get what you like though, you are the one who has to ride it. What type of terain are you going to be riding? And what loads?

My wife has the 2002 Ozark 2wd and I have the 02 Eiger which is 4x4 - I like them a lot - good power-and a quality product. I would take them both over a Polaris anyday.

The Suzuki's are shaft drive -wich is a lot better than chain or belt driven.

Check out Suzuki. And is you take the ATV safety course - they send you $100 for completing the course. Well worth it !

 

[scbrown]

I have two Polaris sportsman 500's and have never had ANY problems with them. My wife rides one of them, always in high gear.

I beat the living He#@ out of mine with no failures at all.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the new quads, and I will not bash any of them.

I will always have a soft spot for Honda but that is with the performance quads. (raced 1988 fourtrax 250R)

For those pointing out Polaris using belt drive, slipping,wet, have you checked what the others are using?

I have seen the new Polaris 600 in the show room anyone no anything about this quad yet?



Look at all of them, sit on all of them, what ever feels better buy it, you wont be sorry.



Good luck, and wear a helmet

 

[COBRAJET]

The Grizzly has the same setup as the Polaris. They are belt CVT. The final drive on both is shaft. The Grizzly is light at 600lbs compared to 740 for the 700 and 700 for the 500 from Polaris. The Polaris 700 will tow 1500lbs versus the Grizzly at 1200. A guy I hunt with a friend who just bought the new 600 from Polaris. It has a ton of power... way more than our Honda Foreman which is a 500. The 600 will tow 1500lbs as well. It sits on the same running gear as a 700... just a little smalller engine. The Polaris models are twins, the Yamaha is a big single. I do not think the Polaris 700/600 series has a manual starter backup if the electric fails. I know the 700 does not... from experience The 500 H. O. does... I have used it before. I know the Yamaha does as well. If it were me I would probably get the Yamaha... everyone I know has had picky problems with a Polaris. I walked 3 miles out once do to an oil line blowing off a Magnum 330 4X4. It took a long time in very cold weather. You tend to remember that kind of stuff. The owner got the recall notice about a week later!!... . CJ

 

[QRTRHRS]

Probably talking a lot more $$ but, maybe small skid loader with rubber tracks would be a viable option. For sure, made for work. Rubber tracks will keep you moving and don't tear things up that bad. Better resale value. Just a suggestion.

 

[Shrimpy]

Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it . Today someone at work mentioned the Arctic Cat ?????? Checked the website and found they have the most ground clearance of the three mentioned above.



I will be going to check them all out on Monday or Tuesday.



Again, thanks alot for all of the info!!!!!

 

[Tim1]

Grissley with a Bobcat mower deck

Hey buddy, I pull a Bobcat twin blade mower deck with a 12hp Kawasaki engine with my 2000 Grissley with no problem. Yes, I would prefer liguid cooling as it get warm afer about 1 hour running, but by then I'm ready for some water anyway. Low range in 2wd is what i use. Polaris has a lot of breakdowns, my brother has them. My grissley is a 600 model and is very comfortable to ride. Hopes this helps. Tim

 

[Hutchew]

Pssstttt.........

On the newer machines, Polaris has a lifetime warranty on their belts, don't they?

Between all my family and friends, we own 7 Polaris ATV's, from 400 2-stroke Explorers to 500 HO Sportmans. Mine, a '00 500 Sportsman, is the only one that has had problems, and that is because I've bombed the crap outa it, ride it like it's stolen, and had a very, ummmmmmmmmm ridiculus stealer (Tools & Toys, Los Lunas, NM, Bankrupt now, NO loss) install the wrong clutch kit springs, resulting in shredding several belts. With the clutch set up correctly, the only problems I have now is when I flip the dang thing over trying to crawl rocks. I'm happy with the Polaris ATV's, just bought a pretty yellow 400 Magnum for my daughter.

 

[JR2]

I have a 98 Suzuki 500 with full time 4x4 and a manual transmission. It is one great ATV. Its not fast and I did not buy it to go fast. But if you want to pull something or haul something it will do the trick. It has a low range that is quite impressive. I also plow my driveway with it in the winter and it is unstoppable. I really like the manual transmission so you can select a gear for crawling over stuff and not worry about it upshifting.



By the way if you look at the Arctic Cats and the Suzukis you will find that they are very similar... Arctic Cat buys motors from Suzuki and maybe even more. I went with the Suzuki because the salesman said they where better built with the same engine.





JR2

 

[drawson]

I have a 02 500HO I was looking at 700s but the price I got on the 02 was too good to pass on. It is a powerful ride and will get the front wheel off the ground but my big body on it. We have only had 4" of Snow so far but it pushed it like it was nothing with a 60" blade. I went Polaris because of the great Dealer in our little town.

 

[Todd T]

Tim1, the belt didnt wear. the pulleys got grooved out and it wouldnt run right. the dealer took it up the chain and said was told "no coverage" do you mostly do stop-n-go's with heavy weights or just alot of gas-on brains-off? i think thats the difference.



it really doesnt matter, he wont be buying another and if that makes someone take a second look, that is all i care about. you can be on the machine working it or off working to pay for the repairs. lets talk about the radiators that clog with mud splashed up from the front tires and overheat. how about the $60 dollar fan that goes out from running all the time. or the fuse box that is under the front end unprotected from splashing mud and water.



they are fast, but not utilitarian.