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Posted by: yam8
Ok the sportsman might be good in mud and snow, but when it comes to water that is a differnt story, wow, they suck in water lots. I have had my grizz float, and behind me my friend on his SP followed, big mistake, water got in the tranny with no drain plug was fun, i had to tow him home. He was not a happy camper, but he did make up for it in a good mud hole, i got stuck and he pulled me out of it.
2000 grizz
Posted by: lovinhonda
Well thats probibly the easest quesstion anybody can answer. #1 mudder whould haft to be the SP500,
#2 Honda Rubicon, and then #3 Yamaha Grizzly.
Posted by: beast450
Would rather walk than drive anything but a Honda!
Posted by: cowboy
Take a look at the pics at the link below. The snow pics are the most recent, and I have the 27" 'Claws on my 500 Auto 'Cat in them. The rest are all stock tires. The snow was over 2' deep, and with the 'Claws, it was no problem. What kind of features do you want in the machine? Say breaks for example: Grizz I believe has disc in front, drums in rear. Ruby has drums??? and SP has discs, as does the 'Cat. How about 2/4wd? Grizz, SP and 'Cat are selectable, Ruby is 4wd. Suspension? SP is full IRS, 'Cat has about the best rear floating axle on the market. Smoothest ride? SP with the IRS, then the 'Cat. Trick tranny? Ruby. Largest cc? Grizz. Basically, I think all the machines you mentioned, as well as the 'Cat, will do well in all the area's you mentioned. So, come summer time when there is no snow, what other type of riding or possible work will you be doing? If work is in the picture, then I'd recommend the 'Cat for sure, you can't beat it for work/utility useage. The Grizz and SPHO will be the fastest though, the 'Cat is not known for speed. The Ruby may have a breakthrough design in the new tranny department, but I'm not really all that impressed with the machine as a whole. Should it be selectable, disc breaks, rear axle similar to the 'Cats for working, or IRS like the SP for trail riding, then I'd look into it further, but for my particular useage, I'm not all that impressed. My 'Cat has been awesome to say the least for those areas you mention, as well as hard work and for the price, it's hard to beat with all the options/features available.
I guess the best thing to do would be to get some brochures from each manufacturer you're interested in, try to talk to the dealers and ride each one, then see which "feels" the best and you feel the most comfortable on. There really is no "best" quad, just a quad that fits you the best. That's really something you have to find out for yourself by testing each out, nobody can really tell you what is best for you.
Best of luck in the search!
Mike
Posted by: lrichard
What happened to the Arctic Cat 500 and the Bombardier Traxter, two great machines that are proving themselves very well. No mention of them! (I would rather have anything than walk), to the one that made the remark about rather walking than having anything but a Honda.
I would put these 2 machines against any other machine mentioned for dependability, and tuffness. They are also great mudders. I won't walk!!! The Cat will always find its way back home.
Posted by: Gooch4x2
How'd you get that 350 into your Rubie? Heck of a top end now I would guess.
Posted by: mark3
I was just wondering which one would be the best one for mudding, going trough snow,creeks and some deep water crossings.
Posted by: DJ425
You might think about a Polaris Xpedition 425. Good ride, Polaris 4wd, & NOT a belt tranny.
Posted by: Farmr123
Of the ones you mentioned, the Sportsman is the best in mud, snow, & water.
Posted by: Farmr123
Make that water as long as it is under the racks. The HO is supposed to be snorkeled pretty good, but no experience with it. I meant it would be best at finding traction under the water as long as you don't drown it out.
Posted by: shmoky
You forgot the Artic Cat 500.
shmoky
Posted by: quadR200
YAMAHA if not i would say built your own you see all the time of crazy guys building some of the neatest quads for that specific thing(mudding/water driving). good luck man
Posted by: TEXASCAT
mark3,
i second the motion on the arctic cat 500 4x4. you should really consider it as well. big engines, hi-tech drive trains, and independent susp. don't necessarily make a perfect atv. try the ac, you won't be disappointed.
just a thought,
texascat
Posted by: RSE500
mark3: I see you live in the same general area as I do. You know the terrain, steep hills, rocky, muddy, creeks with muddy banks, loose leaf covered draws. I dont believe in you must ride one brand or else b.s. I'm the only one in our hunting group that doesn't ride a honda, yamaha or kawasaki. I hunt the most remote areas possible, I am always alone when I get there and I bet you know why!
Posted by: GottaMax
Sportsman-Best performer in mud and snow. But a maintenence, and dependability nightmare.
Rubicon- Its a Honda, what more can you say. Not the best performer, but will last forever.
Grizzly- Not as good a performer as the Sportsman in the mud, but far better in deep water crossings. More powerful than either. Less maintenence than the Polaris, just as well made as the Rubicon.
Posted by: ROMAN
Riding in deep mud is definitelty to the Sportsman's advantage. I've ridden with hundreds of other wheelers at this place in Tishomingo County Mississippi called Sharpe's Bottom. I've seen everything made in some of the worst muck on the planet. Honda 300s, 400s, 450s; Prairie 300s and 400s; Polaris everything; and some assorted Arctic Cats and Yamahas. Oddly enough no Suzukis. The Sportsman 500 had the clear advantage with its ground clearance. This really killed me because I'm not a Polaris person, in fact I used to have a Scrambler 400 4x4 but couldn't throw enough metric wrenches at it to keep it together. Anyway, holes that me on my Prairie and my buddies on their Hondas would get stuck in would get run through by stock Polaris Sportsmans. They are pretty bad, when all the namebrands are in the mud, their's is the best. Now at this same place, the most unreliable machine also happens to be the Polaris. Among the strange problems I've witnessed are broken rear c.v.joints, a stuck throttle, and other stuff that isn't fun to have to deal with. Make no mistake about it, this place is rough on everything, but to answer the question about what is the best in the slippery stuff.......Polaris. I can't believe I'm even saying that because I won't have one, but it is the un-biased truth. I'll probably get barbequed for saying this. Oh, well, that's life.
Posted by: ROMAN
I have, a bunch as a matter of fact. Most of the time it was me! I fixed that when I went to a Prairie then it fell upon me to drag the fallen Polarises out of the woods. Once I had to pull a 500 Sportsman with a broken rear c.v. joint( he took the shaft out but it would try to run sideways) while I was pushing another one that had some other problem. I've never found a broken Honda, though, or a Kawasaki or a Yamaha.
Posted by: NativeMainer
Sportsman had to pull u out ? Must be because he could not have went where bears go , keep the sportsman out of the mud...
BEARS RULE
Posted by: NativeMainer
ATV magazine's "ATV OF THE YEAR" 400 KODIAK AUTOMATIC 4x4 The lightest , most agile machine in its class. It's the carving KING of the woods... 2wd/4wd with a push of a button, engine braking, triple hydraulic disc brakes, IT's the most capable ATV you can buy, PERIOD...
MAINE TESTED TOUGH
Posted by: packrat
If you are going to play in deep mud and water you want disc brakes you dont want so called sealed brakes because they dont seal.I know the polaris goes best in mud but may not be a good choice for water they claim the new H.O. belt housing is water proof but I dont know I havent had mine in deep water yet.Disc brakes, ground clearence, true four wheel drive,and water proof, I'm not sure any one has all these qualities.
Posted by: packrat
Just got to say I believe the H.O. is water proof I had mine in water this past week end up to the fuel tank and played in it for about 30 minutes.Also had it in mud just about as deep,no problem no belt slip.My son has Griz he also played in water he had no problems either but the H.O. is the better performer in the deep mud and on steep rutted out muddy hills.Also when in rough slow terrain you want to make sure you put in the low side or you will slip your belt.
Posted by: packrat
Just got to say something about these guys always saying the Polaris is not dependable. I've been riding for years and have never run in to one broke down on the trails.I also know a guy who has had two of them for over eleven years and he has done nothing but normal wear and tear work on his.I dont believe Polaris gets a fair shake in this area.Ive only got 200 miles on my H.O. but if I have trouble out of it I'll let you know.
Posted by: SportsmanmudHO
The HO is the best 4wheeler but the Honda is reliable. My sportsman crawls on Hondas with tires. It has the best suspension, the most ground clearance, and the best 4 wheel drive system. I`d go with the sportsman.
Posted by: badhabits
the best one is the one that gets you home. a little thought on where and how you point your front wheels can make all the difference on any bike. only my opinion. i chose the ac 500 auto. works for me. i also put a winch on it (better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it)
Posted by: RubiconLand
all i got to say is you dont buy a honda you would be better off walking.......
Posted by: buffman2001
rubicon is my opinion. my friend has a h.o. and i have a rubicon and they pretty much are the same. i can kill his though. because i have a 2 inch lift with 27in super swamper vampires. he has stock with 26in titans. but i agree that the h.o. doesnt do good in water. the artic cat is certainly in, in the conditions u mentioned. but i would go with the rubi with a few mods and u can tear up ne four-wheeler on the market except the big 650
Posted by: polarisz71
I made my 98 SP500 a tank my sealing the spark plug boot with dielectric grease. Its cheap and very easy to use. I've been up to the racks several times with no sputtering or tranny problems.
98 SP500
96 Chevy Z71
Posted by: rbowling
Polaris has a tendancy to allow the drive belt to get wet once it gets in water. Once the belt is wet it won't hardly go anywhere until it drys out. This is a horrible design flaw by Polaris and I hope the fix this in the future. I have experienced this first hand and so have many of my friends and fellow riders. Other than that the Sportsman 500 is an amazing ATV.
Posted by: Traxterick
I know this wasn't one of the machines you mentioned but i recently purchased a bombardier traxter. This has to be one of the best machines for deep water. The air inlet is up high in the rear cooling ducts for the radiator. As for mud i was riding yesterday with 8 others and the traxter and both polarises were the only ones that could make it thru a huge mudhole we encountered. Honda and yamaha make great machines but i don't care for any 4wd that only spins 3 wheels. If you really like mud true 4wd is a must.
Posted by: braff1
My Kawasaki Prarie 300 has gone places that Polaris Sportsman and magnum and Honda rancher were not able to go. The automatic on my Prarie has never failed me forging through the water of mud. I just point it in the direction I want to go and hit the gas and hang on for the ride.
