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Posted by: action450s
New forman 500 manual shift. Bulett proof like the old 450 was, and now has disc brakes to boot. These bikes were made to work, but still are alot of fun too. Oil cooled with rad & fan as opposed to liquid so its one less system to worry about, I've never overheated mine towing heavy loads.
Posted by: Starky
I think the best thing would be to have solid gears but I pull a pretty heavy disc as well with my Grizzly and don't have any problems at all. Putting chains helps to "hook up" a little better. I highly advise you to go with Engine Ice to help keep the motor cool.
Posted by: Starky
This is just a usless post to increase my number of posts. Or I just hit the submit button before I typed anything.
Posted by: Starky
If you get or have a belt driven quad EPI makes a clutch kit for quads that do heavy work. It's called the Utility series kit. I think it is the kit I will put in both my Grizzlies.
Posted by: 99MudKing
Arctic Cat 500 manual. VERY LOW low range, loads of low-end torque, differential lock for the tough places, no belt or auto tranny to worry about, and an excellent suspension for putting the power to the ground. It's a very rugged ATV. They also respond very well to mild mods like a snorkle/filter, pipe, and rejetting if you feel the need for more power. Every AC 500m i've ever seen with these mods will turn even 29.5 outlaws very well in any type of mud, so there's loads of torque on tap. 06 models are going for around $6,200 so it's relatively easy on the wallet. A leftover 05 model is the same and should go for a little less.
My $.02
Posted by: BOAGIE
I have a Quest 650 from Bombardier and as a WORK atv, can find no faults with it. It has performed to my expectations.
The reason BRP, no longer sells this model under the BRP, logo is the fact that the Quest / Traxter line-up is really geared more towards a
true Utility atv. The Quest and Traxter atv's make terrible sport oriented riding atv's. Just aren't designed for that type of use but as a Utility atv, built like a Tank.
Being sold under the John Deer name but all else is still the same, no mods or internal changes. These atv's are also reasonably priced and can be picked on Ebay for a very fair
and AFFORDABLE price.
Posted by: Doctorturbo
I was also going to suggest the Traxter. It is one tough work horse. Everything Reb2 said about it is true.
Posted by: Doctorturbo
Quote
TextThe Bomb/JD is a very solid machine with a 600 lb payload capicity in the bed. But they are even heavier than Polaris bikes, and that's hard to do, they are slow and top heavy, and the step through designe reminds me of the scooters you see the old and infirm riding around Wal-Mart.
Heavy yes, slow no. That weight is used to put the power to the ground. A light ATV will not put power to the ground as efficient as a heavy one.
Mine will do 58 to 60 depending on temp. The same or even faster than the ATP.
Top heavy? AAAAAAAAA no. That infirm step-through design puts almost 50lbs of fuel down low. The weight of this quad is set very low in the chassie.
Posted by: Reb2
Early last year I went through the same process. Needed something that would handle an ag. system I built. After reviewing many ATV's I settled on the Traxter and am still amazed at how much that thing will do. It is a more expensive machine but from my experience it is well worth it. Now you would have to buy that machine through a John Deere dealer.
Posted by: Reb2
It is a Bombardier product but for some reason they quit selling it through their normal dealers. Now it is only available through John Deere dealers. I think now they call it "Buck".
Posted by: Reb2
QBall, I'm not sure what criteria you used to determine the Traxter is top heavy but from everything I checked before buying one I found the Traxter has a lower center of gravity and is more stable than any other ATV made with 4 tires. Of course I am assuming your talking about the Traxter which is the same as the JD Buck.
I haven't paid attention to what speed my Traxter will run but I have run along side several other brands including Polaris and I have never taken a back seat to any of them.
Posted by: Slimegreencat
I have to agree with Mudking , the Arctic cat 500 manual is a real workhorse , I have a 400 with the manual tranny and it is a tractor , it will run out of traction long before it runs out of power and torque . Some of the auto trannys these days are very good and will pull without too many complaints but IMHO you cant beat a manual gear driven tranny for hard work and pulling . These Cats are one of the few quads left on the market that offer a manual tranny with a low range , not to mention they also have the most ground clearance , suspension travel and heaviest rack capacity oh and they too have a 2 inch receiver hitch for towing.
Some may disagree but I think the Cat is the best work/hunting quad on the market .
Posted by: Theshonk
For what you would pay for a wheeler you could get a excellent used tractor with all the goodies . Think about it
Shonk
Posted by: Theshonk
I have a small ranch (timber pasture garden) and the wheeler is great for light work and of course fun. When it comes to real work a wheeler just can&39;t cut it.
In the fall the wheeler is great for hauling firewood or skidding small logs.
When it comes to saw logs it&39;s the JD that get the call.
In the winter I have a mile to the paved county road living in snow country once again Mr. Deer. With our outrageous break-up in the spring same story I need a tractor to do the grading. In the summer even our small pasture is too much to ask for the AC 650. The small garden we&39;re talking the rotor-tiller.
Wheeler=fun
Tractor=work
Shonk
Posted by: Theshonk
I hear you DeeDawg after 28 years of marriage and 2 kids through college. This year was I able to get into wheelers. “Empty Nesters”
You be safe over there! I be praying for you and our troops
Shonk
Posted by: DeeDawg
My 500 AC auto is the best all around machine IMAHO. I have pulled some very heavy loads, to the point of the machine sliding sideways from tire spin, and have never slipped a belt. Low range is as low as I need to go; I only use it when loading it onto a truck or when getting a really heavy load moving. The engine break is great for down hill, and it will hit over 50mph, fast enough to get where I need to go. Shift on the fly push button 4x4 and auto trans is exactly what I wanted.
Posted by: DeeDawg
QUOTE from Theshonk: For what you would pay for a wheeler you could get a excellent used tractor with all the goodies
I agree, I have two; a Ford and a Deere. Some folks however, have neither the funds nor the space to allow for both a wheeler and a tractor. For some of my family and friends, they would also have to buy a heavier truck and trailer to haul it, or put up a building out on their hunting property where it would be virtually unsecured for long periods of time.
Posted by: Hoopie
another vote for the 500 manual arctic cat if you are going to be using it for riding also but if its just work get a tractor.
Posted by: QBall
I wanted a box quad. I rode the John Deer Buck or Trail Buck or whatever it is, with the bed. I also rode a Polaris Sportsman 6X6 and the Polaris ATP. I ended up with the ATP.
The Bomb/JD is a very solid machine with a 600 lb payload capicity in the bed. But they are even heavier than Polaris bikes, and that's hard to do, they are slow and top heavy, and the step through designe reminds me of the scooters you see the old and infirm riding around Wal-Mart.
The Sportsman 6x6 is one bad ass work horse, My brother has an '97 Big Boss and the Sportsman 6x6 is just an upgraded version of that bike. It's heavy, but it'l outrun the JD with no problems and it doesn't feel nearly as top heavy. Carries 800lbs in the bed, tows 1500lbs SIX wheel drive. The bed is about 4' by 4" its big enough that you can get a lot of bulky gear and tools in it. I very nearly bought one, but settled on the ATP instead because it was more trail capable which is important too me.
The ATP is not the workhorse that the 6x6 but I didn't feel I needed that level of utility. It's got a smaller dump bed that will carry 400 lbs, it tows 1225 lbs with a built in 1 1/2 inch receiver and has a "turf" setting that basically unlocks the rear diff, this allows you to turn in a much smaller radius than your average quad plus you don't tear up your yard. Oh and it'l run 58 MPH on the GPS, and does great on the trails. The ATP has been discontinued for '06 in favor of the X2, which looks to be an ATP with IRS, EFI and you can pull off the dump bed and stick another seat on for 2 up riding.
Regards
Q
Posted by: QBall
Hmmmm
Maybe a little bit of a retraction is in order. Went riding last weekend and one of the guys there was on a Traxter. This thread immediatly came to mind and I so we got to talking about it. After riding with and running along side him I think the ATP has a bit of an edge in acceleration with virtually no difference in top end. After looking closely at the bike I would have to say you guys are dead on with regards to the center of gravity being low. The thing just feels tippy, I guess because you don't have the tank to hold on too with your knees. He says his only gripe with the bike is it's a little light in the front end, I told him how to remedy that by filling the big front bucket up with ice and tasty beverages.
I'll still say though that for a true workhorse the only thing that beats a Sportsman 6x6 is a UTV, and not too many of those will outpull and out carry it.
Regards
Q
Posted by: mfvii
I agree with either the Buck or the MV. The Mv was designed as a military grade atv, and can take a severe beating. Go to the Polaris website tough and check it out. The buck was the old Bomb Traxter and it was a beast. The all wheel drive system is top notch, but go with the 500.
Posted by: VT1911
Finding a real working ATV is tough, even those designed for such things fall short many times. I recently purchased a '05 Polaris MV700 as a do-all on my farm and have been extremely happy with it so far. Its not a cheap ATV but it is well equipped and needs no add-ons. The MV700 has a 2" reciever hitch standard, which is really nice when when pulling heavy loads. I've pulled some really big loads of rocks and you hardly notice its there. The tow rating is 1500# on the MV. My father-in-law badly bent the hitch on his 750 Brute Force the first time he pulled a heavy load (and it wasn't that heavy). The MV is probably overkill for most people but its amazing what it will do compared to most utility ATV's.
Posted by: wedowee
New to this forum, need advice. I am putting quite a strain on my Rincon pulling a 500 lb. set of discs over rough terrain preparing food plots. As you know the Rincon has no low gear and overheats frequently. Is this hurting my atv, if so should I look at a specific atv make/model for this use (low gear , pulling power). I have only owned Hondas so I am not familiar with the others products.
Posted by: wedowee
I thought Traxter was a Bombardier atv? Whats up with the John Deer reference?
Posted by: wedowee
Here's a twist on my needs , what about the Kubota RTV 900? I can't translate the diesel #'s to compare to gasoliine cc's so I'm not sure of the power difference.
Posted by: skidoog
Hey Shonk,
You make a good point, but the tractor isn't as much fun when work is done and play time begins.
Just curious, how would the BRP Outlander perform? I got a video of it in the mail and they make it sound like it will out pull any quaud in it's class. Has anyone put it to the test?
