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Posted by: DanW
My 375 had a couple of ball-joint issues on the front, which were related to a recall and improper reassembly. I've run it very hard since then and the problem appears to be solved. The 650 has been bullet-proof. Both transmissions have been trouble-free and perform extremely well.
I'd buy another Cat in a second, if I were in the market. I have a good dealer, too, which helps.
Posted by: Bluethumb
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Originally posted by: mudblaster
i had an 03 500 manual with 28" gators and it went through 4 axels a front diff all my front end bushings and 2 ball joints.
so if your planning to get one stay away from the big tires the axels cant take them.
with the stock tires you probly ride trouble free for a long time.
If you're running big tires, lifts, any quad is going to break axles, and go through bushings. There's a lot more mass that is taxing all them components beyond what they were designed for. I haven't changed any bushings in mine yet, but when I do, I'm going to upgrade to either Teflon of polyurethane, as they will last a lot longer than stockers. I'm pretty easy on my gear, but I know guys that pound their machines relentlessly and they seem to never break. And yes, they're Cats
Posted by: Bluethumb
I guess I have about 900 miles on the Bearclaws. Keep in mind that I have the straight axle rear end in mine. Besides that fact, the 03 500's were notorious for breaking axles, some did with stock tires on. However, they're not like that any more. I'm actually looking at one, it's an 03 with 600 miles on it, for about $5 grand. I looked at the price of axles, about 340 for stock replacements and about $369 U.S. for Gorillas. I really can't complain about my Cat, I've had very little problems with it, and being a 400, it's really good on fuel even with the bigger boots on.
Posted by: Bluethumb
I find that people around our area tend to hang on to their quads a lot longer than in other areas. I'm like that, I'll keep the 400, and buy another machine. They hold their value relatively well, you will take a loss if you're selling a used quad, people are wary about buying them, because of the unknown. If you're looking for a quad based solely for its future resale value, I'd say buy a Honda, or buy a used quad and drive it until it dies. The 04 and newer Cats are very good machines, the 500's are about the best out there IMO.
Posted by: mudblaster
i had an 03 500 manual with 28" gators and it went through 4 axels a front diff all my front end bushings and 2 ball joints.
so if your planning to get one stay away from the big tires the axels cant take them.
with the stock tires you probly ride trouble free for a long time.
Posted by: mudblaster
bluethumb
for one thing i dident have a lift in my cat.
and all i said was stay away from big tires the cats axels cant take them.
besides i have bigger tires on my kawasaki and almost the same miles and i havent had any troubles with it.
also i put my honda and kawasaki through more then my cat and have had nothing happen to them yet.
my honda had over 2000 miles and my kawi has 1800 miles and work as good as new.
my first trouble was at 50 miles with the cat.
a cracked airbox then at 800m i broke an axel then another at 1100m then at 2000m both rear axels and all the frontend bushings and 2 ball joints.
then another axel and the front diff at 2700 m
so like i was saying stay away from the bigger tires.
and thats what my first comment was saying.
if you stick with the stock size you should be trouble free for a long time.
and all the people who made comments on this (dependability) topic all have stock tires or only one size bigger so they havent had anything like this happen to them and if thay are useing bigger tires thay dont ride it much and have low miles on them.
all my troubles were fixed under warrenty but after the last time it broke thay said this is the last time we fix it under warrenty.
so i got rid of it befor it started to cost me money.
Posted by: mudblaster
ps bluethumb
how many miles have you put on your cat since you put the bear claws on yours.
Posted by: Catterman
The 500 is solid. It uses the Suzuki engine and can put on 10,000 no problem. I read about a guy with a 400 Cat that had over 54,000 on his ATV. Running it 24 hours a day on a farm I guess. Every manufacture has some issues, even Honda. I am on my 3rd Cat right now, first one was a 2000 500 that my dad still has and it runs great, the second was a 2004 400 that someone offered to buy from me and I couldn't pass it up, and now the H1. Dependability is a big issue for me too, as I live in the bush of Alaska with no dealer within 350 miles. And in order to get to that dealer I would have to fly in as we have no roads.
Posted by: CATSKINNER
I had 4000 hard miles on my 98 500, I sold it to a good friend of mine and he said he has close to 5000 miles on it now. The only problem I had was when I wrecked it, I had to replace some broken parts. I now own a 05 650 and I have 900 trouble free miles and I have not done one thing to the clutch or anything else. Cats are very trouble free. I was the first one to buy a Cat in my family and now there are 14, counting brothers, parents, in-laws and cousins. I also have friends that have bought Cats because of the success that I have had.
Posted by: CATSKINNER
11'G, that is outragous. I paid 8,000 out the door for a 650 LE at the first of the year. You can get an 05 much cheaper now and the 06's should not be much more than 8,000. Where are you located and how many Cat dealers in your area?
Posted by: ArcticBrat
You know CATS do have 9 life's.....lol...
Posted by: Slimegreencat
I assume he is a fellow Canuck Here in Canada , we pay a fortune for our toy's My 05 400 was $9600 otd . I just priced out an H1 at the dealer in Kamloops B.C and they said $10'800 before tax , so add 14 % , I asked him for a price on a Prowler , with tax about $15000 I live about 10 minutes from the U.S border , I wonder if any dealers down there would take my canuck bucks at par ?
Posted by: DeeDawg
I have over 2,300 very hard miles on mine. No problems what so ever. AC now has a three year bumber to bumber warrantee, that's tough to beat.
Posted by: Hoopie
go to arcticchat.com and do some searches or ask questions. You will ge alot of responses.
Posted by: eshocked
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Originally posted by: mudblasterso like i was saying stay away from the bigger tires.
and thats what my first comment was saying.
I hear ya there. I run the 28" Mudzilla's. Sweet tires. They look pretty sweet sitting on my trailer on a busted ATV. That thing has spent about a week busted, to every hour of driving it.
Posted by: 7mm
I have been looking at all brands of quads and keep coming back to the cats as they seem to offer all the options that i am looking for. What i would like to know is if there are many people that have lots of miles on their quads with little or no problems with them. I have had three honda 3 wheelers in my life and have had nothing but good to say about them. I've got buddies that have Honda Quads ( foremen) and they have anywhere from 3000 to 8000 miles on them and have just changed the oil and the tires. I am looking at the 06 500 manual. I know its got more bells and whistles on it than the Hondas (foreman) that can break, but can it boast the same kind of dependability
Posted by: 7mm
seems like there is a bad apple in every box, doesnt matter which brand you buy. I appreciate all the stories whether horror or glory. I am probably going to order it this week, I just needed some reassuring that ac was a good brand as there isnt very many of them at all around where I live. So the more experiences the better cuz It makes parting with the 11 g's a little easier
Posted by: 7mm
you are right SLIMEGREENCAT a fellow canuck I am. With windshield, heated grip+thumb, 2up seat box, pegs for 2 up, plow,front bumper, winch and the governments share (14%) it will tally up to $11300 to $11500 canadian depending on dealer. Thats why I want to make the right decision. Which brings me to the question of resale. How are the ac's doing compared to the others? Like I said before there isnt very many people around here with them, let alone selling them.
