I need an atv to work on the farm and want to buy a machine that can pull heavy loads at slow speeds. I want fuel injection, a straight rear axle, and foot shift. I have narrowed my search to the rancher or the foreman. The foreman has a larger engine and bigger tires and is a larger machine but lists at $1000 more and is air cooled. From what I read in the forums the rancher is very reliable if you get the foot shift and is liquid cooled. I am not concerned about options and ride because it will be used mostly for work. Which is the better machine?

 

They are both great machines I have owned one of each. You really need to think about what you are going to use the machine for the most. If using it for work and especialy for pulling or hauling get the foreman for it is the better choice for working purposes, and the rancher is better for trail ridding imo.

 

exactly! foreman is better for work across the board. the engine is oil/air cooled but will not give you any problems, it is a nice sized torquey power plant. the only benifits to the 420 in this situation is the EFI and being water cooled, but you cant beat a foreman for work! IMO it is worth the $1,000 dollar diffirence for the foreman for your purposes. cuz you wouldnt buy a volkawagon to pull a horse trailer with, youd buy a pick up

 

Foreman is a great machine for work. Is there ever enough power? The added power will help for whatever tasks you may throw at it. Especially if you plan on just doing work.

 

The Foreman is the quintecential work quad! These things have a solid reputation going back 20 years. It is not fuel injected nor water cooled, but I wouldn't make my decision based on either one of those. Get the Foreman!

 

the 420 rancher only makes 1 less hp than the forman, and thats all because of the liquind cooling and the fuel injection

 

Horsepower isn't everything. Especialy if your are plan on towing or hauling alot. If this is the case then torque is your best friend. I am not saying that the rancher isn't a good machine, because they are. I am saying that for working purposes that it isn't the best choice. The rancher is also has one rear shock and the foreman has two which will help on hauling payload. It is the same concept with trucks. A half ton may have the same horsepower, and may do the job, but a three quarter ton will have different gearing and payload abilities, and will be better for work.

 

I believe the rancher is the beter of the two machines, FI and liquid cooled make all the differents . you'll see that the first cold morning you go out to start the foreman. I wouldn't have a carb again. The rancher is the only choice of the two. I work mine every weekend.

 

For towing, dragging and plowing I'd go either Foreman, or if you prefer an automatic, Rubicon.

The Rancher is a great machine, but the Foreman is physically larger, and heavier, and has a larger clutch. EFI does have it's disadvantages, in that a Foreman can be pull started with a completely dead battery. Not having a water pump, with assorted hoses and stuff also keeps things simple. Rincons on occasion have been known to loose a water pump, especially the earlier ones (the hose to the weep hole was redesigned on later ones to keep grit from getting up into the seals). Water cooled quads can also have problems if the radiator gets coated in mud, or packed with chaffe from weeds. My Foreman, on the other hand, has never once had the high temp light come on.

The Rubicon would be the other choice, but it is more money. It is a hydrostatic transmission (like those used in some tractors) with a low range. It can also emulate a geared transmission by letting you select between 5 preset ratios with push buttons. It is also liquid cooled. They are excellent at dragging, plowing, and other heavy torque low speed tasks.

If you do go Foreman, even as a farm work machine I'd consider power steering. When I did farm work, we often would run a sprayer with one hand while steering with the other, or you would be reaching behind yourself to hold a gas can and grease gun on the back rack while going over potato ridges to service wheel line movers, or whatever.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: southwest45

you'll see that the first cold morning you go out to start the foreman. I wouldn't ave a carb again.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]i run my foreman all year round, starts up first crank in -30 degree weather, its all about the maintinance man. yes no chokeing an EFI, but no reason to knock it for me. the foreman is what you want, oil cooled, torquey, simlple! power steering would b a plus for youe application as JeffinTD said.