ATV recommendations?

[Raider Bill]

I have a 98 350 Yamaha Wolverine, full time 4wd a bit hard to handle but good for visitors, a 99 400 Yamaha Big Bear which is my work buggie. Put some big racks on it and a winch. I doubt I would put another winch on one as it really drags the battery down. I also have a 2003 Honda Foreman. Brakes suck on this one. Drum brakes and red clay mud don't seem to like each other. Wish they were disc.

All 3 are power houses. I treat them like a red headed Step son with no mercy but they all perform very well. A friend has a Polaris and seems to replace the belt a lot doing the same work as I do.

I personally don't think I would ever need anything bigger than a 500.

I bought all 3 used. Big Bear has 6k miles on it still going strong.

[snowstorm]

just saw an ad for a new 2013 polaris sportsman500 $5600. i have 2 of them both have been trouble free. mine are 04's. polaris was the first to come up with a cvt that really worked. back in the 70's for there snowmobiles. the 500cc motor was made by fuji... subaru nice motor. flip the switch on the 4x4 and all 4 wheels have power

[Ljohnsaw]

Does anyone use a snow plow (or even a bucket) on theirs?  Wondering how those perform, if they are worth the effort/expense.

[davch00]

I would go with the Grizzly 550. I have a Yamaha Wolverine 450 4x4 and I love it. At the time it was the perfect atv for me. Sporty enough to play but still have 4x4..but have I known just a few month after I bought it I would buy some ground in the Ozarks I would gotten a utility atv.

Yamaha's engine braking is hands down the best. I've been on some fairly steep hills and actually have to give the 4-wheeler gas to keep from going to slow. I know a few people that have Rhinos and Grizzlys and they are the same way.

If I remember correctly the Grizzly is rated to tow more than the Rhino is. Some have already mentioned it but towing with a Atv becomes more about weight than power.

Anyways that is my 2 pennies worth..I also recommend finding a few people that have the models that you are interested in and take them for a test ride.

And oh the reason I say the 550 over the 700 is the 550 is the same size physically and will do everything the 700 will but maybe not quite as fast as the 700.

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have a plow on my little suzuki 250 and use it to clear next to doors and such around the farm when the snow isn't too deep. It will move quite a bit of snow if you have the time to do it (narrow and short plow takes forever). Reason I use it over my pickup is the visibility of the blade is great so you can see how close you are to things, and the maneuverability is outstanding, so i will clear around things (doors, gates, hay stack, etc) with it then jump in the pickup to clear the rest of the yard and driveways. 

[thecfarm]

My step son plows about a 300 foot driveway with his ATV. I think a Grizzly something. Works better if you can go out a few times each storm. REALLY have to move back the snow to have enough room for the winter. Can't plow like a truck,but as long as you don't take the full width of the blade with a foot of snow it does fine. Just like a manual mill,it will do it,just takes longer.

[Bobus2003]

I just Up-Graded my Quad.. I had a '06 Kawasaki Brute Force 650 4x4 Solid Rear axle.. Had 5K miles on it and it was beat on all those miles and all i ever did was put a Belt in it at just over 2000 miles. Since it was such a good machine i had to get another so i got a 2013 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 Fuel Injected 4x4, Indapendant rear suspention. Paid $5200 Out the door.. Thing has plenty of power for work or play..now i want some snow and test the new plow

[shinnlinger]

I'm late to this party but Im going to suggest you get a used tractor instead with a FEL for the 8 grand or whatever you were willing to spend.  My father has a Yamaha grizzly 400 and he does some work with it, but it is too light and flimsy to do anything more than plow a few inches of snow or drag more than a log AND it is absolutely no fun to drive at all.  My Kubota in high gear will give you more of a thrill than that quad and the kubota will do a heck of a lot more work.   KBB on my rig is only about 6k to boot so you could spend the other 2k on a cushman golf cart or a used raptor or dirt bike to fit the fun part.   

Would a dented/rusted late model 4x4 mini truck fit the bill?  also google Kei truck and see if you like those.

[Ljohnsaw]

<<snip>>
Would a dented/rusted late model 4x4 mini truck fit the bill?  also google Kei truck and see if you like those.

Lots of great ideas from you all.  I think I've decided I don't need the bigger models (big engines but no weight to make use of it).  I'm leaning toward a 450 or 550 Grizzly.  The idea of full diff-lock seems right for my steep property.

I'm just working on a 10 acre parcel (pretty steep in places) that I'm going to build a little timber frame cabin and a garage/workshop.  The area is near many lakes so I would keep my boat there for the summer.

I'm just doing hobby milling for the cabin, not a business.  Efficiency is not a priority.  The big problem is, I'm in California - land of inflated prices!   A mid-sized, well used Kubota would set me back at least $15k, an "ok" backhoe (if I wanted to use it for foundation work) would be about the same. (I've looked)  What I'm looking for is something for fun (aka a Quad), something to maybe move some snow so I can get to my cabin (or at least get my truck off the road) and potentially move some logs (with a log arch) - which I've seen examples posted here.

The thought of a thrashed (but not trashed) 4x4 crossed my mind.  I could put a plow on it and also use it for hauling logs - but I'm still short a Quad :  There are miles of back roads to ride the quad in the area that I think my son and I would love to explore once we get the cabin done.

Its not so much the money spent on a tractor and a quad, its that I don't think I'd use a tractor all that much (too steep).  I had an old Case farm tractor on my ranch.  Loved it, used it all the time, always found ways to do more because I had it - but that was flat land.  The little bit of hill I had was pretty scary on that tractor.  I agree a tractor in high gear IS a thrill!    I put my old Case into 4-high every now and then and it gets a movin' and a bouncin' :D  To make it even more fun, it didn't have brakes - just throttled down.

[jamesconley1962]

Does anyone use a snow plow (or even a bucket) on theirs?  Wondering how those perform, if they are worth the effort/expense.

John
     I have a 1999 Yamaha 600 4X4 Grizzly I bought used from the dealer.  I then had a high end plough added that is adjustable (left to right) with a pin and a higher end wench. This set up was around $1000.00 extra installed. It attaches and detaches with 2 pines on the under carriage, very user friendly.  I bought the plough with the full intentions of using it on my driveway instead of paying some one to plough it for me.  I bought a set of chains for the rear wheels at cabalas.  They were around $50.00.  I live in Northern Michigan where it gets a lot of lake effect snow, as long as you stay on top of it and keep your area wide so you have a place to put the snow, it works great.  Lots of people here use 300 cc 4X4 with manual ploughs and are very happy.  My 2 cents.  I do sometime get stuck but I really enjoy doing it.