Thinking about buying a utility ATV

[MrBond]

I'm thinking about buying a utility quad to use for plowing snow/general riding around. Price isn't really a factor and I always heard that Can-Am made excellent machines, but after doing some research it looks like the Outlander 800 has some pretty serious issues with the frame. Apparently it's easily dented and bent, some guys go so far as to cut the frame open and reinforce it with square steel tubing.

I could do that mod and buy full skidplates, but something about spending ~$400 on parts to fix a problem that should be fixed by the factory rubs me the wrong way.

Polaris makes an 800, but I've heard some people claim they spend more time in the shop than out in the field.

I'm looking at a Yamaha Grizzly 700 with power steering as well - it seems to be pretty well liked.

Anyone else have some suggestions? ATVs are kind of hard to research - the brand loyalty approaches "ATI vs nvidia" levels so it's hard to separate fact from BS on a lot of these forums I'm finding.

 

[LostWanderer]

I'm not all that into brand loyalty, but we have 2 Honda's and I can attest first hand to their toughness. 1 of them is a 300 that is a 1994 model. It's been beat up, banged up, flipped, rolled, overloaded, submerged, rode to death, you name it and it's still going. Finally in 2002, we bought its big brother, a 4x4 electric shift, and so far I have every indication it will be just as good. Don't get me wrong, we change the oil, keep 'em out of the weather, and take care of them like you're supposed to, but when you're ready to ride they're ready to go. So Honda is a good value in my book.

On another note, we have a snow blade for the 4x4 that works OK. More of a gimmick than real tool though because the way the blade is made you can't put enough down pressure on it to do any serious snow moving. If you're talking about scraping your driveway it might work. If you get any real snow you'd be better off getting a snow blower or something and saving your quad for riding and other utility work.

Hope it helps!

 

[MrBond]

That does help - although I'd sort of excluded Honda from my search because of their history of not really innovating because they had been the market leader for so long. I remember the neighbor trying to plow snow with a Foreman (I don't know what displacement but I'd guess under 500) without much luck. Their big bore model does have EFI and IRS, so I'll add them to the list to check out. I'm familiar with Honda reliability and that's a big plus.

 

[olds]

We have Polaris' and I wouldn't buy Polaris again.
If I was buying, the two you mentioned would be right at the top. I'd probably lean towards the Can Am. It had the better warranty but I am not sure if that's still true as I haven't looked. There are plenty of people that haven't had the frame issues.
I have ridden the Yamaha and for rock riding, the power steering will save your chest and arms. Probably for plowing too.

Can Am also makes the Renegade. It's a "sport" 4x4. Doesn't have enough storage room for me. We go deep into the woods and have to carry enough gear to be self sufficient if we break down.

http://forums.atvconnection.com/index.cfm

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Bigger is always better?

Arctic Cat Thundercat 1000 - 950CC of powa!

 

[mh47g]

Wrangler Rubicon

 

[olds]

Mine

 

[summit]

Originally posted by: MrBond
That does help - although I'd sort of excluded Honda from my search because of their history of not really innovating because they had been the market leader for so long. I remember the neighbor trying to plow snow with a Foreman (I don't know what displacement but I'd guess under 500) without much luck. Their big bore model does have EFI and IRS, so I'll add them to the list to check out. I'm familiar with Honda reliability and that's a big plus.

why screw with something that works well?

 

[mikej007]

I had a Yamaha Grizzly a couple years ago... :thumbsup:

That thing could take a beating...