ATV advice

[jr50]

I am looking to get a 4 wheeler this fall and don’t really know much about them.  I will use it primarily for hunting and ice fishing.  Right now I have a flip over style ice house and a Jetsled to pull out if I take a hub style house.  What are things I should be looking for in a 4 wheeler, power steering, heated grips and other options that you find worth the money.  My plan for hunting is to use it to pull a flatbed trailer to set decoys, same trailer I haul it on.  I’m thinking the 500 size range is as small as I would go.  Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Jr50

[meandcuznalfy]

Slime the tires and carry a small tire pump, preferably foot operated and a plug kit, if you buy a belt driven make sure the clutches are in good working order and carry a extra belt.

[SpitzoMT]

1. Winch - 2500# minimum
2. Tire plug kit
3. Hot hands/thumb
4. V-Bar chains

Handguards & a fairing/windshield will eliminate alot of the wind chill while driving. 4 out of the 5 atv's I've owned were belt driven & I never had a belt problem with any of them. Good idea to carry a spare belt tho. 500cc will more than likely get the job done, but I've always preferred the 700cc+ class for the extra oomph. Not even gonna mention any brand names because then this will turn into another Ford vs Ram vs GM thread. Good luck with your search & keep us posted !!

[Skywagon]

I am looking to get a 4 wheeler this fall and don’t really know much about them.  I will use it primarily for hunting and ice fishing.  Right now I have a flip over style ice house and a Jetsled to pull out if I take a hub style house.  What are things I should be looking for in a 4 wheeler, power steering, heated grips and other options that you find worth the money.  My plan for hunting is to use it to pull a flatbed trailer to set decoys, same trailer I haul it on.  I’m thinking the 500 size range is as small as I would go.  Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Jr50

You may not get in the situations that I do in the bush, so take that into consideration, but if I ordered a new machine today this is what I would need to be completely satisfied:

Start out with a big frame machine, something with good clearance.
Tall tires with somewhat aggressive tread.
Power is not usually an issue for me, so whatever is standard with that model as long as it is a fuel injected engine.
Definitely power steering, once you have had it, you won't be without it.
Handwarmers.
Winches are one of the most important items to me, I have no use for wimpy winches.  I would buy a quality 4000# winch for the front and one for the back, you want rope, not cable. 
Pick a brand that will give you good dealer support and you will be set for years to come.

[ice dawg]

I would look for locking differentials  so you have all four wheels driving you.

[bigstorm]

I would look for locking differentials  so you have all four wheels driving you.

Ya, front locking diff has come in handy a few times for my on my Kodiak 700 when ice fishing

[ice dawg]

Ya, front locking diff has come in handy a few times for my on my Kodiak 700 when ice fishing

I have a Viking 700 and wouldn't be without it. I don't like the idea of the having to spin the rear tires to get the front end to kick in.

[eyeflyer]

You may have bought a unit already. Not sure if your looking for a quad or a SxS but I would go with the SxS. The quad is smaller so a bit more mobile but the SxS has more uses and has room for another person. Each to their own but I have a SxS now and would never go back. My unit did not come with an enclosure but I added one, light bar front and back, and 3 gun holders. I only use a small propane heater for heat but the enclosure made a huge difference for warmth.

[jr50]

I haven’t bought anything yet.  In this economy I am holding off for another season.  I am considering a SxS as well so it’s easier to have a second person with. 

[thinblueline]

At almost 52 years old I just bought my first, and last, atv, so I’ll tell ya what played into it for me. I have a 5x8 utility trailer with a ramp and no side by side will fit on it, and because I’m not going to buy another trailer just to fit a side by side, my decision for an atv was made. Next came new or used, so my wife made that decision by saying there was no way I was buying a new one.

With those decisions made, I was looking to stay under $5,000 and get the cleanest atv I could find, and one which had not been used to plow snow, nor one with a ton of miles.

On the issue of reliability history, I decided to stick with the big four Japanese brands, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki.

On size of motor, I had friends say for just ice fishing and pulling around my utility trailer loaded with waterfowl hunting equipment, that anything in at least a size 400 would dutifully serve my purpose.

Regarding the fuel injected vs carbureted debate, neither of these would be a deal breaker in my search. I was a little turned off to some reports of fuel injected motors not starting in extreme cold, which as I understood it, is related to battery voltage. I’ve heard of guys putting hand warmers around their batteries, or keeping spare relays in their pocket to keep them warm. I almost was more drawn to the old school carbureted motors which even though they might be difficult starters in the cold, they would still start. Add to that on the 400 size of carbureted motors, it wasn’t uncommon to find machines with back up recoil starters, if the battery died. This appealed to me too, as I guess anything above a 400 wasn’t likely to have a recoil starter.

As for the extra seating, 95 percent of the time I’m by myself, and if I have a partner, they can ride on the trailer which will be loaded with ice fishing equipment or duck decoys. I simply wasn’t looking for a machine just to go joyriding trails. I just have no interest in that.

In the end, being ready to buy at a moments notice, I jumped on an exceptionally clean 2009 Suzuki 400AS Kingquad which has no frills, bells or whistles. It only had 1200 miles on it, a simple cable lever for switching between 2wd and 4WD, an automatic transmission, a carbureted engine, and a recoil back up starter. I test drove it and the machine easily pushed my 265 pounds down a paved road reaching a speed of 50mph, which I’ll probably never hit again as I just won’t drive the machine like that. Point being, it seemed to have plenty of power to tow my little trailer around.

The machine did not have a winch on it, but it’s so light a couple guys seemingly could yank it out from being stuck, and I tend to avoid things that look like they could get me stuck anyway. I plan on putting chains on the rear tires for driving on snow and ice, and I’ll put something on the front to hold my auger.

So that’s about it.

[jopes]

I had a old 1988 Honda foreman.   Always started didn't have a issue pulling a thing for ice fishing.   But the suspension was so hard riding due to the age I talked to the wife and she said go buy a new one. 

That I did.  2020 Honda foreman. 520, efi.  Electric shift, front locker, and electric steering.   It did not come with a manual pull starter.  I did how ever add that to the ATV, a light bar up front, heated handle grips and a 3500# winch.   Also stepped up from the 25" tires to 27's and it does just great here.

It's street legal and insured so I can drive it to town or any place I want to.   

Currently we have gotten a lot of snow and looking pretty hard at a set of tracks for the ATV.    Maybe next year.

I went new because I didn't want to deal with someone else's problems.