Very general newbie questions

[MoKelly]

I have a Suzuki Vinson 500 (4 wheel Drive). I do everything you have mentioned plus lots of work on the farm hauling and pulling.

It has worked flawlessly.

It is liquid cooled which I like when pulling or going slow speeds for extended periods of time.

It is easy to maintain.

I very much recommend it for your needs.

It is no longer made (Suzuki replaced it with the King Quad) but there are good used ones available at decent prices.

Good luck.

MoKelly

 

[Steve C]

Really good information guys and hopeful as well. Thanks much, I'll keep researching until I find the deal I want.

My experience has been very similar to lakngulf's

I have had several ATV's both 3 wheelers and 4 wheelers. I have ridden them 3 or 4 thousand miles in every imanigable condition. The only time I have ever been seriously stuck was when riding in the winter in snow that was a couple of feet deep, I have had them become "high centered" on packed snow with the wheels 6 or 8 inches off the ground.

I have climbed hills with 2 wheel drive atv's that 4 wheel drive machines couldn't make to the half way point. One hill in particular had a smooth area at the bottom that you could get a 300 foot long run to build speed. The heavy 4 wheel drive machines would use that area to get going as fast as possible to try to make it up the hill. We never saw one make it past the half way point. On my 2 wheel drive Honda 350X I could start at the base of the hill without any running start and gain speed all the way to the top up shifting as I went. I could even stop halfway up and continue climbing, but that was a very difficult thing to do because it was very easy to flip it over backwards when starting out on the steep slope.

In my opinion almost any atv with a 250 cc motor or larger would do everything you need to do. The smaller 2 wheel drive machines weigh a lot less than the huge 4 wheel drive models and they will still go through terrain that you wouldn't even considering walking through without getting your boots sucked off. And if you do manage to get it stuck it is a lot easier to pull out than one that weighs 150-200lbs more.

I now have a Kawasaki Bayou 300 cc 2 wheel drive. It is not a sport machine at all, it has racks on both ends. It is all you would need for the type of riding you anticipate doing. It is geared low enough to just crawl around in nasty terrain, yet it will still run 40 or 50 mph. The man I bought it from used it for plowing his rather long and wide driveway in the winter.

It isn't much to look at however it was inexpensive ($400) I bought it well used and had to do a little mechanical work on it to get it functioning properly. I get a lot of pleasure out of just putting around on it.

Sure I would like to have a huge 4 wheel drive with huge tires and power steering and a winch on both ends, but my riding experience in the woods and hills over the last 40 years has taught me that less is more unless you are racing. I have found that the smallest machine that is capable of doing the task (the right size) is usually the easiest one to use. This applies to chain saws, circular saws, dirt bikes and ATV's. While there is some enjoyment to having the biggest and the baddest, I personnely get more enjoyment out of using a tool to its full potential

This is a picture of one that is similar to mine. This size machine can be bought new for a very reasonable cost even new. Honda has a line of smaller 2 wheel drive utility atv's that dealers around here almost have to give away. I have seen the shaft drive 250's advertized for as little as $2500brand new.

Based on your description of what you want to do with it I think a similar machine would be a good fit for you.

 

[LBrown59]

Thanks for all the info guys. By way of explanation, the roads on the lease are mostly nice enough to drive a truck on so, yeah, they'd be fine for a gator type vehicle and I've certainly considered one. Just hit by sticker shock, that's all.

*By the way, some of the roads on my property aren't quite that nice and they can be steep in a few spots.

*Any way to use your tractor to make them nicer?

 

[GANGGREEN]

LBrown, the roads really aren't bad. I suggested that they aren't as nice because I have a steeper side slope with some switch back roads on it. You'd be able to travel on any of them with an ATV, you'd just have to watch the slope in a few areas.

Steve C, thanks for the alternate viewpoint. I value all the information that I've received on this thread and on TBN over the years but it does seem that people tend to recommend a bit more than you need at times.

MoKelly, that's interesting and appreciated. As it so happens, I found a Suzuki King Quad 450 (used) on the net and it's a pretty nice looking vehicle, I was going to ask for some reviews on it as well.

After some of the advice on this thread I've also looked at some of the newer XUV/RTV type vehicles. Most are very nice and would suit my needs but man, they don't come cheap, do they?

 

[Milo]

I'd mostly be getting to and from hunting locations, occasionally hauling my trapping gear (way less than 100 pounds even if I carried several dozen traps) and occasionally hauling a deer or possibly a bear out of the woods. I'm no speed demon and couldn't imagine ever wanting to go faster than 20 or 25 MPH (though the kids would probably test the machine's limits on the flat grade behind the barn).

Consider a Kawasaki Mule 610. I've owned a couple ATV's for some years. A Suzuki King Quad 300, and Honda Rancher 400AT, both 4 wheel drive. I like them, still have them both, and wouldn't want a larger ATV. But since I bought this Mule 610 I really don't use them much. The Mule gets used 80% of the time. It's just so much more useful, easy to get on and off, and unlike most UTV's will go almost anywhere the ATV's can go due to it's smaller size. I seldom see a used one for sale but a brand new one can probably be had for under $7K. I paid $6,300 for my new 06 three years ago.

 

[Steve C]

LBrown, the roads really aren't bad. I suggested that they aren't as nice because I have a steeper side slope with some switch back roads on it. You'd be able to travel on any of them with an ATV, you'd just have to watch the slope in a few areas.

Steve C, thanks for the alternate viewpoint. I value all the information that I've received on this thread and on TBN over the years but it does seem that people tend to recommend a bit more than you need at times.

MoKelly, that's interesting and appreciated. As it so happens, I found a Suzuki King Quad 450 (used) on the net and it's a pretty nice looking vehicle, I was going to ask for some reviews on it as well.

After some of the advice on this thread I've also looked at some of the newer XUV/RTV type vehicles. Most are very nice and would suit my needs but man, they don't come cheap, do they?

This would be hard to beat if you are looking at new machines.

Local Craigs List

Brand NEW!!!! 2009 Honda TRX250 Recon. 2 wheel drive, electric start, shaft drive, reverse, front and rear racks. Save $900 off retail. Green color.$2,995.00 + tax/title. (NO OTHER HIDDEN FEES) Call Brian at 989-375-2391 or 989-553-3278. Suzuki-Honda Sales of Elkton,Mi. 40 yrs in business.


畢ocation: Elkton,Mi.
品t's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

Consider a Kawasaki Mule 610. I've owned a couple ATV's for some years. A Suzuki King Quad 300, and Honda Rancher 400AT, both 4 wheel drive. I like them, still have them both, and wouldn't want a larger ATV. But since I bought this Mule 610 I really don't use them much. The Mule gets used 80% of the time. It's just so much more useful, easy to get on and off, and unlike most UTV's will go almost anywhere the ATV's can go due to it's smaller size. I seldom see a used one for sale but a brand new one can probably be had for under $7K. I paid $6,300 for my new 06 three years ago.

Love this photo...UTV...snow...dog...fire wood...stream...Don't get much better than that!

 

[GANGGREEN]

Steve, that looks like a good deal. Since I'd have to pay to have it shipped and couldn't really look it over or ride it, I'd have to pass but at least it gives you some bargaining leverage when you go to nearby dealers and can pass along what specials other dealers are offering.

Love the Mule Milo and I've been considering one.

After starting this thread the other day, I was driving around the county and mentioned to a friend that I was looking for an ATV/RTV/UTV and literally as the words escaped my mouth, I looked over and saw an ATV in a guy's garage with a for sale sign on it. I know the guy and pulled into his driveway to see what he had.

It was a Kawasaki Prairie 300 Automatic 4X4 with 741 miles on it, very clean. I asked what he wanted to get for it and he explained that he had just traded it to a dealer on a new one. I asked if he would tell me what they gave him and he said it was just under $3000 (I'm not sure what year his machine is but I'm thinking 2000-2002). I got a hold of the dealer and asked what they wanted for it (assuming I bought it and they didn't need to pick it up or recondition it) and he said that they were looking for $2500.

At that point I told him that I'd get back to him and we've been playing phone tag ever since. Honestly, I think I'd be a bit happier with a Mule or similar type vehicle but it seems like I might pick this up for 2K or a bit more and I think that would be a pretty good deal. Oh, btw, the machine has two longgun cases on it (I really only would need one and would only use that occasionally) and it also had a switch for a plow. I asked the owner about the plow and he said it was still in the box and had never been attached to the machine. I don't know what make/model it is but he said that we'd be able to "work something out", meaning I could get it for a little bit of nothing.

Any opinions?

 

[Milo]

Thanks JDGreen4me. I probably shouldn't admit this but the main reason I bought this Mule was for my dog. She used to trot along with me every time I took my ATV out. As she aged she would walk slower and slower but was still so excited to be with me. Then one day the wife pointing to a Polaris UTV said "why don't we buy one of those so you can take the dog with you? And we can use it for hauling stuff too." I said "I don't want to spend $10K on something like that plus it won't even fit on most of our trails".
Then one day picking up a filter for my Kawasaki KLR I saw I could pick up a new small Mule for close to $6K and since I had the wife's blessing I couldn't resist! Heck now she likes it as much as I do. I'll waste just a little more bandwidth with a picture of her and the dog having fun!

 

[Box5]

Look around for a nice used Honda foreman 400, or foreman 450. There in your price range, have 4x4, reliable, and good power for hauling.