best wheeler option for ice fishing

Wondering what people’s thoughts are on power level for a wheeler primarily being used for ice fishing. i’m looking at either a sportsman 570 or an 850

or if there is a different brand that is more reliable like a honda or yamaha?

also is the EPS worth it?

Gonna get a lot of different opinions on this. As far as power of all you want to do is tow a portable around you can do that with a 90cc kids atv. If you are trying to tow a fish house I wouldn’t go lower than 500cc and a 700 would be better.

I’m partial to Yamaha or Honda as far as brands but everyone has their preference. Can’t comment on EPS. I’ve heard some people say they would die without and some people say it’s not necessary at all

I have a Ranger 900XP and couldn’t ask more from it as far as ice fishing. Imo EPS is a must.

Personally if you had room for a dedicated wheeler just for ice fishing I’d look for a late 90s honda or yamaha that sports a carburetor instead of the newer efi models. One with a electric start and a back up pull cord or kick start. Nothing worse then being stranded on the ice with a machine that won’t start. Unless your putting tracks on any thing 4×4 300 or bigger is all you need. Another thing about an older one in nice condition is you’ll have money to modify to your hearts content and still be under the price of a new machine. That’s my opinion anyway, I’m sure someone will have a different opinion.

I use a 1987 Honda foreman full time 4×4 350 cc a beast for it’s money bulletproof

I have a 2016 polaris sportsman 570 without power steering. Had a few quirks here and there with batteries and relays but once I got those issues resolved it has been awesome for me. Never felt the need for eps for ice fishing or trail riding but have never had it. One must have thing for ice fishing is a windshield, I installed a polaris tall windshield on my wheeler this year and stay much warmer. Dont see a need for any more power than a 570 either unless pulling out a wheelhouse like others mentioned but even so the 570 should do the job if you have a tow behind trailer hitch to take the weight off the wheeler.

If you’re just pulling a portable around a 400 or 500 will do everything you need it to. Even if you are pulling something heavy you’ll probably be in low range anyway and have all the power you need. Some people love Polaris, some hate them. I’m not a big fan of them personally but a couple reasons are 1. The AWD isn’t always AWD. when I turn on 4×4 I want it engaged the whole time, not just when a tire starts to slip. 2. I despise the plastic racks. I like the storage underneath but if you want to strap something to the rack you have to really search for a tie down. I like to zip tie milk crates to the racks for ice fishing to carry minnow buckets, tip ups, etc. ESP I have never found worth it. Maybe if you were trail riding for hours on end it would be nice but to me it’s just another thing to break. No particular order of brands I would look at Suzuki, Yamaha, CFMOTO. Honda would be on the list if they made a automatic like the other brands. I always have issues with buttons on the bars freezing and the foot shift isn’t the easiest to get a boot under. Good luck!

Can’t see anything in ice fishing that would require more than a 500. Plenty of power and not unnecessarily heavy because sooner or later you’re going to meet that drift with your name on it.

Bast way to get specific recommendations is to state your budget.

What I found when looking at machines is that there are a lot of suburban garage queens out there. Guys just HAVE to have that wheeler for deer camp or whatever and then they get tired of it taking up half the garage. Unlike farm-country machines that get ridden hard and put up wet, lots of suburban machines have very low miles. If you’re patient and know what you’re looking for, a LOT of very good machines come up and would be great for ice fishing.

Grouse

I will add this on my comment about EPS. If you are talking atv it’s probably not as critical. UTV I would say it’s almost a must especially if you upgrade to a more aggressive tire than the factory. Factory tires are narrow and not that aggressive. I lost my EPS temporarily due to a low battery. not fun.

Couple years ago I bought a used Arctic Cat 550 EFI. Works great for me pulling the portable and plowing the driveway. I have never had a machine with EPS and don’t really see the need but guys who have it swear by it. EFI was a huge thing for me though, after having carb’d models growing up and dealing with those, its really nice to just hit the key, touch the starter button and it be running with no choke etc.

Another brand to check out is Can Am. I was about to buy one of their 570’s brand new before finding the deal on the Cat I bought. Well built machines and owners of em swear by em.

I’ve got a 450 on my CanAm and it has plenty of power. 4 wheel drive is a must.

EPS is overrated and just another failure point.

You better act fast on those”garage queens”as Grouse mentioned.And if they are not proud of them,they usually are sold within hours of listing.

I got a sportsman 570 eps a couple years ago. Pretty much perfect for everything I need it to do. Plowing/ice fishing. I’ve ridden a lot of wheelers without eps and would never buy one without it again. Its awesome for plowing but probably not as critical for pulling the portable. I’ve been kicking around the idea of upgrading to an 850. But that’s just the motorhead in me. That twin just sounds so much better, and the extra torque would be fun. Not necessary, but would be more fun in eyes.

I have a 2002 Yamaha Grizzly 660. Carbed model with no EPS.

It works well. I liked the Grizzly lineup because as someone else mentioned above, the 4 wheel is in when it’s in. No pressure sensors to tell it to engage and disengage when the machine determines necessary. You control it. Also has a front differential lock so you can lock in all 4 wheels and keep them locked in if needed.

Sometimes the steering can be a bit heavier with diff lock engaged but it’s not bad. I don’t see the requirement for EPS though I suppose it’s a nice creature confort on the machines that have it.

Mine had low hours and i snapped it up with cash several years back. Been a great unit with no real problems. Only comment is the 660s are notorious for being cold blooded and I agree that mine is, so I can see the benefit to having a newer fuel injected machine.