Honda 400 rancher or Polaris 570 sportsman

Have a Honda foreman 45O manual shift from 2OOO. Have had it since new and we’ve literally beat it to death and it’s still going. For plowing, food plots, etc, it’s an amazing machine. For trail riding, it sucks. What makes it a beast working, also makes it’s ride skunk up the car, it stinks. Straight axles are awesome, but hurt the back.

Have a Kawasaki prairie six fifty. Great power, except that rubber band has to be the dumbest idea ever for a working wheeler. Rides way better than the Honda. Is a beast trail riding. Gets hot when working it, always have to be mindful of that rubber band that drives the wheels, it’s a gas hog, no where near as reliable as Honda, but rides better. Still a good machine and have beat that one pretty hard working food plots and plowing.

If it was all for work, hands down, Honda.

If you want a nice looking/riding machine, with very questionable reliability, go Polaris. I love their ride and looks a lot too.

basseyes wrote:

Have a Kawasaki prairie six fifty.

If you ever want to sell it, send me a PM.

On a side note, I got a phone call from Polaris again today…My (now sold) 2014 570 has another fire hazard recall. Didn’t elaborate as to what the problem was, and the website doesn’t say anything other than the LAST fire hazard recall from this summer.

If I may jump in here…
I am looking to get an ATV for some work around the ranch. not hard, rough work, but I live 60 miles from the nearest town of any size so I need something dependable. I have the chance to buy a 2012 Can Am 500 Outlander with less than 150 miles on it and was well taken care of. But will that machine stand up to the use of ranch work, or is it just a trail riding machine. Thanks in advance for your advice.

@barthrees – I’m not sure what year machine a friend of mine has but he has had it for at least 5 years now. He and his wife ride the trails around Antigo almost every weekend in the summer. They also head up into the UP often which is probably about 50-60 miles one way. Other than routine maintenance I can’t recall them having any major repairs. (and he doesn’t baby stuff) lol

I know they put on more than 150 miles in a weekend so if that is where you’re starting off you’re probably good to go for a long time.

I’ve never owned the Outlander 500, but I did own a 400 for about 5 years. It was an awesome machine, just lacked a little in the power department but could still pull an ice house on the lake just fine. The components surrounding the small bore v-twin machines are mostly the same as the higher HP (650, 800, 850 and 1000) units. If they can handle that kind of abuse, they should be able to tackle anything you throw at them.

The weakest link to any CVT machine will be the CVT clutch, obviously. Reduce the strain by keep it in the proper gear and use low range for any slower riding and especially when towing. Always make sure the air filter is clean, oil is topped off and clean and the radiator is free of debris and it should give you years or reliability.

FWIW, my Honda rancher 350 has over 6,000 miles on it with almost no maintenance and still runs as good as mile 1.

404 ERROR wrote:

FWIW, my Honda rancher 350 has over 6,000 miles on it with almost no maintenance and still runs as good as mile 1.

Good to know. Curious, do you have the auto transmission or the manual shifter?

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Good to know. Curious, do you have the auto transmission or the manual shifter?

-J.

Push button manual (ES), not the foot shift. The reverse sensor is the only issue I’ve had, and it was just dirty.

404 ERROR wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>basseyes wrote:</div>
Have a Kawasaki prairie six fifty.

If you ever want to sell it, send me a PM.

On a side note, I got a phone call from Polaris again today…My (now sold) 2014 570 has another fire hazard recall. Didn’t elaborate as to what the problem was, and the website doesn’t say anything other than the LAST fire hazard recall from this summer.

Checkout their website today!
They are whistling a different tune after the fines imposed on them.

Polaris hit with $27M penalty for failing to report vehicle problems – StarTribune …
m.startribune.com › polaris-industries-pa…

This thread has helped me. Three months plus and I still get good info. I bought the Honda Rancher 420 ES in December. Beat the heck out it ice fishing on Winnie and surrounding lakes. The lighter weight probably has saved me a few times from the slush and deep snow. Now I’m in the market for a used Honda 500 class foreman, Yamaha Grizzly, or a can am. Any ideas on what to look out for buying a used Honda, grizzly, can am?