I think the Hondas are hard to beat. My son has an older Arctic cat 400, and its been bullet proof. I have a Suzuki and its been OK....not great. Just picked up a Yamaha last year and so far love it. Don't like the rear boots on the Can Am quads....no protection. They wouldn't last 5 miles on my trails.

Have a polaris magnum 330. Would be like new, I'd say less than 200 miles on it easy. It's burst into flames 3 times now. Known problem, no recalls. Afraid to take it anywhere cause you never know when it's gonna burst into flames. Can't sell it to anybody with a clear mind. My brother has a yamaha frizz 500. Now that's a nice machine.

Ranch I worked for had a Honda Foreman - That thing was like hammered rat poo from ranch abuse. But it started every time and would get you anywhere you wanted to go. I was so impressed with it that I bought a 2015 Honda foreman rubicon to use on my trapline.

I bought a 2015 holdover Yamaha Kodiak 700. The salesman who sold it to me helped me move it off the showroom floor and load it on my truck.

About four days later I received a panicked phone call from the salesman that sold me the wheeler. He gave me the wrong one. There were two on the showroom floor that looked almost identical at a glance but one lacked the power steering, a speedometer and an additional headlight. One thousand dollar difference in price.

I paid for the one lacking the additional amenities but he gave me the upgraded version. I offered to pay the difference but the easiest thing for him was for me to return it and make a swap. He was already embarrassed and I didn't want to add to his misery.

I returned it but not before I got spoiled by the power steering. What a difference.

Power steering is the best thing they ever did to them. I dont have it but have rode ones that did.

Depends on your needs. I only use mine for beaver trapping, and it's absolutely necessary for what I do. I didn't want to fight with storage boxes and other rigs so I'm going to build a custom storage rack to mount on the front of my bike that will neatly stow a dozen 280/330s, stabilizers, my driver, setters, maul, and it will have a narrow piece of 3" pipe welded on the side to hold the front ends of my kill poles/drowner rods. It may not work well for other people's needs, but it will hold exactly what I need to carry.

Something else to consider is whether or not you need a 4wheeler or a side by side. For me, I need a 4wheeler, because I need to get into places that I wouldn't want to have to deal with a trailer. There is a Honda side by side that can be loaded into a truck, so that's something else to consider. Still, it comes down to what you need. Some people need an ATV/UTV, and other people can do everything that they need from a truck or boat. I bought the Honda Foreman Rubicon with foot shift, independent rear suspension and power steering. I love it.

Is there an ATV tire that stands up to bean field stubble?

Mike

I like the ITP Mudlite AT myself. Im also a big fan of Slime. Put it in your tires and you WILL NOT have a flat

HONDA

Old Honda 350 four trax at deer camp. Been abused badly since 1992. Still runs great. Still gets the crap beat out of it. Great machine but not real powerful.

Been a Polaris Sportsman fan since 2004. Got big 600 twin brand new ,and recently got a used 2008 sportsman 800 EFI. with gorilla 30"ties on it.a few minor repairs ,did my maintenance my self and am happy to proclaim I love them. never a clutch problem or engine issue.
I have a Suzuki Eiger 400 2WD 2003 and that's one smooth running ride too..and No issue.
Keeping in mind I dont beat my equipment,never will and that's a Big part of long life.

So to bring this story to a end, If you have at least 2- 4 wheelers your always in business.

Thanks for all the support. I'm going to start looking at the Honda's as a first choice and go from there. I will probably go with a side by side since it might be more convenient for the all-around purposes that I can use it. I do want it to be able to plow some snow and the side by side might give me the weight required. Appreciate all the replies.

I have a 1997 Honda 300 Foreman. I bought it used 10 years ago and have had little to no problems. The only thing I would like and will do the next time is get a 400 or a 500 as this is my 3rd year of hauling sap out of the muddy woods and pulling a 50 gallon trailer with 5 five gallon buckets full is about all it can do when muddy. Hard ground it goes like a champ.

Bryce

bblwi, How does it do in the snow?

I had a Yamaha Rhino. I don't believe the footprint on that was much bigger than the Kodiak 700 I have now. Has the same engine. The nice thing about the side-by-side was the steering wheel. I could drink a cup of coffee while going over some nasty terrain and not spill a drop. And it had the bed.

Everybody whines about Polaris, but I have close to 5000 miles on my 2012 Sportsman 500 with on only issues being a torn CV boot and new battery.

CAN-AM. Bought a 2016 450 with power steering new and have 1800 miles an 140 hrs and not a single issue of any kind. I tested new Honda Suzuki Polaris and am very glad went with can am.

Mike in a town, Titan 589 tires, stiff ride but never had a puncture, I had 6500 miles on my 02 Rubicon, tire only lost 3/8" on tread, I put many miles on in wy, rocks, cactus, Iowa corn and bean stubble, I put them on my 2013 Rubicon too

A good 4 wheeler will get the job done with the snow. The plow can make a big difference. When you finally make a choice go with a Warn plow. My 05 Sportsman along with this plow are workhorses. I put the auto rotate on mine which is nice so you aren' getting off all the time. I had no issues with the wet snow last night and plowed the farm driveway up north on the farm for the first time this year. Can't really go wrong with any of the options listed although i would stay away from anything Kawasaki or Arctic Cat. I've run the Hondas, Yamahas, and Polaris. Never had any real issues with the Hondas or Polaris'. The Yamaha did go through front CV joints until Yamaha fixed the problem.

Thanks for the tip on the Warn plow. I'll definitely look at them. I'm more than likely going with a side x side since I'll probably have grandkids in a few years that I can take on rides and feel this would be the safest way for them to travel with me.