Beefing up a 4wheeler for trapping

I just got a Honda 420 Rancher and want to put heavy springs, etc on it for gear and beaver. Any experience or suggestions? The factory springs aren’t near heavy enough.

I run a 2013 420 rancher you can adjust the shocks to be stiffer they are sat on the softest setting from the factory. I also run a heavy wall extremely aggressive tire and found the stiff side walls helped eith the weight and the aggressive mud tires seem to not tear up fields and mud roads as bad as the factory style tread

Thanks. I do need better tires than what came on it for sure. We cranked the shocks all the way up, but I’m still thinking of going to heavier ones. Born2trap you running 6 ply tires?

6 Ply ITP's all the way!

*44:

I've run nothing but Honda's my whole life. My advice and experience is that the bike is only going to haul so much. You can beef up springs, etc. but all you are really doing is transferring the load to some other place on the bike, typically the frame. The fear frame of the bike in particular is susceptible to wear and tear over time under a load. I've had three Foremans and one Rubicon and I've busted the frame on every single one of them. Just a word to the wise. If you load the bike down with all that gear, it will eventually break the frame some place.

Good luck.

And all that load makes it top heavy and unstable. I stepped up to a side by side that is made to handle the weight.

Everyone's needs, terrain and pocket books are different. A side by side doesn't work for me for a number of reasons, but I work next door to a Honda/Yamaha/Polaris dealer and I ogle them every day. I've been able to make it work for me on my cat lines by hauling gear in my Tacoma when I'm scouting, caching traps along my trap lines. Then when I go back to set traps, I just haul what I can comfortably carry from stash to stash. When it's time to pick up a line, I just reverse the process and stash traps with the Honda so I can pick them up with the Tacoma. Usually I will GPS each stash and then sometimes make a night hunt with the Tacoma to come back and get the traps. This works for me, but each to his own.

Sounds like I need to trade regularly.

Good points, thanks.

TRAPPING IS DEFINITELY HARD ON ATVS my Honda rancher 450 is having a few issues that need addressed before next season. broke the rear shock! My intentions are to design a dual shock system. But as laz said my next break will be the frame! but for beaver trapping nothings more versatile than a 4 wheeler. I couldn't agree more on running 6 ply tires made mine ride 100% better. Even with a broke shock it was some what stable.

Broke the rear shock mount on my 2017 Foreman, way back in the boonies. Luckily there was an old fence so I robbed enough wire from the fence to wire the base of the shock mount to a divot in the axle. Limped about 11 miles back to the truck that way. I saw a documentary one time on race car engines and the take away was that they build the engine to develop as much horse power as possible. Then it will reach a breaking point where some part of the engine fails. Then they address that failure and do it again, knowing that another part of the engine will fail, and they will beef that up, etc. Its a constant battle of fixing the weakest part of the engine. So it is with ATV's and trapping. Steve Wood said it best in one of his DVD's when he said the phrase "Trapper Tested and Approved" should be the standard that all manufacturers strive to achieve.

Trapping is definitely hard on atvs, but without one it is much harder on your body. And much SLOWER.

Dont think of it as a hauler, think of it as express with a few traps.Don’t try to carry everything at once. 6 traps may be enough for a whole farm. That means 6 traps, 6 stakes, lure, urine, bait, tools, and you. Later it may mean 6 catches. Can you leave most gear in a truck or trailer and replenish?

Use a heavy duty plastic sled. I do this all the time. Tomorrow I will be hauling brake rotors to a beaver job on a sled. Use a small trailer

Save up and get a side by side. There are plenty used for sale.

I use a small trailer to, when I have a lot to carry.

I have a Yamaha Kodiak 700. I haven't found a need to beef up anything on it, it's plenty tough as it is. They are an expensive purchase so I don't beat on it but I take it anywhere I feel like going. Front and rear racks are more than adequate for what I do.

I use a trailer for hauling trapping gear and fur.Not enough room on the bike for stuff if you are doing a longer run.

im picking one up next month. I plan to use it when pastures are to muddy to drive my pickup into. haul it pasture to pasture on a trailer. will not need to haul a lot of weight other than me. couple extra traps drags and stakes . kill pole. dead stuff. I keep extra trap tags, pliers, safety wire and swivels in my trap bag

I like Boco’s trailer! I saw a picture from the back and it doesn’t have a straight axle. I like that idea. That’s going to be my next build.

Is the axle more like this " ^ " (not as steep, of course)

I would say, yes. I would still put support on the spindles for strength.

The rack is handy too.

Agree - they are rugged and super aggressive tires.

While changing chassis bushings I drilled and installed zerk fittings. Can pump a lot of water and gunk out with grease gun. Those race bikes never needed bushings again.
Fixed plastic by drilling and stitching with zip ties, some looked like Frankenstein.

I want one for trapping.

Wow. You guys seem to break a lot of stuff on ATVs. I expect mine to carry an outboard, six or eight beaver, as well as maybe a boat on my bush trailer as far as I want to take it through our rough rocky trails. I drive my 900 lb waverunner as well as 1000 lb trapping boat down the road a few miles and launch it all the time with the wife, dog, and gear all on the atv...squats the trailer tongue to the ground. Never broke anything in seven years. Plowed with it for many years also.

I use mine as daily drivers to work year round and I had one fuel pump and a relay on the winch go bad once. Broke the tongue off the trailer once hauling 600 lbs of beaver carcasses into the bush. But shocks and frames breaking? No way. I feel like i would be switching brands if I broke something critical like that despite the abuse.

Sounds like you bought the right make / model Hutch?

I travel pretty light. Don't take a lot of extra stuff and improvise with what I have.
Have never broken anything on either of my quads but I do get off and walk a distance rather than try to 4 wheel it through some nasty territory. I need that thing to get me back to the truck or house and sure don't want to walk all the way home!!
I'll use my 2 wheel drive Kawasaki until the mud and snow gets too bad them switch to the Honda Rancher 4x4.
Boco's trailer is really cool. Wonder if he keeps that thing under lock and key... LOL!! He has it down to a science, no doubt.

Boco how long is that bridge in the last pic? Did you build it?

That is an old logging bridge firerat-two big I beams under it.Its about 40 feet long.

I don't know about beefing up a 4 wheeler. But when I was down In the swamps of SC the guys would deflate a basket ball then shove It up under the front end then inflate It. Made that wheeler pretty buoyant when dealing with water.

Anybody trap with a ATV/UTV with tracks? Just curious about how they work on bare ground vs deep snow. Seems like they might be almost unstoppable!

They are pretty much unstoppable. Many times I've been in snow over my head on my wheeler with no problems at all. Very stable and will go practically anywhere.

The downside is they "gear down" your bike so you are always running at about 1/3 speed. The other problem is gas consumption. Figure on getting about 60% of what you normally get as far as mileage.

when your trying not to rut up a muddy pasture , is a small trailer better than a big box on the back for some spare traps etc and dead stuff?

Hey Boco, have you got a set of plans or any measurements for the trailer?

No I didn't make it,I bought it at Canadian Tire.The only thing I had done was to get my welder to lengthen the tongue,and I put a lid on it.(It bounces like a MF).
Are you thinking of making one?I could maybe take a couple pics if you let me know what you need to see?