Ah, the joys of hunting in mountains. Heck, it ain't fun till you roll one down a hill about a hundred feet.

that will happen a lot if you make the mistake of starting up the slope in too high of a gear and then right before you bog down, down shift and let er eat...Woe nelly, talk about flipping one....

hell, I use to wreck and flip em for fun. I was sure enough ruff on em, but dang it was fun

I did too.....when it was my daddy's money

I've owned many different brands and I presently own a Honda the best by far in my opinion. It starts every time and all the stuff on it works. Rolling a four wheeler is more likely to happen hunting in the mountains than anywhere else. I suggest not adding big tires and wheels to what ever you buy keep the four wheeler low as possible spend money on skid plate. I think 4 wheel drive is a must not so much for the mud but for the added traction going up steep hills and trails. Any four wheeler will carry you along the nicer roads and trails but a gutsy four wheeler will carry you through the rough stuff.

Paul; I've got a Honda Foreman, 475cc. Love it. I think you could get a Rancher and be in good shape. I would not get the Polaris. I am just not a fan of belt driven ATVs, especially if youre gonna ever deal with water. If that belt gets wet, it will slip. Not sure what your budget is, but when I was looking at used ATVs, I ended up just getting a new one for only a little bit more in price. They hold their value pretty well all things considered. I also went bigger because I am a big guy and ride mountains.

At this point I have decided not to buy my neighbor's rigs and I will most likely go for a Honda. I will be dealing with water and steep rocky trails. Leaning towards a 350cc or so I can ride tighter trails ... I can probably get away with that since I'm half your size eh?

LOTS of great info here, thanks to all of you for educating me. Keep it coming ...

Rocket I have a 350 and weigh 265 and I have no problems with hills or mud or rocky terrain.

Cool, I'm 5'8" 205 lbs

Rocket that will be plenty. My 300 will carry around 2 grown men easily.

Do those bikes have one or two rear springs? I was going to get the 420 rancher but it only had one rear spring and i felt cramped on it.

One, most only have one. they haul alot more weight than you think.


As far as being cramped I said it would do it no problem but I meant power wise. None are that comfy with two grown men unless its a side by side. Im comfortable by myself on it or Josh's 420.

Skid plates are a must have also power steering is nice.

I meant it felt like my knees where in the handle bars

I say find whatever you want that is automatic and has power steering...makes a world of difference in those mountains, I promise. I have a grizzly 700 and I have yet to find a place mine can't go.

What power ATV do u recommend if you plan to use it for food plots? To pull a tiller?

Rent a tractor

if it's the same one you've had last few years, it looks like it's been to hell and back!

Foldemup it looks like he has been convinced by the Honda crowd. If he or most were to ride the 550 or 700 grizzly they wouldn't want another Honda

Like I said, haven't yet found a place it can't go! LOL!