I have a 2003 Yamaha Big Bear 400 on command 4x4.
It is a workhorse. I have stuck it a few times, but it was not the ATV's fault. I need to rebuild the carb, but other than that, I have not had one bit of trouble with it, and it has almost 1000 miles on it.
My next one will be a Yamaha Rhino, but that is for the side by side option.
I have a 4wd truck... If the truck cannot make it God gave me two feet.
Just a "For what it is worth" comment. Many farmers around here have 2 or 3 4-wheelers, with bad brakes, and where the horse ate the seat, and has a flat, and needs some help. The farmer got tired of thinking about it, and went out and bought a side-by-side, and has NOT run the 4-wheeler in 2 yrs.
You can often pick these up, replace the brakes, clean the carb, put a new seat on it, paint it a bit, and get several more years out of them. They will often sell these for 500-1000, and you can even trade part of the survey for them.
This says several things.
1.) The farmer loved the side by side, and never went back.
2.) You can get a good deal on the 4-wheeler, that has smaller problems.
Just a thought.
N
I have a 1999 Arctic Cat and wouldn't trade it for anything... except maybe a side-by-side. I also keep a Mule that belongs to the company I work for. That it the roughest riding rig I have ever tried to ride in. It's an older model, not sure how old. The suspension does not have enough travel. On rough cleared ground I would stay stuck if it didn't have a differential lock.
Another contractor on the same jobsite has a newer model John Deere that flies around like it was riding on finished asphalt. It must have a completely different suspension than the Mule. I would consider it, especially if it was not my money.
James
We have 2 Polaris Rangers for field use when needed. They're another tool to be used when needed, and like a good shovel, there are times when they do the job better than anything else. We have a range pole mounted on the side of the box, works great for continuous topo jobs. there have been quite a few jobs where the Rangers have really helped us stay within budget for time. I suggest looking for a good used side by side - maybe Craigslist?