best atv for the mud

[05sierra]

im looking at buying a new bike to use mainly for the mud. what is the top 5 bikes for that? new or a few years old

[yunt2ride]

Polaris Sportsman 500 or larger (I Like the polaris')
Kawasaki 650 or larger (Prairie or Brute Force) The prairie is straight axle.
Artic Cat 650
Honda Foreman. I think the Honda guys don't like the Rincon as much as the foreman but they may chime in. Keep in mind that the foreman is a straight axle.
Yamaha Grizzly
And some people like the Suzuki King Quad

I would say get an independent rear suspension with whatever you choose.

[bruteforceski]

BE CAREFULL OF I.R.S YES THEY ARE A MUCH BETTER, SMOOTHER RIDE THAN THE STRIGHT AXLE HOWEVER THEY TEND TO PE A PAIN TO GET UN STUCK FROM THE MUD. IF YOU ARE IN A SITUATION WHERE A WENCH IS NOT USABLE YOU BETTER HAVE SOMEONE WITH A GOOD TOW STRAP AND A STRONG 4X4 OR AN ARMY OF MEN TO LIFT YOUR BACK END UP AND FREE IT UP. I HAVE A BF 650 STRT AXLE ITS NOT EASY GETTING IT OUT OF STUCK SITUATIONS, BUT BELEIVE IT OR NOT I HAVE BEEN STUCK SIDE BY SIDE WITH A POLARIS SPORTSMAN, WE WERE BOTH GOING THROUGH SOME REAL NASTY STUFF ALL DAY AND FINNALY OUR LUCK RAN OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A 100 YARD MUD FLAT, HE AND I WERE ABLE TO GET MY BIKE UN STUCK IN JUST A FEW MINUTES , UNFORTUNATLY WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET HIS OUT EVEN WITH MINE PULLING AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS WE FONNALY WERE ABLE TO GET A PRETTY BAD A$$ TRUCK IN AND GET HIS OUT, HE HIMSELF SAID AFTER THAT EPISODE HE WILL NEVER OWN IRS AGAIN. JUST MY TAKE AND STORY, USE IT WELL, GOOD LUCK!!

[yunt2ride]

May be so but that IRS has more ground clearance then the straight axles. You are not gonna be tugging on a 650cc quad very long anyways in my opinion. I like my sportsman IRS. First thing to do is get some good mud tires and you will be able to go in two wheel drive where you could only dream of going in 4wd with stock tires also.

[06LimitedPred]

BE CAREFULL OF I.R.S YES THEY ARE A MUCH BETTER, SMOOTHER RIDE THAN THE STRIGHT AXLE HOWEVER THEY TEND TO PE A PAIN TO GET UN STUCK FROM THE MUD. IF YOU ARE IN A SITUATION WHERE A WENCH IS NOT USABLE YOU BETTER HAVE SOMEONE WITH A GOOD TOW STRAP AND A STRONG 4X4 OR AN ARMY OF MEN TO LIFT YOUR BACK END UP AND FREE IT UP. I HAVE A BF 650 STRT AXLE ITS NOT EASY GETTING IT OUT OF STUCK SITUATIONS, BUT BELEIVE IT OR NOT I HAVE BEEN STUCK SIDE BY SIDE WITH A POLARIS SPORTSMAN, WE WERE BOTH GOING THROUGH SOME REAL NASTY STUFF ALL DAY AND FINNALY OUR LUCK RAN OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A 100 YARD MUD FLAT, HE AND I WERE ABLE TO GET MY BIKE UN STUCK IN JUST A FEW MINUTES , UNFORTUNATLY WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET HIS OUT EVEN WITH MINE PULLING AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS WE FONNALY WERE ABLE TO GET A PRETTY BAD A$$ TRUCK IN AND GET HIS OUT, HE HIMSELF SAID AFTER THAT EPISODE HE WILL NEVER OWN IRS AGAIN. JUST MY TAKE AND STORY, USE IT WELL, GOOD LUCK!!

Huh? You probably couldn't lift it out because Polaris' are so darn heavy.

I've had straight axle and IRS, straight axles when stuck tend to get caught in suction and are a major pain to lift out, IRS keeps all that stuff out of the way of mud suction.

[Anoriginal]

Hands down best ATV in the mud???






































































1983 Honda ATC 70 with Buckshot Mudders.   

[MadMudder]

Polaris Sportsman 500 or larger (I Like the polaris')
Kawasaki 650 or larger (Prairie or Brute Force) The prairie is straight axle.
Artic Cat 650
Honda Foreman. I think the Honda guys don't like the Rincon as much as the foreman but they may chime in. Keep in mind that the foreman is a straight axle.
Yamaha Grizzly
And some people like the Suzuki King Quad

I would say get an independent rear suspension with whatever you choose.

Ill just go with what he said. We have a sportsman too and it is great.

[Southern4x4]

the foreman,non ES.

[Hondabeefast]

i had a honda rubicon 500 with mud bug's on it and it would go anywhere you wanted it too.

[mistercorbin]

My Outlander 800 with 29.5's snorkel, skids, lift..The works.. 

Oh yea, its for sale =P 

[Palmettobay_recon]

yamaha bigbears are awesome mud machines, they are geared extremely low so they can turn oversized tires and pull through the nastiest of nasty.

[Kawa3]

Arctic Cats, eaither the  650H1 or 500manuel. H1s will turn 29.5 laws stock easy has most gc and quite a bit of lifts are around for Arctic Cats. 500s will turn the 29.5s with very few mods.

[TurboGSXR]

Ha Ha....This question is like asking someone...."Which is better, Blondes, Brunettes, Redheads or Black hair.

hahahahaha

[LeBlanc Outdoors]

The one your riding, if your not playing its no fun at all.   Doesn't matter to me if I'm on my Polaris 700, the wifes 2wd 250 or my son's Honda 125.  If I'm spinning 'em in the mud I'm smiling.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[digginfool]

This is no BS.  My Prairie 400 4x4 with Vipers has never been left behind.  The bottom line is get good tires and use good technique and you will do as well as anybody else on any other machine.

[Fox17]

i personally perfer honda but, they are ALL good. find a sweet lookin one, get the right tires, and go play. we have 2 ranchers, a recon and a 300ex. all we love the ranchers for the mud but they are kinda small so if you want huge tires get a bigger one. it is more fun to play on one in mud than sit here and debate for 6 months. me and my dad counted and we have had 21 bikes in 2 years. we got into the sport in november 2004. if you dont like the one you get, get another one.

[SWAMP_DONKEY]

ARCTIC CAT 500 MANUAL.... TEST AFTER TEST THIS ONE BEETS THEM ALL IN THE MUD.




    BUT.................... YOU BEST KNOW A GOOD RE :oPAIR SHOP

[Loopy]

Hands down best ATV in the mud???

1983 Honda ATC 70 with Buckshot Mudders.   

110cc w/ 21" cheveron paddle tires - extended axles.

200s w/ 22" swampers

unbeatable.

[Bleedsblue]

No offense Honda guys but most of the Hondas don't even have low gear and if you mud ride that is important. When you consider what they cost and the lack of options that most other ATV's have that they don't and how little power they have in their respective class it makes it a bit more obvious. Artic Cat's have the most GC and can fit and turn most any tire with little or no work. Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki have some good models with low range, diff lock and some very nice features that handle the mud pretty good. Polaris I've seen nothing but problems and most will steer clear of agressive tires as they break too many parts.

/slipping into fireproof suit...

Bill

[Joedirt]

I agree Bill...

[yunt2ride]

Polaris I've seen nothing but problems and most will steer clear of agressive tires as they break too many parts.

/slipping into fireproof suit...

Bill

Ok Lets see how many owners of any brand has got mud tires on their quads or still running something close to stock. Remember to put the brand and size.

I have a 500 with 26inch mudbugs and one 500 with 28inch dirt devel XTs.     NEXT

[qt314nfla]

I have a '99/'06 Wolverine/ATP w/ warn 424 riding on 26x12x12 Maxis Sur Tracks all the way around.

You want a bike that'll go through anything weight can be a factor as to what to buy  Watch Mtg_man's kids on a recon w/ mud tires and they go through everything the big bikes go through.  Mine will do the same but I am not a heavy rider and my bike weighs almost half what the 500cc+ bikes weigh. 

If you're going honda I'd go w/ the rubicon aka foreman over a rincon.  Suzuki I'd say King Quad, Twin Peaks or Vinson.  Kawasaki Brute Force is powerful.  Yamaha I say go w/ a Rhino.  Avoid larger tires on certain year grizzley's they snap axles.  I know nothing about artic cat or polaris to suggest.

Only one thing is consistant w/ mudding....tires make all the difference in the world!

[Bleedsblue]

Polaris I've seen nothing but problems and most will steer clear of agressive tires as they break too many parts.

/slipping into fireproof suit...

Bill

Ok Lets see how many owners of any brand has got mud tires on their quads or still running something close to stock. Remember to put the brand and size.

I have a 500 with 26inch mudbugs and one 500 with 28inch dirt devel XTs.     NEXT

Mudbugs are not an agressive tire Tony. Outlaws, EDL's and Mudzillas are agressive tires. If I recall you've said on more than one occasion you won't run Outlaws because they just break parts.

Bill

[MadMudder]

Well, I think we need some definition clearing up. Agressive compared to stock or compared to mud only tires. I say any tire other than stock is agressive. Although I find this whole topic stuipid. You mind as well rename it to what you drive. Very few people are honest enough to say that another brand is better then what they drive even if it is. Also personal exprience is to consider. A friend of mine has a 96 sportsman (which is the year it came out) and he does regular maitnence and he just replaced a few parts for the first time other than filters and stuff like that. So I say get a quad thats in your budget, get some good tires, and go riding. They are all good quads. There isnt one brand thats just horrible and one is the best. Just factor in price and upgrades and all that and you will have the best mud quad.

[yunt2ride]

Nope Bill, You have a set of Mud Bugs also. There plenty aggressive, just not as much as outlaws. I go almost anywhere and then some with them. The only difference that I have seen that I may want outlaws are in Georgia where its all gray clay, and the extra side tread would kake the difference in those ruts when you bottom out. I may have said that most people running 800s have outlaws and break things because the 800 has so much power that they break things after they get in the thick mud and go down. I love the mud bugs and have followed them all. most of the time in two wheel drive.