ATV Recommendation

[Doubled33]

The last time I was around an ATV the Honda 300 was relatively new.

Fast forward through the past 30 years of my life to today and I need a used ATV for around the yard.

I have 3ac grass and light woods. I have a house in front and a barn / shop-in back about 600’ away.

I need it to lug things back and forth and put limbs etc on to haul to a pile or trash.

Would like 4WD I think as in my mind would help pull small tree’s logs better but not sure. Yes/No? Too light to make a difference?

Out of my league on marketplace. Big mud tires, gear reduction, no brakes, snorkel, smokes, timing is off…etc…

What is a good ATV for my needs and should I stay away from the modified ones? 300cc? 400cc? Honda, Polaris, Yamaha etc…

Would like to spend 1 to 1.5k but is this realistic for reliable or is this the turd budget?

What is the average cost to make brakes work?

 

[swsman]

You should up your budget.

How handy are you when it comes to mechanical work?

For your use case full or part time four wheel drive would come in handy, as for engine size 350,400,450 could do what you are planning to do.

Plenty of older Yamaha/Suzuki/Honda/Kawasaki quads out there that will provide reliable service.

When I was in the market about 4 years ago, I bought a 2006 Yamaha Kodiak 450.

It comes factory with a front selectable locker, had a Warn winch on it. I also liked the fact of carburated atv for the ease of maintenance, it even has a pull cord start in the case starter/battery decide to act up.
I went through it, changed oils in engine, both diffs, air filters cleaned and lubbed (keep 3 filters for it).

Came with a good set of newer tires so that saved some $. Something to consider when you look at one, tires are not cheap and use it towards price negotiation.

 

[MileHighRover]

My father is on 3.5 acres (without the light woods you have) and bought a used golf cart to do the exact things you're wanting to do. Maybe an option for you.

 

[bugnut]

More q's than answers. Flat lot or hillside? going to get amazon boxes & mail? off road use or general puttering? snow removal? lawn grooming? good knees? big trees-can't get my arms around or small trees fit in one arm? short wood firewood size or long wood making boards? hunting? fishing? camping,? towing?

Answers change what functions best.

I have a couple vehicles, but used for different functions.

 

[Doubled33]

You should up your budget.

How handy are you when it comes to mechanical work?

For your use case full or part time four wheel drive would come in handy, as for engine size 350,400,450 could do what you are planning to do.

Plenty of older Yamaha/Suzuki/Honda/Kawasaki quads out there that will provide reliable service.

When I was in the market about 4 years ago, I bought a 2006 Yamaha Kodiak 450.

It comes factory with a front selectable locker, had a Warn winch on it. I also liked the fact of carburated atv for the ease of maintenance, it even has a pull cord start in the case starter/battery decide to act up.
I went through it, changed oils in engine, both diffs, air filters cleaned and lubbed (keep 3 filters for it).

Came with a good set of newer tires so that saved some $. Something to consider when you look at one, tires are not cheap and use it towards price negotiation.

Very handy with mechanical work. I don't mind something that needs some work, but not something that needs it all the time and not a complete over haul as my time is better spent elsewhere.

I like your ATV that would be perfect for me I think

 

[Doubled33]

My father is on 3.5 acres (without the light woods you have) and bought a used golf cart to do the exact things you're wanting to do. Maybe an option for you.

gave that a thought, but ATV is better suited with the terrain.

 

[Doubled33]

More q's than answers. Flat lot or hillside? going to get amazon boxes & mail? off road use or general puttering? snow removal? lawn grooming? good knees? big trees-can't get my arms around or small trees fit in one arm? short wood firewood size or long wood making boards? hunting? fishing? camping,? towing?

Answers change what functions best.

I have a couple vehicles, but used for different functions.

Mostly flat. Some of my driveway is concrete, some paved, some gravel, some washed out and needs grading. Basically good at the house and gets worse as you go to the shop. Shop is completely dirt around it. Sandy and soft when rain hits it, but hard when it is dry. No Snow, all off road around the house not in a community where I will drive it to the store. Knees still work. No hunting/fishing. Limbs 4" diameter or so and would like to get longer sections of wood to the splitting area then cut up. Most trees around 18" at base.

 

[willf650]

I have an older Yamaha Kodiak 400. It will do everything you said easily. It only has about 20hp but has high and low range which helps a lot in the utility department.

I would get one that is selectable 4wd and not fulltime. They will all turf your lawn more or less depending on the tires but being able to take it out of 4wd helps. If you are really pulling trees 4wd is a must.

You can go to partszilla and check parts pricing for what your looking at to see what it would take to fix the brakes on a model your looking at. This will also give you a gauge on parts availability for an older atv. An atv in the price range you are looking at will either be beat to hell or older so parts availability may be a concern.

I would probably sell my atv in the range of $2200-$2500 if I were to sell it as everything functions and it has good tires with only about 100 miles on them. Maybe increasing your price point will get you around the hassle of buying a fixer upper.

Needing new tires could be around $500-$600 in just cost of the tire so good tires may be a sizeable value of a used atv.

 

[Doubled33]

I have an older Yamaha Kodiak 400. It will do everything you said easily. It only has about 20hp but has high and low range which helps a lot in the utility department.

I would get one that is selectable 4wd and not fulltime. They will all turf your lawn more or less depending on the tires but being able to take it out of 4wd helps. If you are really pulling trees 4wd is a must.

You can go to partszilla and check parts pricing for what your looking at to see what it would take to fix the brakes on a model your looking at. This will also give you a gauge on parts availability for an older atv.

I would probably sell my atv in the range of $2200-$2500 if I were to sell it as everything functions and it has good tires with only about 100 miles on them. Maybe increasing your price point will get you around the hassle of buying a fixer upper.

Needing new tires could be around $500-$600 in just cost of the tire so good tires may be a sizeable value of a used atv.

Good info. Thanks did not think about part time 4WD and low range. I like it.

 

[swsman]

Very handy with mechanical work. I don't mind something that needs some work, but not something that needs it all the time and not a complete over haul as my time is better spent elsewhere.

I like your ATV that would be perfect for me I think

Like I said up your budget for a nicer used quad.
Gets you riding faster vs a garage project.

I sold a couple guitars I wasn't playing much, that paid for the quad, around $2700 is what I paid.
Guy threw in a cover and a foldable ramp.

It was owned by the same family since new, he has upgraded to a larger frame/bigger engine quad.

Took me about 3 months to find it, saw a bunch of abused ones that people wanted way too much money for. Seller kept his property and garage meticulous, always a good sign that toys are used but looked after.

Brand new Kodiak 450 is likely $10k out the door with fees and taxes, I saw no need to spend that kind of cash for it. New one is nicer and fuel injected but not worth 3 times the cost to me.

You want low range for what you are planning to do with it.
On mine I can select two wheel drive, four wheel drive via switch on the fly.

Have a lever to select four high, neutral, reverse or four low.

 

[Firebrick43]

I think either a 300-400cc honda or yamaha would do nicely. Don't go too big. My wife inherited a 750 kawasaki brute force and hate it as do I hate the the larger 500cc+ polaris 4x4 work models. Too top heavy, hard to steer over a long day, and too damn much maintenance of the carbs buried in the Vee.

Of course a lot of this is dictated by what you thinking about "pulling trees"

Growing up our 2wd 350 warrior was an awesome workhorse. Checking fences, running down parts/tools to a tractor or baler broke down in the field or pulling trees in an old grown up pasture we cleared to the edge to the chipper. But they were all 6-8" in diameter and it was never up large hills.

Even my brute force which can pull more than an old ford ranger pickup, cant pull a 24" and larger log without some kind of logging arch.

 

[mikedodge]

I got a Honda after several people I know who are heavily into atvs recommended it and would do that again.
No matter what you get you'll need to double your budget unless you want to buy someone else's worn out junk.

 

[CJM8515]

4wd, 300cc minimum honda, yamaha or suzuki. 1.5k wont get you anything but clapped out trash, 2500-3500 buys you a decent machine

 

[larry_g]

Having a lot of the needs you have I went with a UTV, 4010 Kawasaki. It hauls, tows, selectable 4wd, has a roof and windshield. For me it just works better to have the box on the back to haul and carry stuff. I can hitch up the wood splitter, put the saws in the back and go to the trees and process right there, Haul the split wood to the wood shed. It goes every day to feed the animals and is easy for two people to ride. I haven't touched a wheel barrow since getting one years ago.

lg

 

[930dreamer]

I was looking at this one. The granddaughter and I went to Kubota world Friday and the dump bed sides by side are nice and $$$.

 

[leadfoot415]

I own 2 Kawasaki Brute Force 750's, a 2013 and a 2015. They plow, tow trailers, launch boats, pull wheelies, and will do 70mph down the road with no issue. They are virtually unchanged from 2011-2023, just minor changes to ECU calibrations and body colors. 2024+ have new plastics and gauge cluster, but the powertrain is the same. Some came with power steering (mine dont have that feature).

Knock on wood, we have had zero failures other than a battery going flat and mine needed tires this year due to the amount of leaks from plugs in the tread. I religiously maintain them, fluid changes, keep clean, and stay out of the water/deep mud (they are not boats). Buy something with EFI, carbs are dumb nowadays.