Rancher OR Foreman???

[Lowcountrydave]

Hey guys/gals.

My big brother is looking to purchase a Utility.
I told him I would post it here. I've ridden a few but really don't know the "best" or "worse" of them.

He has his eye on a...

2008 Fourtrax Rancher TRX420 FM
OR
2008 Fourtrax Foreman TRX500 FM

There is less than a $1000 price difference between the two models. What are your likes or dislikes of these two models???


Thanks Dave

[jrafter]

fuel injection water cooled

and i would get the es model

[reconranger]

see this post: http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=343853

If you need a farm work tractor, get the Foreman. If you need a snappy little trail quad, get the Rancher.

[Lowcountrydave]

Thanks for the replys so far.

You would have to know my older brother a little.....

What ever he buys will eventually turn into a submarine. He likes trail riding but really digs the utes people have made to submerge. He has also enjoyed riding my 06 400EX and wants a clutch, do they make utes that have a manual clutch?


Dave

[hondaatvrider92]

I Would Go With A Rubicon Before I Would A Foreman,But Thats Just Me..Diffrent Strokes For Diffrent Folks

[reconranger]

I am a manual tranny guy myself, so my choices are (happily) limited to just a few models. No, there aren't any fully manual (left hand) clutch utilities, just the autoclutch type.

I think all the manufacturers did marketing research and discovered that what the aging baby boomers want is an automatic with cush suspension. I really think this has taken utility design in a bad direction....large heavy IRS machines with lots of body roll and long travel suspension which makes them top heavy....

[jrafter]

now your bashing old people

[Lowcountrydave]

thanks for the info Reconranger.



Dave

I would go for the brand new 500 becuase we have the older model the foreman rubicon 500 and it is a really nice all round quad.

[reconranger]

In another forum I suggested that automatics were for beginners and little girls. One guy replied that he liked an automatic now that he is older, so you guessed it, my list is now beginners, little girls, and senior citizens!

[jrafter]

my ranchers is ES and its great

if i want to shift i get out my 400ex

and if i want to ride i get out the harley

just because that isnt your thing doesnt make it wrong

[hondaatvrider92]

Thats Why I Like My Rubicon..If I Want To Change Gears , I Swap It Over To ESP..If I Don't I Leave It In Manual..I Am 35 And No Where Close To Being A Beginner, I Have Been Riding For 30yrs Now..I Don't Think 35 Is Considered Being A Senior Citizen {If It Is I Am Getting Screwed Over At The Resturants And Other Places By Paying Full Price When I Could Be Getting That Discount} And The Last Time I Checked I Damn Sure Aint No Little Girl Or A Kid. Not To Mention The Fact That Was Anthor Forum Where You Got Your Information And Formed Your Opinion, From One Or Two Feedbacks..Sounds To Me Like You Judge This Forum By What You Have Read Or Your Feed Back From Other Forums. Have You Stop And Thought That This Might Just Very Well Be A Whole Diffrent Group Of Folks Over Here ? OOHH Wait I Second..I Can Read You Haven't...

[reconranger]

Lots of posts all over the internet about problems with the ES shifting system! One component is even the subject of a recall. It's buyer beware for anyone considering an ES!

[jrafter]

Originally posted by reconranger
Lots of posts all over the internet about problems with the ES shifting system! One component is even the subject of a recall. It's buyer beware for anyone considering an ES!


your so full of sh1t

[reconranger]

Dude, it's all over the place....just like *****! This system does not live up to Honda's traditional reputation for being bulletproof. If you are a prospective buyer and you can live with that, then go right ahead.....

My foot works just fine, and if you don't get ES it's $200 cheaper....that's a no brainer for me!!!

[hondaatvrider92]

I Have On 01 Rubicon..3200 Miles...My Oldest Daughter Has An 02 Honda Rancher 350 ES 4x4..2500 Miles..My Wife Has An 03 Rincon 650..2700 Miles..My Youngest Daughter Has An 05 Honda 90.All Four Were Bought Brand New. I Do The Service On Them Myself..I Have Not Had To Take None Of The Four Back To The Dealer For A Damn Thing.And Believe Me When I Tell Ya, My Daughters Cut Em No Slack. We Have Had Nothing But Enjoyment And Pleasure Outta Ours.. Can I Live With That ??? YOU DAMN SKIPPY I CAN !!!!

[reconranger]

Originally posted by hondaatvrider92
I Have On 01 Rubicon..3200 Miles...My Oldest Daughter Has An 02 Honda Rancher 350 ES 4x4..2500 Miles..My Wife Has An 03 Rincon 650..2700 Miles..My Youngest Daughter Has An 05 Honda 90.All Four Were Bought Brand New. I Do The Service On Them Myself..I Have Not Had To Take None Of The Four Back To The Dealer For A Damn Thing.And Believe Me When I Tell Ya, My Daughters Cut Em No Slack. We Have Had Nothing But Enjoyment And Pleasure Outta Ours.. Can I Live With That ??? YOU DAMN SKIPPY I CAN !!!!

Got to ask if you are keeping up on your valve adjustments????

That is probably the most neglected piece of preventative maintenance there is! You would be surprised at how many people have never even heard of adjusting the valves. When somebody says "I do my own maintenance", usually all that means is changing oil (once a year at most!) and keeping the air filter clean....and being oblivious about valves!!!

ES owners....A whole batch of angle sensors (made in Mexico) on the ES system were bad. Be sure to check with your dealer to see if your quad is involved in the recall....

[hondaatvrider92]

Why Yes I Most Certainly Do... That's Why They Make Shop Manuals..And If That Wasn't Enough , My Brother Is A Mech. At A Honda Dealership.

[reconranger]

Most people never ever do a valve adjustment. That first one at 20 hours, just after it is broken in, is the most important. Precisely why I never buy a used vehicle!

[TheNewn]

Yeah i agree you're kinda full of sh*t about the ES models. Around my town there are lots of old school 350 ranchers with ES on them with thousands of miles on them, all work great. a friend of mine owns 2 of them and neglects the piss out of it, always runs great.

The ES is fantastic, i'm 19 and i'd love to have an ES rancher or an automatic rincon.

I'm not a little girl either, heh, i have a 250R and 400EX i enjoy as well.

[SGMGSG9]

This is my first post here, nice to meet you all. I'm the submariner my little brother's speaking about when it comes to Jeeps & ATV's. I appreciate all the Input you folks have contributed to this post. As you all know anytime you part with this kind of cash, you do your home work first. My philosophy has always been keep it simple, rugged, & reliable. ES (electronic shifting) is nice I'm sure, but as RECONRANGER puts it, "my foot works just fine too." If I remember right, the four wheeler I rode last time was a automatic. You shifted with your foot up & down range & it had a thumb throttle. I don't remember clutching like on my little bro's 400EX, i.e. with the left hand clutch lever. None the less I was comfortable on the borrowed four wheeler. It looks like I'm leaning towards the Honda Rancher 4X4 420cc (None ES) model after LOWCOUNTRYDAVE gets married next week end. Thanks again folks for the input keep it coming, I'm still open to suggestions.


Sincerely, SGMGSG9


P.S. What do you guys know & think about Polaris's Sportsman as compared to the Honda Rancher?

[TheNewn]

Can i ask why you're limiting yourself to the foreman and the rancher?

Really should consider other brands as well. take a good look at the Grizzly 450. A very nice machine with all the features of the big bores.

Originally posted by TheNewn
Can i ask why you're limiting yourself to the foreman and the rancher?

Really should consider other brands as well. take a good look at the Grizzly 450. A very nice machine with all the features of the big bores.

Haha you make me giggle.

[SGMGSG9]

Well, TheNewn I'm new to the ATV seine. So my base of knowledge is limited to what I've read & seen. I know about Honda's reputation for quality & parts availability. So that's why Honda's the front runner at this point. This will be my first ATV/four wheeler purchase, so I want to do it rite. I'm not the track racer type, I'm more of an explorer, trail rider guy. That's why a utility is more my style. In my mind I don't need power steering, GPS, or electronic shifting, or do I? I don't want to limit my self to only Foreman or Ranchers, that's why I'm asking the questions. This is the sixty four million dollar question: WHAT & WHO WILL GIVE ME, THE BEST QUALITY, RUGGED RELIABILITY, & SERVICE. All & any input is welcome & appreciated.

[TheNewn]

Before you plop down 5+K on a quad, you really should do your research on everything there is out there.

The grizzly 450 is a great quad. It has IRS, CVT with high and low range, reliable liquid cooled motor, and a locking front differential. No it doesn't have power steering or GPS or electronic shifting.

Brand loyalty is really a dumb thing in my opinion, a lot of honda fans claim they're quad is better because it says HONDA on the side. It will just get you less for your money in a lot of cases if you only look at one brand.

As for you buying your first quad, i'd approach it trying to find the best quad i could that i'd want to KEEP for years to come. A lot of people buy a starter quad, get bored with it after a year, and sell it to get another one. Leaving them out more money in the end.

As for service, you really should find a good DEALER who wont screw you on warranty work. A lot of people might claim that Honda warranty sucks, or yamaha warranty sucks, when its really the dealer themselves who are just being pricks.

ANYWAY, the Rancher is a great quad, but i'd look into the Grizzly. No matter what quad you buy, buy it from a dealer you like and you'd think isnt out to just get every last cent from you.

[MX#9]

I had a 1987 TRX 250 utility. I was the third owner...but i knew the other 2 owners pretty well. The guy who bought it new is a guy from work,he then sold it to my Dad....who I think rode it one time. I used it the entire time my dad had it....then my dad wanted me to sell it for him.
I told him that I can't be without it.....so i bought it from him.

I just sold it this spring and totally pi$$ed off my 3 girls. i hauled them around on it and i guess they had some kind of sentimental attachment to it. Women!!!! geez!

Anyway...i told them I wanted to update it anyway,so we went shopping for a new one.
I was just going to get a 2 wheel drive Rancher but my wife thought I should get a 4x4.
Everyone seemed to like the Foreman 500...as did i as well.

I called the main mechanic at my dealer as him and I are friends and we used to travel to the nationals and race together.

I told him I wanted to pick his brain about the ES and the power steering. He can come of a bit abrasive and he said "You can't work on it".
I told him i did not want to work on it....I want to know how it holds up.
he told me the power steering has been flawless and that he would not buy a 4X4 without it. He also asked me who would be riding it the most and what type of riding.
I told him i would ride it the most and do work around the property as well as some trail riding.
He told me just get the foot shift since i know how to ride anyway and it is easier to pick my shift points.
he said the ES tends to lurch and clunk into gear. he told me that,mechanically they have not been problematic,but it uses electronic motors to do what i can do better with my foot.
he also suggested i stay away from the Rubicon and the Rincon because the trannys on them have had some issues and they are a ba$tard to work on.

I have had the machine a little over a month....barely 100 miles and so far....no issues. i like it and the family likes it.

Will it last 21 Years like the old 250 did, without any issues? I really have my doubts....because it is more complicated.
Also because of the little things....like those little black push pin type fasteners. Those things just dont hold up to years of vibration without egging out the holes. When this happens i will likely just get some stove bolts....and keep on riding.

I geuss i am pretty brand loyal. Only because the brand has been very loyal to me....especially long term.

[Honda4lyphe]

Get the rancher. I had a 00 model for 7 years, i rode the piss out of it and all it asked from me is an oil change and a new spark plug and oil filter and a cleaned air filter here and there. There was a recall for the 00-01 models for something making the gears stick, so i took mine in and they fixed it, thats all i know though. Every since then, not one problem at all. I can HONESTLY say the rancher 350 is just as, or extremly close to reliable as the fourtrax 300. These are the true hondas. The rancher 420 es, i havnt seen much on them, just that they have bigger engines. Im not sure how reliable those are..but if its the same as the good ole 350 then im definetly considering buying it.

[steffen_ex]

my dad has a 02 rancher es 4X4 that is pushin just over 8000 miles, we do all the maintainence on our quads, and the only thing that it asked for was oil changes, brakes, spark plugs, and tires, we liked the quad so much (yes, even the es) that we bought a 06 500 foreman es, we have 2000 miles on it, we never had any problems with either of them, and i know that other brands are good, but why go different if you are happy with what you got and like how they work, i have a 400ex because of the reliability of honda and love it, but as curious as i am i bought a 660 raptor and it runs great and i love it but i wouldnt trade my 400 for it anyday!

[donwon37]

For what it's worth.I know these are only opinions,but i just bought a 2008 foreman 500 4 wheel drive electric shift in the camo.edition and i'm very happy with it.My cousin is a Honda mechanic and told me that these things are bullet proof.....I owned a 97 300 also and this is the reason i went back with Honda because we put that atv through the mill and it ran perfect when i sold it.Just my 2 cents.

[dukee66]

go with the formen 500 s dont go with that es bull **** its a pain

[TRXRacer1]

Originally posted by dukee66
go with the formen 500 s dont go with that es bull **** its a pain ES is actually a pretty simple system and most are trouble free. Better look for a kick or pull start too if you don't trust those electrical things.

[dukee66]

Originally posted by TRXRacer1
ES is actually a pretty simple system and most are trouble free. Better look for a kick or pull start too if you don't trust those electrical things.

that electrial stuff alwas goes wrong i have never had my luck with it it alwas breaks. the s is the way to go. and the only reason they made that es bs is for girls who cant ride

[donwon37]

It's sad when someone can't post a reply to try and help others with a decision in trying to figure what to buy.All i did was say i was happy with the es and now they're made for girls that do not know how to ride.This is too funny.Must be a childish *** punk that posted that reply.Still living at home with mom and dad.And another thing if it is tearing up like that with you maybe you're the little girl that doesn't know how to ride.Next time before you shoot your mouth off,how about thinking about the response you will get back.

[dukee66]

i aint shootin my mouth off if ur gunna be just trail ridein ya go with the es but if ur like me trails get boring u do to much off off roading with thows es the thing just dosent handle it. the s is truely bullet proof

[donwon37]

OK fAIR ENOUGH.Point taken,I gotcha.........

[TRXRacer1]

Originally posted by donwon37
OK fAIR ENOUGH.Point taken,I gotcha......... I find it more fun to just poke fun at fools like dukee, they aren't really worth getting getting worked up about. I did enjoy your post describing him, I'm guessing it's spot on.

[donwon37]

I guess i just took it wrong.I really didn't mean any harm.Dukee i'm saying this with no harm intended....But did you **** in your pants a lot as a child or something?Just couldn't help but notice the name...........I'm kidding Man........