Choosing a new Ice fishing ATV - Feedback requested!

[Gregger17]

Tires! Good tires help in snow/slush! And not big oversized mud tires IMO. I find mud tires “dig” too China in snow. I plow and ice fish with my Grizzly 700 with a 25” bighorns ..no problem.



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[huntnmachine]

There is a forth ATV that didn't get invited to the party.....Arctic Cat
I have a 2014 Cat 550 Limited with 11" clearance and it has never let me down.

[73hunter]

As someone said earlier, good idea to get yourself a used sled for ice fishing (forget about cheap - prices are nuts for everything right now) and pick an ATV that meets your needs. Yes, lots of guys dump on Polaris, but most of the guys I ride with have them and they are fine. Lots of guys dump on CanAm too but my 2005 Outlander has been reliable for me, and not babied.

Engines and transmissions, I imagine the Japanese machines have the edge, but for trail riding their suspensions are generally not as comfortable. Polaris is very plush like riding a couch,

[Big Jack]

Well Yamaha grizzly 700 works well for me. Tracks will be put on when I get around to buying a set.

You can’t beat them.

[Gregger17]

Well Yamaha grizzly 700 works well for me. Tracks will be put on when I get around to buying a set.

You can’t beat them.

I think the Grizzly with tracks would be a cats meow!


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[oaknut]

There is a forth ATV that didn't get invited to the party.....Arctic Cat
I have a 2014 Cat 550 Limited with 11" clearance and it has never let me down.

Shhhhh! Don't tell them or they will be able to follow!

Jokes aside, it would be tough to recommend one given the troubles the company has been going through, even with textron at the helm. Who knows if they would come good for warranty or act the way Arctic Cat used to and withdraw warranty from machines without the owner knowing.

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[Wild Lyle]

You guys rock! Thanks for all the feedback. I'm checking out some used Yamahas and Hondas on the used market.

Testing a Grizzly 660 after work today and hopefully getting my hands on my first ATV if all checks out. I will update when I can!

[oaknut]

You guys rock! Thanks for all the feedback. I'm checking out some used Yamahas and Hondas on the used market.

Testing a Grizzly 660 after work today and hopefully getting my hands on my first ATV if all checks out. I will update when I can!

You found a 660!? Those are bullet proof if looked after properly. They do get a little cranky to start if its colder than minus 25.

Watched one end over end tumble down a hill, about 15 rotations in total, old man drove it home with nothing more than a bent rack and broken brake handle.

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[stdavidsboy]

If money is not an issue it’s the Honda all day long. Run mine all winter on ponds and swamps and never an issue with ground clearance. If your looking at deep snow check out the tracks you can get for them. Kinda pricey at 4000 but cheaper than a sled and they work as advertised. If your going with the track system you will want the 500 cc or higher engine.

I have a Honda Rubicon 500. Use it for ice, snow plowing driveway, fishing and of course summer fun. Had agressive mud bug tires that were pretty good in 4H or 4L diff lock, but I JUST got a set of camso tracks (R4S 8") and my machine cruises nicely at 30km/h without the engine complaining or high RPMs. It feels different but the thing could practically climb trees. It has another several inches beyond the standard ground clearance (its high!), stable, and manoeuvres pretty well. It's not like tires but I can move through 24" of mixed uncleared January snow without any trouble in the forest. It reduced ground pressure by 50% and doesn't "float" like 12" tracks (eg T4s) might, but it also fits the same width as my tires (for the bed of my truck/trailer), and isnt' much longer at all. The narrower tracks are coming in at about $3000 installed. Lovely stuff. Not sure how it'll handle in slush but I can only imagine it'll be better than tires based on how I've used it.

[stdavidsboy]

Had a Polaris 400 (1994-ish) 2-cycle and it was fantastic for a VERY long time. I am now 100% Honda, dad 100% yamaha, and we're both happy.

One thing I didn't like about older belt drives was the belt slip if it got wet (eg mud/deeper water). The shaft-driven honda doesn't flinch in water. I can confirm this after my father dunked it up to the handlebars in a river (@#$%) and I drove it out of there. Never changed so many fluids so many times. Still doing great some years later.