My riding mower can no longer pull my manure spreader. I’ve decided on an ATV over a UTV, and looking between Honda vs Polaris. I know people love their Hondas, but is this because they’ve been making ATV longer? It will be used every day to run the spreader, and a few times a year to pull the aerator and sprayer. No heavy work or rough terrain. Which direction would you go and why?
[B]LOVE MY POLARIS !!! for just those listed jobs !
Excellent and no issues … 2004 new !
- also used for some snow work with blade [/B]
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We had 3 Polaris, a 2004, 2016, and 2018. The 2016 had horrible overheating issues. After taking it back to the dealer multiple times and spending over $1K to attempt to fix the problem, we traded it for a Honda Rancher. A neighbor has the same model Polaris, and his son called me one day to run a bucket to a remote pasture where he was checking cattle because the ATV had caught fire. He traded his recently for a Honda as well. He had been through multiple trips to the dealer as well- to no avail.
I finally let loose on my husband one day over it not working right, and he loaded it up and headed to the Honda dealer to trade it in.
The 2018 Polaris is starting with the same issues, and we were recently told to take the air compressor and blow the radiator clean, and that might resolve the issue. You would think a dealer, with education from the manufacturer would have been able to figure this out. We ran out of patience, especially since the issue started happening within a year of purchasing the ATV new. We use them daily, and maintain them well as they are an important part of our farming operation.
Our Honda Rancher is nice enough, but not as cushy as our Polaris Sportsmans. It rides a little rougher and is not as comfortable for a second person as what the Polaris is. Reviews are about the same on both brands, so in my opinion it comes down to personal preference as well what kind of service you can get.
I would tell you to make sure you can get good service on whatever brand you choose. That can make a huge difference.
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We have a 2006 Honda Rancher for our small horse farm and it’s still going strong. Very reliable, powerful enough to pull a medium size trailer full of manure. The only thing we have had to replace is the starter motor. I agree that you should make sure you can find someone to service it. Finding someone that works on small engines isn’t always easy.
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I still love my 2000 Honda 360 that we bought around 2005. I use it every day. It gets maintenanced faithfully and still runs like new.
If it has a flaw, it’s the starter - it’s had a lot of starters put in it, but it’s 20 years old so I would expect that’s been improved upon by now:)
No matter what you buy, having it regularly maintained (oil changes, etc.) is key to a long life.
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The local Honda dealer/service has a great reputation, which is definitely a deciding factor.
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We chose a Polaris, as I previously worked at a dealer who sold both brands, and the Hondas were always quirky to start but the Polaris fired up every time (we had to move them around every day). Customer feedback on the Polaris was always more favorable and they were the best bang for the buck when we purchased ours. That said, we also have a Kubota UTV which is exponentially more versatile for farm work than the ATV. We do use the ATV a lot as well, but the Kubota is more of a workhorse in every aspect.
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Our honda rancher 350 has been a reliable, powerful workhorse since 2005, with just routine maintenance and replacing wear parts. Around here, polaris is viewed as the ATV for folks who want to get their yahoos on a trail, and the Honda is what you get if you want to do work. It pulls a trailer with 1500lb of wood without complaint.
I’m not a fan of the Honda throttle on our model-its a lever you push with right thumb. It’s sized for a man’s hand and gets tiring in an extended work session. Hopefully they’ve improved that in later models. So whatever you buy, make sure it fits you.
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Do you find the Kubota to be heavy and clunky? We love our Kubota tractor. I’m worried about a UTV being heavier than an ATV and putting more wear and tear on the pasture when I take the manure spreader out.
