Fishing

who is driving articats?

I am still planning on picking up a quad and I need to know what will serve me best.

my needs are:

snow removal

• I have about 100' x 30' of road to clear every time it snows

feed plots

• my own personal food plot
• deer plot

ice fishing

• getting my self out on the ice, some times a mile across the lake.
• getting my equipment out on the ice

hunting

• getting me out in the woods
• getting my blind out in the woods
• hauling feed out in to the woods
• getting my deer out of the woods (hopefuly)

yard work

• moving equipment around the yard
• moving fire wood
• moving live stock feed
• moving dirt

fishing

• I have to take my boat down and back up a steep hill a 1/4 mile from my house, my little truck wont make the climb with out tearing up the landscape, my lawn tractor just dosnt have what it takes to get the boat up the hill.

---

I am looking at the articat 400.

1. dose any one have an opinion on this modle?
2. dose any one else have a different modle that can handle all the work discribed above?

Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

I've got a Honda Foreman 450 es and I have used it for just about everything you've mentioned except for a blind. But heck, if it can haul out a 400 lb elk then I'm sure your blind wouldn't be a problem. I have had this atv since 98 and it hasn't given me a moments trouble and it starts right up everytime. I've used it a ton. The only other advice I'd give you is regarding suspension. It seems that rear-independant suspensions are consirable more "tippy" with much of a load on the rear. They do offer a slightly better ride, however, I'd rather have the hauling ability of a good solid rear axle. Just my 2 cents.. good luck on your search..







"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

I dont own one of those quads, but i do know that the artic cats have the suzuki powerplants in them and they are supposed to be a strong and relyable engine, the artic cats are work horses, they are set up to do alot of low end pulling and such, they arnt a fast quad by any means. Like bearclaw said the independent suspension does tend to get a bit tippy, you just need to make sure that you place your load even and dont hot rod or push the limits and you will be fine that a way.

Personally i think that if you like the machine, and if you can afford it, and if it can handle all that you want it to go for it, a few things though, if it is used make sure that it was well taken care of alot of people beat up on their quads, and if it is used and if it is close and the owner will let you test it a bit maybe you could see if he would let you try to make the pull op hill with your boat to see how it does. Good luck with your search.




DO NOT CLICK

They make a blind that mounts on the 2005 Articat 400 that resembles a camo convertable top.

you sit right on the ATV while you hunt, they have a specila camo gun case that mounts on the articat and they have two camo thermol packs that mount on the front and back, all fits under the camo tent.

Michigan passed a disabled hunters law inacting a special season for disabled hunters, thay may ride and hunt from thier ATV's, they must shut off the vehicle and may not chase down the deer.

the season is only 2-3 days, but it give those of us who need the edge better odds of harvesting a deer.

I believe if I am here next fall I will try to take atvantage of this opertunity. I just cant get back in to the woods and hope to walk back out with out causing sever pain to my back, let alone pull a deer back should I harvest one.

this last season I got lucky and had some one with me to load it for me, I dont always have this luxury and have had to let a number of harvest pass by.

I didnt get all the works that is available for this unit, I will have to wait till I hit the lottery to pick up the rest of the gagets. I can get by now with what I have.

It snowed 2 inches of snow here a couple days ago, I did my entire drive way in less than 3 minutes, it used to take me a couple hours or more...




Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

  Do you carry a game hoist with ya? If you score a deer you could hang it in a tree overnight or until you can return with some help. Or, it helps lift the animal high enough to get your atv underneath it. I have a homemade one. We used these high-tec pulleys out of the "west marine" catalog. They are very small, light and extremely strong. There are 2 z-drag loops which makes it a breeze for one person to use. I've hung a 400lb cow elk by myself and it handled it just fine.
I wish that my driveway was bigger, I would buy one of those plows for my atv in a heartbeat.







"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

I started building one, and never got around to finishing it.

I started with a 500 pound boat wench and a good nilon rope, I ended up using the rope on something else,

now I need a good pully and a rope, I have an electric 2500 pound wench, so if I get my elk lottery this year I can pack a 1000 lb bull elk on home...``




Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

I forgot to mention, I live in a bad area for leaving deer behind, most hunters will respect your harvest yet there are others who will not and still I have to put up with peta members who would steel food from the mouth of less fortunats just to prove they are a nussance.




Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

I don't know if i'm too late and you've already bought your ATV or not, but I figure i'd give you a quick reply. Considering all the "odd jobs" you have to use your ATV to accomplish, I wouldn't get a 4 wheeler at all, i'd get something along the lines of a Polaris Ranger. I know the polaris has a snow plow assembly, a dump bed, hitch, and lots of other goodies. It handles demanding terrain with ease, has plenty of torque, and even has a cup holder for your coffee or beer. They're no speed demon compared to the likes of some of the ATV's you can purchase, for instance the Grizzly 660 that travels well over 60 MPH. You'll top out at around 30 or so. We used them at my last duty station for the military. They can tow loads of weight, and that dump bed comes in handy for more than one use. You can get them with an enclosed cabin, over-sized off road tires, locking differentials, and just about anything else you can think of. If the 6X6 is too much for your needs, they come in a just as tough 4X4 that comes with most of the same options. The only down fall of the Ranger is that is cost about twice what a standered 4wheeler would cost. A decked out Ranger is going to run you over 10 grand. However, if you are looking for something that is more than just a recreation vehicle, and is a tool for life, it's the way to go. There's nothing you can do outside that this piece of machinery can't help you do shy of wiping your butt or cooking dinner. I know if I could afford one, i'd have two. I hope I was of some help.

Bryan D.


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yep, price dose make a differance. I picked up the articat. the more I use it the more I like it. yep I would have liked to have a dump box but I can live with out for now. I will eventualy pick up the dump box trailer that comes with this unit.

My unit tops out at 35. it is all horse. Mine has the differential lock as you stated for the ranger.

I already bottomed out twice with the articat and had to dig it out of the snow. Mostly because of the plow bracket. the ranger would not have gone through where I was going eather.

I do like the ranger and if I had the money I probably would have one as well. I know I will wished I had one when I get back to Tenn.

this articat 400 is like a mini dozer... I have put it to work and the more I use it the more I like it.. after about a month I dont think I made a bad disision to get one...

Thanks for the imput... It would have made a difference for any other reason other than price....




Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

Dave just out of curriosty how much did your cat run you? and did you buy it new? You can pm me if you dont want to answer on the open forum. And are you close to getting your house sold yet? i know that you are just itching to get back to tenn




DO NOT CLICK

Bought it new at gander mountain, 2005 on sale, 6100, pluss trinkets to go with it....

nope no serious offers yet. It is just a matter of time....




Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

Bearclaw,

Can you point me to the pulley you used for the homemade game hoist? I've searched the marine west online catalog without any luck. I've looked under pulley and winch. Also, what else is needed to make your homemade game hoist? It sounds like exactly what I need to skin/quarter a deer deep in the woods, prior to packing out.

Thanks.

We use braided climbing rope for these hoists. When considering how much rope you need keep this in mind, the z drag will mean you need to multiply the overall length of your extended hoist by 5. A ten foot hoist will require about 50 feet of rope. Here's a link to west marines page of pulleys: http://www.westmarine.com/...9/2/man/asc/ALL/grid



I believe its the 16mm airblock. You'll want to make sure its rated to 500lbs or so. They run $8.49 each and you'll need two. I'll try and e-mail you some pictures of my set-up so you can get a feel for what I'm talking about.







"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

Bearclaw,

Thanks for the quick response! Look forward to your pictures, as I can't seem to envision your setup with my application. Hopefully, you will have provided me a lightweight means for my situation. Did you use the double pulley for it?

Yes, I use 2 double pulleys to achieve the "z-drag" which is how a 200lb guy can lift a 400-500lb elk off the ground. I'll try and get some pictures out to ya in the next week or so.







"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

I will toss you a bone,

here is an easy to use method to use in the woods if you plan on carying equipment with you.

the same size package and less weight you can take a 500 pound boat wench. use a peice of rope to tie the wench to a 6 inch or larger tree near a tree with a large branch or a fork genneraly close to you in the tree you tie your wench to.

with this set up you can take a 3 foot rod to spred the hind legs, you can hoist the deer to any level and hold it at that level untill you need it higher. makes skinning and quartering a snap.

of corse if you have an atv a boat wench is just a trinket. a usefull one. you just have to validate the need for it.

just make sure you use a quality nylon rope and not the cheep enylon rope. no knots any where in the rope. it is just like a knot in the fishing line it will give you problems.




Dave
Your Message Board Administrator





Wage war on natural desasters, not humans !

Well, I finally took some photos of my lightweight game hoist. Feel free to ask any questions.












"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

Bearclaw,

Thanks for the pictures! Now how do you use the two smaller pieces of rope, two carabiners, and the large piece with the two pulleys to create this z-drag in order to haul up a deer/elk? Also, how long are the sections of rope, both for the pulleys and the two smaller pieces?

Thanks in advance!

The two smaller pieces of rope are used to secure the "beaners" to the tree and then to the animal. Tie one piece about 7-10 feet up in a tree and the other piece around the animals hok or a gambrel, then simply hook the "beeners" to each rope. These small pieces have nothing to do with the z-drag. The z-drag comes from the larger length of rope running through the pulleys twice. A standard pulley has only one track for the rope but these pulleys have two, thus allowing your rope to z-drag and reduce the weight required to lift a given object.
Note, in the picture below you can see the left side is the top of the hoist and the right is the bottom. Notice the rope coming out of the pulley? This is where you pull from

Hope I'm making sense here, if not, don't hesitate to ask for a further explaination.







"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"