Four Wheele for the Mountains Considerations

[Maverick1]

Fully independent rear suspension is nice - for riding. But having that independent rear suspension is a PITA once you get stuck. A solid rear axle machine is much easier to get unstuck if you ride by yourself. Just get underneath it and do a heavy front squat, or grab it overhand and deadlift it upwards, then drag it out of the way. With a mid size SRA machine this is moderately feasible if you have strength; pretty tough to do the same thing on a IRS machine regardless of size. (Pick one side of the rear end up, the other side just dips downward, hard to budge!)

 

[TaperPin]

Not all fs roads are the same - it’s one thing to have a passenger on a typical logging road, but an entirely different cat on a steep, rough jeep trail with lots of big rocks. Personally I don’t see the advantage of buying a side by side as big as a jeep to avoid driving a jeep, but that’s what all the jeep guys say. Lol

Airing down truck or jeep tires makes navigating rough jeep trails much much more enjoyable.

 

[Weldor]

I drive both, I'll take the ride of my Can am over my JK anyday. Way easier on the back. I do like ac and heat sometimes though. Ha Ha.

 

[Beendare]

A quad or side-by-side will save a lot of wear and tear and scratches on your pick up on those bad 2 tracks in the mountains or bush. Faster to get around too, much better than any Jeep or 4wd vehicle.

I use a quad because it’s easier to get it to my out-of-state hunts- fits in my truck or small trailer vs a SxS.

The negative to a quad vs SxS is its much colder running an ATV vs a SxS in bad weather…and wetter- quads are more exposed to the elements. A good jacket and gloves solves it for me.

Worth mentioning; some western states have designated motorcycle trails, Quad and motorcycle trails with a 50” wide restriction.

Most states have Motor vehicle restrictions…and maps showing the roads closed during hunt seasons. A guy needs to have this info. Unfortunately, There are many slob guys that ignore these rules.
Ethics is what we do when nobody is looking…sadly plenty of unethical guys out there. There were a couple of quad guys trekking into a roadless area I was hunting in Idaho Last season.

This is my old Honda rancher that I have had for over 20 years. I recently upgraded to a Polaris sportsman 570 EPS. The Polaris ride is night and day better than my Honda. Hondas are gear driven. Everything else is a CVT transmission with a belt.

The reliability issues are about the same as long as you aren’t running those CVT transmission ATVs, like a motocross Event.

In Newsom run CA, they are pushing for everything electric- mowers, farm equipment, etc so I figured I better upgrade my old 20-year-old Honda before I cannot buy one here anymore. California forced Yamaha and Kawasaki to stop selling their quads here since 2021.

Fun fact- my polaris/Can am dealer here during Covid was selling 3 units a day- sand rails, side by sides, etc- they couldn’t keep them in stock. now its slowed down.

 

[sf jakey]

4x4 is a must on loose steep downhills or the back end will want to come around whenever you brake or even use engine braking in gear.

 

[WCB]

4x4 and winch....independent rear or not imo whatever. I have driven both and if you are driving forest service roads or most somewhat maintained trails eh. Winch imo is a need on a machine. Get in a bad spot, deep drift, sure nice to have. I see zero negative for having one. 400 or slightly bigger would be my choice. I have a Yamaha Bruin 350 and it does really well up to 9000. Haven't been higher than that. Nice thing is it is small enough that I can man handle it in bad situations. I prefer one that has the option of a pull start...because well I've had the push button go out on me and the pull start got me out of a couple jams.

I've been in and driven the bone basic to the absolutely most loaded SxS and have zero desire to hunt off one on crappy trails. Obviously if you were just driving literal forest service roads that trucks and jeeps go down...ok makes sense. But anything more than that I prefer a wheeler.

 

[TVW]

skip the quad and get a SXS. climate controlled, hauls more, goes all the same places. last elk trip to wyoming I carried my entire camp, two people and my bull out in one trip

A SXS cannot go even remotely close to all the same places a 4 wheeler can. Both from a legal standpoint and a practicality standpoint.

I own both so I'm not a SXS hater by any means.

 

[Blacksmoke]

A SXS cannot go even remotely close to all the same places a 4 wheeler can. Both from a legal standpoint and a practicality standpoint.

I own both so I'm not a SXS hater by any means.

for me and my travels in the bush a SXS easily travelled everywhere I ever had the legal right to go.

I used a quad for years, on the trails, roads, and in the areas it was legal to do so. I switched to a side by side and went to all those same places that it was legal to do so. I use a vehicle to get into the wilderness with my camp, not to hunt off of. Everywhere my quad was allowed to travel my side by side was as well.

Before that I used a Rokon for years to get even deeper into the bush on single track trails because I didn't own a horse. I finally got smart and when traveling in a vehicle on a hunting trip, it is one with a/c and or heat with enough payload capacity for everything.

I don't hunt private property so I have to stay on designated trails. The State of Wyoming is very particular about where you drive a motorized vehicle and in my experience there were no trails that required a quad versus a SXS. When I hunt Idaho it's pretty much a free for all.

 

[TVW]

for me and my travels in the bush a SXS easily travelled everywhere I ever had the legal right to go.

I used a quad for years, on the trails, roads, and in the areas it was legal to do so. I switched to a side by side and went to all those same places that it was legal to do so. I use a vehicle to get into the wilderness with my camp, not to hunt off of. Everywhere my quad was allowed to travel my side by side was as well.

Before that I used a Rokon for years to get even deeper into the bush on single track trails because I didn't own a horse. I finally got smart and when traveling in a vehicle on a hunting trip, it is one with a/c and or heat with enough payload capacity for everything.

I don't hunt private property so I have to stay on designated trails. The State of Wyoming is very particular about where you drive a motorized vehicle and in my experience there were no trails that required a quad versus a SXS. When I hunt Idaho it's pretty much a free for all.

Tons of trails in the West are 50" or less restricted. Not very many SXS meet that requirement.

 

[Blacksmoke]

Tons of trails in the West are 50" or less restricted. Not very many SXS meet that requirement.

mine is 65" wide but where I hunt in wyoming I have no need for a 50" trail. they each have a purpose but after spending 20 years on a quad, freezing my ass off, or wiping dust out of myself and gear, I opted to upgrade to a climate controlled cab. in the last 5 or 6 hunts out west to either Idaho or wyoming I have seen two people on quads. both were game wardens and they both said they wished they had a SXS. Like I said earlier I use my UTV to get myself and my gear in. sometimes I hike in farther and setup a spike camp if I glass and find a nice bull I am interested in. I never hunt off my vehicle. many folks do though.

 

[Blacksmoke]

I was in Wyoming elk hunting in late October a few years back and the temps were in the low 20's, 6 inches of snow on the ground and a brutal 20-30 mile wind blowing. From my camp it was a 40 minute ride on a rutted two track jeep trail to a little piece of BLM land (about 200 acres) that jutted out into private and held a herd of about 60 elk which moved through the piece on a regular basis. Having that SXS with a full hard cab, glass windows and a fabulous heater made that trip worth every penny I paid. a few years later I archery hunted the same property and it was 80 degrees every day, along with the smoke from forest fires. Call me soft I suppose but I will never go back. The comfort and load bearing features trump a little extra mobility for me. YMMV

 

[fmyth]

Not all fs roads are the same - it’s one thing to have a passenger on a typical logging road, but an entirely different cat on a steep, rough jeep trail with lots of big rocks. Personally I don’t see the advantage of buying a side by side as big as a jeep to avoid driving a jeep, but that’s what all the jeep guys say. Lol

Airing down truck or jeep tires makes navigating rough jeep trails much much more enjoyable.

My Yamaha Rhino is 113" long and 54" wide and weighs 1,049 lbs. A 2 door Jeep Wrangler is 167" long and 75" wide and weighs over 4,000 lbs. I wouldn't want to drive or tow a Jeep 1,000 miles each way to where I hunt. We all have different needs. For me a SxS is irreplaceable.

 

[GunsAreFun]

My FIL said I could borrow his 2 seater Rzr…the sportier style kind. It has very little storage, but I think we can manage two packs in the back or I can work up a temporary mount/hanging system. I don’t really like borrowing that kind of thing just in case something happens, but he’s very easy going so I may if I don’t find something for myself. He has a nearly new, very fancy ATV he wanted me to take, and I was like no way I’m risking that thing lol. I know the roads decently well where we are going, and they aren’t too bad so not too worried about bearing it up. Mostly trying to save wear and tear on the truck.

He said I could borrow his trailer too, but it’s a beefy 7x18, which I don’t want to pull so going to start looking for a 5x8.

 

[CodyAK]

For hunting purposes I recommend 4x4 and a winch - without a doubt. 250 cc’s isn’t enough.

I’d get something 500 or bigger, 4x4, and winch. Nothing less. Power steering is definitely nice but not a necessity. But if it were me - I’d say get the UTV. If you’re persistent, you’ll find a deal.

 

[Wrench]

I have a honda fourtrax 300 4x4 and a sportsman 700. I tend to bring the honda as it can go a looooooong way on a tank of fuel. The polaris is way more plush....but when I need to travel between 7-20 miles every morning to my launch point, fuel is a major consideration. When I take September off I bring the honda and a yamaha xt225 and 10 gallons of fuel. That will last me 20 days in the field including topping off my little generator for my trailer.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Just a point to ponder:
We had a side by side on a project. It was a hot summer day and my partner drove it over a berm and high centered the rig. We had no traction to go anywhere and the berm held the doors closed. The windows don't roll down and there was no escape. By the grace of god we started rocking it back and forth and found traction. We took it back to camp and took the doors off and they stayed off.

 

[180ls1]

My FIL said I could borrow his 2 seater Rzr…the sportier style kind. It has very little storage, but I think we can manage two packs in the back or I can work up a temporary mount/hanging system. I don’t really like borrowing that kind of thing just in case something happens, but he’s very easy going so I may if I don’t find something for myself. He has a nearly new, very fancy ATV he wanted me to take, and I was like no way I’m risking that thing lol. I know the roads decently well where we are going, and they aren’t too bad so not too worried about bearing it up. Mostly trying to save wear and tear on the truck.

He said I could borrow his trailer too, but it’s a beefy 7x18, which I don’t want to pull so going to start looking for a 5x8.

Much better option. 2 guys on a 2wd in the hills is a huge flip hazard.

 

[jimh406]

Unless you are only driving and not carrying gear, an ATV is going to be very limited and not so great with any weather which also happens in archery weather.

I suggest a UTV with soft top and windows like a Polaris 570 midsize. The bed and enclosed cab will be very helpful a lot of the time and can carry game/firewood etc in the bed.

Another option is do some suspension (at least shocks) work on your truck and air down the tires when going over the rougher roads.

 

[Elk botherer]

If you’re planning on riding with a passenger get a four wheeler designed to carry two passengers. Their center of balance and longer axle to axle length makes a comfortable, safe ride in various terrains. Riding two up on a single rider atv throws too much weight to the back making it tippy on steeper hills and leaves no room for gear on the rear rack.
I’ve had a 2 up can am outlander for 15 years and it’s super comfortable, and not to mention, the passenger has their own floorboards so their feet do not hit yours while you’re driving. The only repair over that time is a voltage regulator and batteries. Plus with a two up, the awkward dude contact from behind on weird bumps on the trail and such don’t happen. It’s makes a less awkward hunting camp and you can still look at your buddy without shame. I have a side by side but much prefer my outlander for hunting. Easier to load, easier to get unstuck, and way less dusty. If it’s cold or raining, the side by side windshield is awesome though. Good luck.

 

[dtrkyman]

Honda Pioneer 500.