Polaris Sportsman 6x6??

COHUNTER · Post by **COHUNTER** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:12 pm

Does anyone have experience with Polaris sportsman 6x6?? Im looking at buying a used one. How do they do in the snow?? How deep is to much? Its only a 500cc so how is the power? Does the extra length get in the way in the woods. I hunt a lot a trails that are limited to 48 inchs so I cant use a UTV. This looks like it would be a good alternitive.

HoundDawg · Post by **HoundDawg** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:27 pm

I have some buddies here in Utah that use them and I've seen them in action a ton and ridden them a bunch myself. They always have them "re-jetted" for this elevation, that is key according to them.

But they will out run, out climb and out work any 4 wheeler on the planet.

They are much higher maintenance but no 4 wheeler out there can touch them, and I've seen a bunch of guys try. Just never seen one succeed.

For a dog hunting ATV, they are sweet. Wish I could afford one.

Missy Kemp · Post by **Missy Kemp** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:58 pm

We have used the Polaris 6x6's for several years and they do the job, but are very hight maintenance. Especially after they are used much for hunting. Now we use Arctic Cat TBX 500 and 650's. We have really good luck with them, and virtually no maintenance costs yet. Been using them for 3 years now. They will go anywhere that the 6x6's went and much cheaper to maintain.

HoundDawg · Post by **HoundDawg** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:15 pm

Biggest difference I've seen and what really separates the 6X6 from everything else, is the amount of dogs and weight you can pack on them without flipping them over backwards.

If you are driving up roads and normal wheeler trails, a regular ATV would be fine. A 6X6 will pack more dogs and more weight and be safer with the longer wheel base, but they are higher maintenance machines, no question.

And I should clarify... my buddies take them in very extreme stuff. I hunt in their private ground and when we park our wheelers and hike, they just keep going up the hill, over dead fall, over or through anything pretty much.

But most people I know don't ride like that, me included. But they had an elk down recently and decided they could get a 6X6 right to it. I told them not a chance. A guy with us on a big Arctic Cat 600 said, "I can go anywhere you can go." Guy with a big Grizzly machine (Yamaha maybe, I can't remember) said the same thing, "You go and I'll follow."

So the 6X6 drove to the elk, turned around and neither machine was following. Went back and they were stuck on the first hill. Hooked up to the Arctic Cat and pulled it up to the elk, went back and towed the Yamaha up the hill to the elk as well. Those two never made another peep the rest of the day.

I drive a klunker Kawasaki and I knew better than to even try.

You will put more money into a 6X6 but you can load them down with a lot more dogs and still keep them more stable than a regular ATV, but plan on regular maintenance and putting some money back into them after awhile.

Most guys I know that switch over to them never go back, but it really depends on what kind of country you are hunting and what you need it for. For most it's probably overkill. For some they're a dream come true.

Larry Emery · Post by **Larry Emery** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:13 pm

hang on and save up a bit more, from what I have been hearing polaris is coming out with a new 6x6 fully independent front and rear with shaft drive on both ends, seen a prototype looks like the real deal, I think they are going to offer a couple of engine choices.

COHUNTER · Post by **COHUNTER** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:01 pm

When is it due to be out? Any idea on cost??

treed · Post by **treed** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:31 am

Here is a picture of my rig

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/ ... ad_001.jpg

TUCO · Post by **TUCO** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:54 am

Hey Treed , how many dogs can u jam in and on that box ? I can jam all 6 of my dogs on the back box of my 4 wheeler. but ive gotta get them out to walk up anything very steep..your setup looks like thats not a problem

COHUNTER · Post by **COHUNTER** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:33 pm

Thats a nice looking set up . Im going to look at one tommarrow. Its an 06 with a 1000miles so Ill see what I can work out. When I get one thats how I plan to set it up.

treed · Post by **treed** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:43 am

I keep 6 in the bottom with no problem.....I rig 3 on top for a total of 9 when Im bear hunting...As far as going up hill, its real stable because its long....I will tell you to be real careful on the side hills...If you cant tip it back over by yourself, I wouldnt get one...Ive tipped mine on its side many times

...In the snow, they do real well, but they are heavy and hard to dig out when stuck....They are narrow enough to go where the rangers and rhinos cant go...As far as awork ATV. they are hard to beat....They do not handle as well as a regular quad...A comparison would be like a standard cab truck versus an extra cab for getting around in country......Mine has enough power in it with the 500cc ....Coop

Dan V · Post by **Dan V** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:20 pm

I had a chance to ride a Polaris 6X6 and some other 4 wheelers when I was Moose hunting in Alaska. We really put these machines to the test up there. The 6x6 was tippy side hilling, more so than a quad. That sucker could flat stack up the real estate behind it in the mud. Handled great in the boggy swampy muddy country.

As far as payload is concerned, It was all the quads could handle with a Yukon Moose quarter on it and still be able to negotiate hills and turns etc. The 6x6 on the other hand, we loaded up 2 front quarters (ribs, shoulder, spine and hide) and the head, cape and horns of a 57 " bull. It was over 1/2 a moose! We started up the first steep hill from the kill site to camp. Mac was driving his 6X6 and was in front of me. He got a little light in the front end and it started to flip over backwards. Mac flew off and I thought I would see the 6X6 tumble to the bottom. WRONG! As soon as all that moose meat hit the ground, it stopped right there.

There was the 6X6 with the headlights pointing straight at the sky. The machine was so out of balance with all that meat that it could not roll or flip. Gravity had done it's thing. With 4 of us we tipped it back onto its wheels and 2 of us rode on the front rack to the top of the hill. The machine made it the rest of the way. I thought it was pretty comical. According to my moose hunting partners it was common when haulling moose up hill.

This was in 2001. I did see them go through tie rods. I don't know if any changes have been made to solve that problem. All of the guys we ran into who rode those packed extra tie rods.

Larry Emery · Post by **Larry Emery** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:17 am

Well the new polaris 6x6 is out. I bought one a couple of weeks ago, they are awesome, fuel injected 800 fully indepedent front and back, shaft drive front and rear, they are a bit longer then the old ones making hauling a passenger more easy, they should be a lot easier to maintain then the old ones.

Mr.pacojack · Post by **Mr.pacojack** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:25 am

HoundDawg wrote:I have some buddies here in Utah that use them and I've seen them in action a ton and ridden them a bunch myself. They always have them "re-jetted" for this elevation, that is key according to them.

But they will out run, out climb and out work any 4 wheeler on the planet.

They are much higher maintenance but no 4 wheeler out there can touch them, and I've seen a bunch of guys try. Just never seen one succeed.

For a dog hunting ATV, they are sweet. Wish I could afford one.

I have one and I love it.
Brent, am I one of your buddies? :lol:

Coop, Nice Box, Where the heck did you get it. :lol:

onalimb · Post by **onalimb** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:16 pm

I have one of the BigBoss 6 wheelers. i haven't had any tie rod issues, but you'd better keep up on the chain drive. Mine has 1200 miles on it now, had it's first tune up last summer, runs like a top, plows enough snow to bend an atv plow, and it will go up verticle hills a 4 wheeler can't even try. Rides like crap unless you have weight in the back, and it goes without saying sidehills could be a bad deal. If I had to hunt on it all the time it wouldn't bother me, but I wouldn't get in a big hurry either, it handles totally different, and takes a little getting used to. It will haul more than is safe to do. I haven't tested it in the deep snow, since it wears a plow all winter, and I have a sled.

Brawley's hounds · Post by **Brawley's hounds** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:37 pm

I have a Ranger 750 and I have never had a problem with it. It's not the six wheel but I can pack 6 dogs in the back no problem. I put snow tracks on it and it will go places a snow machine won't go. I like it a lot the down side is the maintance.