# 350's vs 420's---w/mods



## 350s

Hello,

I've got a bit of a dilemma. I love my 350's...(I have a 2006 fourtrax 350 -called rancher in the states I believe) but I'd like to get more out of it.

I'm in muskeg country. That stuff is brutal---I put crazy wear on ATVS--- and the 350's seem to have been my best bet so far. The gearing is decent for it, but I wouldn't try anything bigger than 25's (wheel size) without some serious mods.

I'm thinking I'd need:

-Lift kit
-clutch kit
-Gear reduction
-27" tires
-detroit gearless locker

To get a pretty unbeatable muskeg ATV. Were talking about 2k+ worth of work on my bike, not to mention: finding a gear reduction and someone to do the install on the gearless locker would not be easy to find.

I need a second bike (I'm an oilfield surveyor) and I do get paid for using my bikes. I could either spend 4500$ for a really mint (unmodified) 350, or I could buy a brand new 420. They are both similar in weight, but I'm just not aware of how the 420 is geared, and what aftermarket options there are for it. I'm not a fan of electronic shift or automatics. I perfer the KISS approach: just a standard foot shift.

My 350 in first gear is pretty solid, but I don't see it spinning big enough wheels. I've messed around on the 500 rubicons...and they are absolute garbage in muskeg. They are NOT geared for low end at all. Do 420's suffer the same problem? Or are they more in line with the 350s?

Are Gear reductions more common place in 420s? (will be super hard to find one for my 350) I honestly wouldn't care if my ATV topped out at 20mph.

Any suggestions on how I should spend my money? I'm just looking to keep my coworkers winching while I'm floating by...lol.

Anyone else used to be hard into the 350's but were sold on the 420s?


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## gotmuddy

the 420s are way more powerful than the 350's. IMO they are like a 300trx on steroids. Gear reductions are available for both of them but if it were me I would get a 420.


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## filthyredneck

My little brother has a 2011 420 SRA with footshift, I snork'd it for him, Big Gun slip-on exhaust, and has a 2" lift and skinny/wide 27" Outlaws along with my old 1.5" wheel spacers and he goes EVERY place that my brute goes without much problem....mind you my brute sits on 31s with a 4" lift and a ton more power than his honda, dont get me wrong though, that little honda has enough power to stand up from a dead stop long as you can get it to hook up. I'm very impressed with it, seems to be a solid bike...he's had it about 6 months so far so only time will tell.


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## hondarecoveryman

The 420 is prob. the best 4x4 honda has produced to date IMO . My brother in law had one(420 sra foot shift) and it was very quick and responsive for a 400 class quad. He ran 27'' swamplites with no lift and a clutch kit . He could pull 2nd gear in the slop of MS


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## mudthug1010

before i had my brute i had a 420 on 26 mudlites and snorkled and it has the power to turn most tires and is small and easy to handle in sticky mud situations.


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## redneckrancher420

Thats the setup i have right now. I got a 2011 and i love it. Not snorked yet so cant go that deep but lots of fun


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## rubiconrider

u know the rubicon has low and hi range right?


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## 350s

Yep, I'm well aware...

I've ridden two Rubicons, both 07's. They both were far worse in muskeg than my 350s. Both with good wheels and lift kits.

High, low, running it in esp in first, no difference. Rubicons suck in muskeg. All their power is in the high end.

The largest annoyance (besides having to winch out everywhere) I've had with rubicons is the electronic shifter screws up all the time and gets locked in first gear...need to turn the bike off and on again to set it straight....lamee

I'm really on the ropes with what I want to do right now.

I can score another decent 350, or I can spend 1500 more and get a 420...or I can spend 3000 more than the 350 and score a really solid (practically new) 700 griz.....ahh decisions decisions!

But seriously, a beefed up 350 sounds pretty badass to me.

Muddy, how much of a reduction can you do? Good enough to spin 27's like they were 25s? I'd probably need spacers too then? How much for how much?


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## austin82

The 420 will out do a 350 in anything, they have tons of power. Like gotmuddy said its a trx300 on steroids. It has efi, disk brakes, and a 2 wheel drive 4 wheel drive shifter. But honestly id pay more an get the grizzly. That irs will get you farther than the sra unless you want to build axle paddles, and grizzlys don't cost much to get them beefed up. Just a white secondary, 29.5s or 30s, and 4 kodiak 450 weights in the order of grizzly weight, kodiak weight, grizzly, kodiak, etc.. And if that's not enough send your primary to ///airdam and he'll make that bike sling the tread off of 29.5s.


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## pitbullmike007

420 all the way,, got muddy and austin already covered y,, great midsize bikes, tons of mods and have 2 different gr options for them, come ps and irs or sra,, , i like the grizzs, but if u gonna get a 700, might as well opt for a vtwin 700-800,,


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## muddaholic 09

dont forget the new ranchers have irs... 300's and 350's have already proven themselves, and with a lift and some tires and a big bore kit.. man i almost wish i had one.. o ya dont forgett to rack the rad, snorkel, and some tunes.. oooo ya!!!.. just sayin..


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## Bruteforce10

Well being i have a highly modded 350 i will let you know how this weekends ride goes. I will riding along side two 420 both with GR and a couple Brutes. I highly doubt that the 420's will pass somewhere that i wont, However i do think that the 420 would be a better decision for you. You could spin the 27's without a GR, its selectable 4x4 or 2x4, and they come with disc brakes.


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## clintbutler

I love my 420. Light weight and if anything, I find my first gear a little to low. It WILL turn whatever in 1st, but not very quickly. That's fine, I could stand to have 2nd a bit lower though. You will not regret getting a 420 standard shift, except it only comes in a straight axle. Irs is so much more comfortable.


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