Which ATV FOR ice fishing

[kinwahkly]

Debating on what kind of ATV WOUKD BE BETTER to go out on the ice, don't want a snow mobile, quads do we need chains?

[ADH]

depends on the lake/year... You can get tracks for your atv... a buddy of mine has them for his ranger and he hauls in snow deeper than the bottom of the windshield

[mattpreat]

I love my yamaha 700 grizzly for ice fishing, it works great. No tracks either. The tracks will definitely get you through deeper snow, but if you just upgrade the tires on whatever quad you get it should do fine for most of it. I have never had to use chains but I'm sure they would help. For ice fishing id say 4wd and independant suspension is a must, and powersteering is always very nice to have.

As for brands, Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki are all great for reliability, with Yamaha and Suzuki having the most power. If you want insane power look at the v twins which are Kawasaki, Arctic cat, Can-Am, and Polaris. But with around twice the horsepower of the singe cylinders they are a whole lot less reliable.

Whatever you decide to get, just make sure to upgrade the tires. The stock tires just wont do well in snow. Id go up to a 27" height for the tire and any aftermarket tire that looks good and decently aggressive will treat you well.

[CanuckShooter]

Wouldn't a lighter weight be something to look for?? I believe you can buy skiis that go on under the front wheels, so if you have mudders on the back you should really be able to get around.

[MuleyHunter]

I would say a atv with a big cargo box in the back to carry all your stuff. We had a 2007 polaris sportsmen two up with a dump box which was nice. Looking at the new canam 6x6 with dump box would be perfect.

[Penner]

Quad's are great until they run out of ground clearance. Aftermarket tracks for your ATV solves that problem if you have a bunch of spare cash hanging around.

I agree with the other posters comment on the weight issue as you can move them around by hand if stuck quite easily. So Honda or Yamaha for the weight and reliability reasons and then everything else.....

[Rockjockey]

This is my ride. Used it last year in the deep snow (3ft deep) with a second person on the back out checking a trapline and it went any place I pointed it. I have a sled as well and find it gets me places faster but if I have a second person on the back that is unfamiliar with a riding a sled it gets difficult in deep powder. You lean to turn and they lean the opposite direction gets tiresome after a while. With the quad you just go like a car, they can lean anyway they want and you have no probs. If you do get yourself a set of tracks I found the camoplasts the best. They are not cheap but you can transfer them from one quad to another with a simple plate specific to the quad being used.
Powersteering is a must in my opinion, fuel economy goes down, and you lose some speed. These I can live with if I'm not shoveling out my quad every 50ft.


RJ

[sallanh]

how much do these tracks go for....i have a grizzly 700 with 28" tires and used it ice fishing for the last three years,,rarely have a problem..

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by sallanh

how much do these tracks go for....i have a grizzly 700 with 28" tires and used it ice fishing for the last three years,,rarely have a problem..

$4000 at Turple Bros in Red Deer...

[Rockjockey]

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

$4000 at Turple Bros in Red Deer...

That sounds about right. I got mine in Edson.

[PlayDoh]

May as well by a sled with the price of tracks.

[PlayDoh]

Maxxis MudBugs kick ***** in snow and mud, and last forever. Get some an inch or two larger than stock for clearance.
Pack a light aluminum square shovel and run your tires a little soft, air pressure wise.

[Spinner57]

Polaris!!! Reliable, AWD, IRS, lots of cargo room and storage.