ATV vs Snowmachine

[IronKW]

looking for advice on whats the better purchase for the outdoorsmen in the fairbanks area. ATV or Snowmachine?

[Brian M]

What do you want to use it for? If you want to hunt moose and caribou in the fall, go with the ATV. If you want to hunt wolves and ptarmagin in the winter, maybe a December caribou hunt, and brown bears in the spring, consider the snowmachine. There is no right answer on this one - it all depends on your priorities.

[BEARBOB]

What do you want to use it for? If you want to hunt moose and caribou in the fall, go with the ATV. If you want to hunt wolves and ptarmagin in the winter, maybe a December caribou hunt, and brown bears in the spring, consider the snowmachine. There is no right answer on this one - it all depends on your priorities.

Brian, I do not know much about snow machines, never having owned one but won't an ATV with tracks do everything you mentioned and not require the purchase of two machine (not that the tracks are cheap).

[AKDSLDOG]

Must have one of each to really do it all. Just going to depend on what you wish to hunt for.

My choice of toys are....

2005 Polaris LX Widetrack snogo
2007 Polaris Sportsman 6x6

Both have served me very well so far. :cool:

[Yellowknife]

My wallet voted for a snowmachine. I have no problem accessing good hunting country in the fall by foot or jeep, and a snowmachine opens up WAY more country in the winter than an ATV does in the summer. You can zip across the rivers, flats and swamps as well as through the trees and over the top of all the brush that gets in the way of an ATV. I've been doing pretty good on the winter hunts the last few years. Of course, I don't mind the cold. If you tend to stay indoors during the winter, it may be a different story.

I'll probably never own an ATV, but I'm pretty attached to the old Ski-doo. That's just my personal take on things.

Yk

[AKmud]

Buy both!

If you are willing to pony up the money to put tracks on a wheeler, just buy a good used snowmachine for the same price! The tracks are EXPEN$IVE!!

Also, riding a wheeler in the winter is MUCH colder than riding a snowmachine. You don't have the cowling/windshield protecting you from the wind on a wheeler.

[RayfromAK]

looking for advice on whats the better purchase for the outdoorsmen in the fairbanks area. ATV or Snowmachine?

Winter: Snow machine
The rest of the year: ATV

[ret25yo]

had the same question.... Went with small UTV w/half window for winter riding. (cant put a snow plow on a snowmachine..)lol

[AKDSLDOG]

had the same question.... Went with small UTV w/half window for winter riding. (cant put a snow plow on a snowmachine..)lol

Sure you can!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/438338..._plowing_snow/

[strangerinastrangeland]

I use a snowgo in Winter, and a boat all summer.

Bough the wife our first Honda, a 500 type Fall before last. Rode it in Kotzebue, where we Kept it parked all winter and the kids off it.
We went to camp in the spring, after riding it back and forth afew times over the ice, taking things to camp, and took it back to the village and parked it with 1,200 miles total on it.We returned to camp on snowgos.
The village retard promptly stole it and totaled it at 3 am., bouncing down the road and into the river at 50mph:mad:....
We found out when he sent us a message telling us he was "Ok".....I got even madder.....

Got roads and trails? ATV. Got rivers lakes? Boat. Got snow, Snowgo time!!! yeeeee haw! No one machine can do them all.

Happy trails.

[Erik in AK]

Summer/fall trail systems are limited and heavily used. Once the snow flies sleds go just about anywhere.

Also, on a personal level, while I have enjoyed many an ATV adventure I've never felt exhilarated on one, but breaking out of the trees and onto a broad expanse of unbroken sunlit snow, carving lazy S turns with a flick of the bars and a bit of body english? Exhilarating is the only word.

I'm not anti-ATV, I just love my sled.

[Terry]

Which off road vehicle

Well, I have a sled, a couple 4 wheelers, plane, a zodiak and still aint there yet. Still need a jet boat, sno go, ocean boat. Just depends what your main mission is going to be. No one vehicle is good for everything, just like there is no perfect boat or plane thats good for everything. I would pick a 4 wheeler over a sled do to the utility. I plow the drive, have a trailer to move rocks and trash, move cars around and just seem to use it more than my sled year round. On the other hand you can pick up a decent sled for $1000 dollars, where you not going to touch a decent 4 wheeler for twice that.

Terry

[LuJon]

Sleds are cheap if you just want one to get around in! You can spend as much or as little as you want on them. If you want the latest technology to climb the mountains then you better open your pockets good and wide but I have found great 10yo trail touring sleds for very reasonable prices. I picked up a mid 90's 570 cheatah for 1200 with a trailer and the thing was like new with under 300 miles on it!! It sips gas and will run any trail I aim it at. It has a 2 up seat and starts/runs great! I have seen many 06 AC mountain machines on craigs list for ~4K lately which is a good deal on a high performance machine. My plan is to put money away and wait for good deals then be ready to capitalize!

I got a 4yo 500mile Yammi kodiak 4wheeler this year for $3500 and it came with almost a grand worth of new wheels and tires!

I am more likely to "invest" in good wheelers and then I have little to no intention of getting rid of them for many years. I may mod them a bit but that is about it. I will likely buy myself a newer Griz 700 or something of that nature and I will probably still be taking it hunting in 10 year!

I guess my point is that they are not interchangable and one is not really better than the other. I do use the wheeler more frequently (plowing etc) but I put more miles on the sleds each year. I will also agree that for fun factor the sled can't be beat. There is nothing like working your way up a moutain stream and finally breaking out into a wide open mountain pass with snow so deep you don't dare step off the sled to take a leak for fear of drowning in it!

Yes I have both (and a boat) and you would have a real fight on your hands to get me to give any of them up!
I gave you some rep for asking an impossible question! <grin>

[Alaskan XL]

Well put - saved me from typing too long of a response

What he said - all of it.

[IronKW]

thanks for the input.

Doesnt sound like a mistake with either choice and you guys make great arguements for both.

I think i'll have to go with LuJon in that if I buy a new atv I'll get the most years if not the most miles out of it.

I'm seeing alot of adds for affordable snowmachines, and with warmer weather a couple months away I'll have plenty of down time to get anything wrong with a low dollar sled fixed before winter comes.


thanks again

K.