bigboss 6x6 ??

[grit]

these new units look to be the ultimate hunting machine.How do the handle,is the steering very heavey?How is the suspension when they are empty,soft or hard?Can they be enjoyed on the occasional trail ride or are they a burden on the trail? I takee it they are betterr in the mud and at climbing than a regualr 4x4.Any issues with these units?any belt issues when loaded and towing a trailer? I'm considering getting rid of my grizz and getting a 6x6.looking at the bigboss or an argo, but don't really need it to float and figured the 6x6 may be more versitile on the trail.

thanks

 

[rimfirematt]

no doubt you have used the search button on here and found out all the good things i have to say about it.
Steering is no problem as far as strength goes. They need a little more room to turn tight but its not a burden.
Yes they can be enjoyed on a trail ride. They have first class suspension.
They can get stuck, but I think they do better in the nasty stuff.
I have only had one problem with mine. A piece in the front diff for the ADC failed
Loaded really heavy in the bed they are not as responsive in steering. I had a whole moose, sans a front shoulder in the bed of mine. It floated the front end off the ground a bit but I still got out.

 

[jupiterak]

My hunting buddy started with a 1994 6x6 400 2-stoke. Rode the he!! out of it until 2005. Then bought another 6x6 with a 500 4-stoke. He and I rode both and felt the 500 was a little less powerful. There are may here in Alaska that go down one tooth in the main drive gear. This gives better low end grunt. He now has a 2010 6x6 800 which we used last hunting season. It is light years ahead of the older ones with the new suspension and no more chains. Stears easy too. He hauled out a complete bull moose. less head, guts and hide. It never even tried hard. The new 800 is a bit of a gas hog but it's gets you in and out with a ton of stuff and will also pull a trailer with no problem. I now, after 25 years of 4 wheelers, have a new 2011 6x6 in the garage. Took me a while but I finally joined the club.

 

[Have Gun Will Travel]

The Boss

The Boss

Grit: Son-in-law has had new 6x6 for two seasons, mine is one season old. The newer 6x6 is way supiorior to older models, as Matt and Jupiter pointed out so well. Son-in-law took me on a ride in his machine after a successful initial moose hunt his first season and I became a believer immediately, buying my 6x6 as soon as I could sell my 4 wheeler. This past fall, my hunting partner, after riding back to our base camp as passenger in my machine (2 miles cross-country carrying entire moose), has sold his Honda Foreman and will be purchasing new Polaris this spring. It would have been possible to pack that moose out using our older 4 wheelers, but it would have been a super-grunt--taking a full day or longer, required two 4-wheelers, and would have easily resulted in many tips/rolls along the way.

So far, the only issue I've had with machine is overheating caused by vegetation (in particular a grass seed that is common where we hunt moose in the fall) plugging the radiator fins. This has only happened while cross-country travelling (no trail). It is something that is fairly easily dealt with in the field--I found that my "partner's" toothbrush, taped to an alder branch,was a most useful tool that worked just fine to clean the radiator fins....

Take a demo ride on one--in particular, ride one up a steep hill if you want to be impressed! If you do decide to purchase one, we found that Mckinely Polaris (Nick) gave us, by far, the best price. It is a ways to drive to Healy from the Valley, but well worth it for the savings compared to other Polaris dealer's bids.

Happy trails!

 

[1S1K]

Ditto on what Have Gun said, you cannot beat or compare the 2010 or newer Ranger 6X6 to anything. For comfort, capability, and cost there is no comparison. I also agree the McKinley Power Sports is good to deal with. They gave me the best price on mine, but Big Lake Power Sports matched it so I went with Big Lake and have been happy with Big Lake ever since. Had Big Lake not matched I would have driven to Healy.

 

[rimfirematt]

you guys have really got my curiousity up. What were they asking at mckinley polaris? If you want to pm me that is fine. I got three quotes in the anchorage, matsu area and they were all within 100 bucks.

 

[Have Gun Will Travel]

Matt: Sent you a pm....

 

[1S1K]

I ordered mine in June 2009 when the MSRP was $12299, and I bought one of the first two that Big Lake Power Sports got. So the quote that I got and the price I paid is a bit skewed. I think the MSRP now is $12499 and has been since May or so of 2010. If everyone is within $100.00 then take your time and gas money into the equation and make your decision.

PM sent.