# Newby- '04 Bombardier Outlander 400XT



## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi all,

I'm fixing to purchase my very first ATV and am looking for your opinions. Here are a few that are local to me that I'm trying to decide on. Uses will be pushing some snow (3-4 small driveways), trail riding, light hauling and hunting. I'm not looking for detailed opinions but maybe just take a look through and see if anything jumps out as a good/bad deal! If there is no mile/hour info it's because it's not been provided. Thanks a lot!!!

**2004 Bombardier Outlander 400 XT. The quad has almost *500 miles * and is in nice shape. The XT is the upgraded model that includes aftermarket tires, 2000 pound winch, handguards, and front and rear bumpers. The quad also has a full protective bottom along with a-arm guards. Along with the quad comes a very nice 52" snow plow. The plow is very helpful in the winter time. The four wheeler was mostly used for hunting. Price Asking $3500!!

**2006 Brute Force 750AT V-twin, kawasaki, 4x4, camo plastic, has a locking front differential, *275 hrs*., *2523mi*., itp midlite tires, runs strong and will go anywhere. No plow or winch that I know of!! Price: Asking $4050!!

**2002 Polaris Sportsman 500 Classic green color, no rips in seat, all lights work, 4x4 works, Hi/Lo, new battery, new starter, new front tires this year, rear tires 75%, new rear axles (both left and right) has IRS, starts great, runs great, has hand guards, front rack has gun/bow holder on it. No plow or winch!! Price: Asking $2900

**2002 Honda Rubicon 500 It is a 4 wheel drive, automatic transmission with the electric shift option also. It has *1282 miles * on it. It runs and drives great! The body is excellent on this unit! It has a front mounted winch on it also. The tires are in great shape and it has aluminum wheels. No plow!! Price: Asking $3500 Firm

**2006 Yamaha Kodiak 450 4x4 Only 707 miles (148.5 hours) ... it is in great condition and has always been kept in the garage. It comes with a 10 cu.ft. steel dump trailer that I modified to attach to the ATV's rear trailer ball. No plow or winch!! Price: Asking $3400

**2005 Arctic Cat 400 4x4 This is an automatic model and has only *1802 miles*. This ATV comes complete with a NEW CYCLE COUNRTY 48" SNOWPLOW and NEW KFI electric winch!!!! Price: Asking $3500


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## jchart06 (Feb 5, 2011)

HONDA all the way! I have a 2007 rubicon! it awesome I push snow with a cycle country 52" v-plow which i also recomend. it handles the plow wonderfuly i have also used to struts for a tonue cover to make down preasure setup on it, it handles the trails great has a 58 mph top speed and plenty of power to back most any operation, it gives you the option of high-low-rev on the side and then on the dash has 2 ranges of max power or max torque alone with electric shift if you want to do it manualy, any questions i didnt think to answer let me know


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## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Man, 19 views and no guidance from the pro's for a new guy?? 

Thanks jchart. Your info was definitely helpful. I also appreciate Honda equipment. I've got a Honda pushmower and the thing has treated me very well for years.


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## jchart06 (Feb 5, 2011)

ive run alot of things from kaw to artic cat honda has been by far the most reliable user friendly comfortable of teh atvs ive owned or ridden. 
glad i could help
p.s. that V-plow is worthy of any honda as well


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## tcfirerescue13 (Jan 13, 2010)

In my oppinion, ive never had anything good to say about hondas and their dealers. If you plan on trail riding the bombardier isnt that great. I ride with a few other guys (we all plow with our quads in the winter) 1 runs a kawasaki prarie, i run a polaris sportsman, and the other is the bombardier. The kawasaki is almost impossible to get stuck. The sportsman is a smooth ride. Its all about how you ride. They will all push snow


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## revdwg (Aug 28, 2009)

i disagree with the bombardier not being a great trail riding qaud. i think they are a great trail machine and are very smooth and will push snow no problem. but they all will do what you want


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## S-205 (Feb 27, 2009)

Every single one of those machines will "push snow" and you will be pretty comfortable doing so. That isn't where the machines lack, the trail riding is where you find most of the downfalls. IRS vs straight axle is important, are you riding in mud and rutted areas? Is diff lock a necessity? The diff lock switch on the Brute Force is in a weird position in my opinion, but there nonetheless when you need it, which I rarely do for plowing. Do you need a 750 v twin, or will a simple 450 or 400 fit the bill? I think if you would like a plow, then an atv that comes with mone already mounted and ready to go is always good. Honda's are known for reliability, Polaris do have an awesome ride, very plush. The one comes with a trailer, that may help you in some cases, depending on your situation? Many many things to consider!


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## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks for the info. I don't think I necesarily *need* a 750 v-twin. It just so happened that it was close to the price range that I wanted to stay in, so I included it in my search. The trail riding I'd do would be lame compared to some of the hard core guys around. Mainly just a few hills and dirt trails with some dips and small holes. Very few big rocks too.

Appreciate the help ya'll...


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## ctplower1322 (Nov 22, 2010)

I've ridden and worked on many different atvs over the years and have ridden most of the ones that you included in your search, now I have a 2006 500 Sportsman so I might be a little biased towards the popo, it has been great for me over the past 3 years. For plowing the fact that it has a full size frame is a plus because it makes it a little heavier than some of the others you mentioned like the kodiak and arctic cat and you cant beat the ride quality. My experience with the brute forces is that they constantly burin up belts, you said you want to plow with whatever you get and if you get a big wet snow with the kawasaki chances are you will burn a belt due to slipping. Hondas are known for reliability but you can only listen about that to a certain point, no honda is perfect and depending how you ride and treat the machine even a honda will break. Also the rubicon, kodiak, and arctic cat all have solid rear axles, like stated above you need to think about that and the advantages of IRS. In the snow the solid axles will get high centered much easier than the bikes with IRS due to lack of ground clearance. The only thing I can see going wrong with the Outlander is they historically have wake frames, so weak that companies have started making frame reinforcement kits to prevent them from bending and breaking, if your plowing with it i would be worried about hitting a curb or something and messing up the entire front end of it. In the end if possible you should go test drive all of the contenders and see which one will work the best for you. When you get on the right one you'll know it. Sorry for the long post! Good luck with your search!


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## S-205 (Feb 27, 2009)

ctplower1322;1230929 said:


> I've ridden and worked on many different atvs over the years and have ridden most of the ones that you included in your search, now I have a 2006 500 Sportsman so I might be a little biased towards the popo, it has been great for me over the past 3 years. For plowing the fact that it has a full size frame is a plus because it makes it a little heavier than some of the others you mentioned like the kodiak and arctic cat and you cant beat the ride quality. My experience with the brute forces is that they constantly burin up belts, you said you want to plow with whatever you get and if you get a big wet snow with the kawasaki chances are you will burn a belt due to slipping. Hondas are known for reliability but you can only listen about that to a certain point, no honda is perfect and depending how you ride and treat the machine even a honda will break. Also the rubicon, kodiak, and arctic cat all have solid rear axles, like stated above you need to think about that and the advantages of IRS. In the snow the solid axles will get high centered much easier than the bikes with IRS due to lack of ground clearance. The only thing I can see going wrong with the Outlander is they historically have wake frames, so weak that companies have started making frame reinforcement kits to prevent them from bending and breaking, if your plowing with it i would be worried about hitting a curb or something and messing up the entire front end of it. In the end if possible you should go test drive all of the contenders and see which one will work the best for you. When you get on the right one you'll know it. Sorry for the long post! Good luck with your search!


Correct me if I'm wrong but I am fairly sure that the Arctic Cat and Kodiak will have IRS. The AC I think shares the same frame and suspension as its brig brothers, and the kodiak received IRS around 05 and 06.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

Go with the Arctic Cat 400. I haven't had any problem with my 2004 Arctic Cat 500 4x4 automatic. My Dad has a 2005 Bombardier Outlander 400 XT and he has had nothing but problems with it.


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## ctplower1322 (Nov 22, 2010)

SmokeyBacon;1232294 said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong but I am fairly sure that the Arctic Cat and Kodiak will have IRS. The AC I think shares the same frame and suspension as its brig brothers, and the kodiak received IRS around 05 and 06.


You are right, I was confusing the kodiak with the 350 Bruin which has the SRA and I thought the smaller cats didn't get IRS till more recently, I guess I was wrong sorry about that!


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## Reb (Feb 8, 2008)

I don't have any personal experience with any of the machines on your list but I would suggest for snow pushing a belt drive machine with reverse override is by far the way to go for most peoples needs. I have a Kawasaki P360 and a Traxtor 500, both are equipped with snowplows and the P360 is my go to machine as it is much faster and easier to get around on snow depths up to 12". Over 12" I use the Traxtor as it has the weight to get through the deeper snow.

Also, unless you have a specific reason like narrow sidewalks don't go less than a 60" blade.


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## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks guys for all of the pointers. Very good information to consider. As of right now though, I'm actually leaning towards one that wasn't even on the original list.

It's a....2004 Suzuki Twin Peaks 700 liquid cooled, four stroke atv, with locking differential. It only has 1,705 miles. It is fully automatic with low range, has a receiver hitch. newer belt and tune-up. New rear tires and front are over half left. I have owned this for over 4 years, runs like new with no problems. It has tons of power, more than you would think. It also has a newer Cycle Country 48 in blade with an electric lift. This thing works great! I love this machine but want a side by side for family. A great value, thanks for looking!

Pictures are attached. I know some have mentioned not to go below a 60" blade, but the 48" is what comes with this one. Any thoughts on this ATV guys?? Please?? Am planning to act by tomorrow...The price was listed on CL at $4200 and through several emails, he has finally dropped it to $3650 bottom dollar?!?!?

Thanks!


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## ctplower1322 (Nov 22, 2010)

Looks like a great machine for a pretty good price. 48" isn't bad and if you get it and feel the need to upgrade to go bigger there are plenty of options out there. Make sure you ride it around and look it over before laying out any $$! Good luck!


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## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks ctplower!! What types of things should I listen/look for when looking the machine over and riding it?? I assume the obvious like clunks and knocks and stuff, but anything else a novice ATV guy should know? Is it necessary to get it up to a pretty good clip while riding it just to make sure it moves through the gears and such, without any problems?

It's 420 miles one way, so I want to make sure that I give it a good once over before handing over the cash.

Thanks again.


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## Reb (Feb 8, 2008)

Be sure to check out the boots on all the U joints also, they can be cracked or torn so would need to be replaced.

Later if you decide you want/need a bigger blade you can just buy the blade without having to buy new push tubes as long as you get the same brand.


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## ctplower1322 (Nov 22, 2010)

What I would do is check all of the cv boots and joints for damage like said before, listen for any strange noises like axles popping or clicking isn't good, also since it comes with a plow look for any damage or bending to the frame or plow mounting brackets from hitting curbs when plowing, I always like to make sure nothing on it is rusted too bad. Take it up to a higher speed and see if you have any wobble from the tires, check to see if the steering is loose or if it is hard to turn (if its hard to turn it might need new tie rods or tie rod ends) Im not sure how the previous owner used the atv but keep in mind that the 1,700 miles that are on it aren't like 1,700 miles on a car, if it was used off road those miles are much harder on it than driving on the road and will eventually wear things out especially things like bearings and moving parts like joints. Just be sure to grease everything up and cover any exposed electrical connections with dielectric grease to prevent any corrosion. It looks like a great bike from the pictures I'm sure you'll be happy with it!


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## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks guys! Great advice.


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## Outty330 (Dec 4, 2008)

Not sure were all the info or issues with the Outlander are coming from but I've been using my 2004 Outlander 330 with a 50 inch Moose plow for 4 years now plowing NY's lake affect with out the machine missing a beat. I cant be more happy with the machines ability pushing snow. I guess I just happened to get a good one.


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## atv4wheeler (Feb 1, 2011)

$3650 seems ok for the year and mileage and 48" plow. Try for $3500. You may not clear the tire's path when it is angled, that's why people say to go bigger. When it's angled the blade won't clear a path for the front tires. Good news is it's an awesome work machine. I have the same basic engine and can help you with belt deflection if it wasn't set right with the newer belt. Once set up correctly these CVTs are very tough, but if they're loose they will slip. Most people replace the belt without ever having re-shimmed the secondary for proper deflection (22-27mm). Ask if it was adjusted correctly. Also ask if the valves were adjusted recently with the tune-up. These engines are hard to start when the valves get out of spec and at 1700 miles they'll be due. Also, the choke on these engines are notorious for sticking. Easy fix by cleaning out the plungers.


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## Mofireman (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks guys! I woke up this morning to find another email from the owner. He said that he had been thinking about how much I'd be spending in fuel costs (420 miles, one way), and said that he would drop it "another" $100!! So it looks as though we are down to $3550, from an original asking price of $4200 on CL.

I'm going to start the drive this evening, and will get there sometime tomorrow morning (after a night in a hotel). I'll be using your input to check this thing out tomorrow, so thanks a lot.


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## plowin-fire (Jan 31, 2011)

I have a Can Am and havent had any problems with it. Like it a lot more than the Sportsman 700 I had. There is nothing about the Polaris that I liked better than my Can Am.


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

i myself would of chose the honda ,but the zook would be my second choice good luck with it


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