Big Bear 400 Owners?

[farmboy12]

Anyone have one? How has it been? Any problems to date? Any Comparisons to similar quads?


Kyle

 

[timswi]

Anyone have one? How has it been? Any problems to date? Any Comparisons to similar quads?


Kyle

Had an old Big Bear 350...No problems at all. Yamaha builds good stuff generally.

 

[mud23609]

I bought one back in 2001 brand new. It dose have the same engine as the new ones however it lacks the selectable 4wd, diff lock, and irs of the newer units.

Quite frankly you will not be able to kill it. I have drown mine in lakes and rivers and one beaver pond, slammed it through every mud hole that I can find, and worked the stuffing out of it for the last eight years.

I did have to replace the starter on it after about a year. And due to all the mud that I rode it in, and the heavy mud tires on steel wheels that I run on it I have put a few sets of front wheel bearings in it and one rear axel bearing.

On the trails and in the mud with decent tires you should be able to keep up with any group of riders on 4x4's. Top speed is a little low though at 46 mph on the gps.

As for a workhorse they are hard to beat. I now ride an outlander 800 most of the time but kept my big bear around for the simple fact that it is a much better work machine and uses much less fuel around the yard.

The newer ones with irs/diff lock/selectable 4wd are much more comfortable as well.

If you do decide to change out the tires I would recommend 26's. They will turn larger ones (up to 28's with a lift) but the 26's are all around the best size that I have found for the machine.

As far as I am concerned the big bear is far and away the best value in the 4x4 world.

 

[farmboy12]

Mud-

Welcome to TBN!

How much will they tow do you guys think? Just around the property at slow speeds in 4Low.


Kyle

 

[timswi]

Mud-

Welcome to TBN!

How much will they tow do you guys think? Just around the property at slow speeds in 4Low.


Kyle

Not sure I'd go more than a few hundred pounds and not on hills...Remember the weight of the tow vehicle vs the pull weight first!!!

My RTV says it'll pull 1100# (it weighs around 1300#) not sure I'd try that beyone moving it's trailer around very locally to it's parking spot. There's no way I could stop a 1100# trailer at anything beyond an idle. This is the kind of stuff that ends up on youtube, or an ER.

 

[mud23609]

Brakes are the limiting factor. If I remember correctly they are rated for 800 pounds. They will pull more, much much more, but you have to be able to stop. As for mine, I have moved a hay rack around with 80+ bales on it. I started off on pavement, gravel I would have just spun but it pulled it the one hundred feet or so that I needed to move it.

On level ground mine handles my 4x8 trailer with two foot sides stacked full of wood just fine. I wouldn't want to do big hills though.

 

[Old Coot]

Bought mine in 87. I changed the gear selector because the cable broke. Otherwise never back to the dealer.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/dyjack1/Auto/YamahaATV.jpg

 

[timswi]

Bought mine in 87. I changed the gear selector because the cable broke. Otherwise never back to the dealer.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g142/dyjack1/Auto/YamahaATV.jpg

Coot, mine looked exactly the same..Down to the plow. Except mine was red.

 

[rharkins]

I bought mine in 2003, I think. Has the selectable 4wd.

I use it to pull my brush hog mower and gather firewood in a small trailer. I also use it to pull whole trees around that I'm not going to cut up for firewood. Just toss a chain around the tree and drag it down to the gully. It's never had a problem, 'cept that one time when the tree caught on a root and stopped me dead. Just about ate the handlebars!

It's a workhorse. It is very cold-blooded and takes a while to warm up and run smoothly, even in the summer. I have had a few instances where I just couldn't get it started in the middle of the winter.

Rick

 

[Skyco]

I too have a 2007 or maybe 2008 Big Bear, can't remember exactly. I bought it specifically to work. It is the 5th ATV I've owned. I wanted one inexpensive, compared to others anyway, no frills, no electronic junk etc. It replaced a 2006 Yamaha Rhino.
Two complaints so far- until it warms up good and goes a few hundred feet it is very hard to shift. Apparently this is a common Big Bear "feature".
The wife says it hurts her toes to shift. Once good and warm it is ok. I run the "synthetic" Shell Rotella T 5w-40 in it and that helped the shifting.
The oil filter is a PITA, it is a cleanable screen deal, messy and really only catches big junk. I'd prefer a spin on or cartridge paper filter. Of course the cleanable one saves money, if it does well enough to avoid early engine wear out. Since the filter isn't so great I do frequent oil changes...there went the savings..oops.
Bottom line- would I buy it again? Absolutely, for the money as a work machine it can't be beat. It isn't flashy, it isn't a trail racer, but with the really, really low first gear it will do some serious work for a very reasonable price.