[Derek]

Hello everyone. I look forward to talking to you all.

I am need of an atv for snow plowing our gravel driveway (maybe a 100 yards long). Then pulling small deadfall trees and some loads of chopped wood out from the treed part of our property. I’ve narrowed my choices to the Kodiak 450 EPS and 700 EPS.

From everything that I’ve read or talked to people about the 450 will get the job done. However, a lot of people have also told me to get the 700. The three reasons they point to are 1) The power is there if you need it. And you might. 2) The 700 EPS has the locking differential. 3) The Kodiak is still a newish release and it might take a few years to work out the bugs.

I’m up in Northern Alberta and of the dealerships that I talked to, the 2020 700 EPS costs about $3300 ($2500 USD) more than the brand new 2019 450 EPS one place offered. That’s a third of the price of another 450 and over a quarter the price of a 700.

I’d still probably lean towards the 700 then just be done with it but there’s one more wrinkle, the missus is also going to be using the machine for these activities. The 450 is a bit smaller and (I assume) a bit more forgiving if the throttle is overworked (intentionally or accidentally).

Sorry for the essay. I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

[JimP]

A lot will depend on how much snow you are trying to push at one time. I had a 2000 Kodiak and it had some problems pushing 12"+ of snow but that was mostly traction problems but extra power would of helped a lot along with a locking front diff. It is the old adage that it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

I actually purchased a base model 700 Kodiak and added the locking front diff and have only really used it a couple of times but both of those times saved me. You will also use it when dragging logs if you are in slippery conditions where only one front tire will spin if you don't have a locker.

As for the throttle response, it isn't that much difference once you get used to it and for me most of the time I haven't really seen the power difference between my old 400 and the new 700 except in the get up and go department.

You also might want to talk to your dealer and get him to throw in a winch or plow, you never know what he might do to get a sale.

One the plow I have a Warn Pro Vantage front mount on mine. With the front mount you don't loose any ground clearance and you don't have to lay down to connect the plow with a mid point mount. The plow blade will angle both directions and while I haven't had much more than 6" of snow to plow with it at one time it works quite well. If you do go with the same plow you need to get the extra pulley that mounts on plow assembly near the plow for the winch line to go through. It helps a lot and I think that it is better than the plastic one that they have with the stock plow.

Any other questions ask away. We have a few members that have the 450 on here and I am sure that they can help with your decision.

 

[Nomad]

Get the 700 and be done with it. I also recommend the factory front mount Yamaha "Tric" plow set up. It is seemingly only available to us Canucks lol. It was less expensive to buy than the warn or kimpex when I bought and it is every bit as good or better than both.The 700 won't be too much for your wife as it is really not a big machine itself. Being familiar with Alberta snow, i don't believe the 450 would have trouble with it. However, there is no doubt the 450 is going to have to work harder.

 

[Derek]

Thanks Nomad. Yeah the snow in the prairies isn’t as bad as that crazy east coast stuff. I didn’t think the snow or wood would be too much of a concern for either machine. I did enough reading on forums that I saw the first thing other people always asked was “Depends on what you’re using it for.” So, I figured I would just get ahead of the question.

The only thing that I was thinking for the my choice was that if I got the cheaper 450 and the lady likes it but I want more then maybe that cash I saved goes to a new 700 for old Derek.

 

[Derek]

Thanks JimP. I was actually reading thread an old thread here talking about a 450 vs the 700 for plowing that was the reason I joined up here. I noticed your posts in there too. So thanks for going over it again for me.

The area that I’m pulling trees out of is very wet. It’s not deep or really pools of water but always damp. It’s part of the reason for some of the issues with the trees I believe. I’m glad to hear that you think the front locking diff will really help out in that area.

I think for the wife the power steering is a must. I’ve never had it but some fellas from work have recently turned into believers.

 

[JimP]

The power steering is one thing that I wished that my base model had.

I have had two other 4 wheelers and neither of them had it but as I get older and get into areas that I could really use it. I believe that both you and her will really enjoy it.

 

[JD864]

I drove both before buying. The 450 was just sufficient. The 700 felt like it should. Go for the 700 and don’t look back.
The throttle is not touchy, you have to actually squeeze it to go. And the Kodiak is a smaller frame than most.
Make a few phone calls on price. I drove past 4 dealers to get mine. It’s a 2019, and had been sitting in their showroom a while. Saved about 1,000 by calling around

 

[Derek]

Thanks the advice JD. I think the overwhelming consensus is to go with the 700. And I’m going to do some more shopping around. I’m sure I can find a deal somewhere.

 

[Derek]

Hey Nomad (or anyone), I’m having a tough time finding the TRIC plow. I’ve found TRIC base extensions, ice scrapers and blade extensions but not the actual system. Am I looking up the wrong words or missing something?

 

[Nomad]

Hey Nomad (or anyone), I’m having a tough time finding the TRIC plow. I’ve found TRIC base extensions, ice scrapers and blade extensions but not the actual system. Am I looking up the wrong words or missing something?

I bought mine at the dealer. The base extension is for use with tracks. Where you buying? Ft Mac? A friend of mine bought a grizzly last year out there and precision Power Products in St Paul gave him the best price at the time.

 

[Derek]

Not bad guess with Fort Mac. I work up there but I live on an acreage outside of Edmonton. I will definitely check Precision in St. Paul. Awesome tip. Thank you.

 

[CanadianKodiak700]

I say go with the 700, I have an 18 kodiak 700, I love it.
The 700 & 450 actually aren't really much different in size, very similar. Weight is only approx 35lbs different.
Either would be a great bike for your needs, but ya gotta love the 700. If you finance it with yamaha Canada, you get a free warn winch & mount, dealer will want to charge approx $100 for install, it's under 30 min to install it in the snow at - 10c. Lol save your money and install yourself.

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[Derek]

Thanks Canadian Kodiak. Yeah this pretty much been decided that the 700 will be purchased. Thanks for the heads up on the winch install too.

All that’s left now is to try and find a deal on one. Any tips on negotiation tactics?

 

[CanadianKodiak700]

I didn't really negotiate, they had 3 700 kodiaks left age were trying to clear them out to make room for sleds on the showroom floor. I originally want placing on getting the se, but the only eps ones they had left was 2 camo, and the the black se... I hate camo, so that left the se.
There were tons of end of season incentives & discounts, plus the dealer discount. End of season was 0% financing, yamaha end of season mark down was $750, dealer discount was $500, age of you are a Costco Canada member, that was another $300 (if your not a Costco member, go get a $60 membership, so you get the 300 discount. You can always do a full money back return on Costco membership within a year)
Also yamaha has an instant rebate of $500 off, so in all, I got a free winch & mounting bracket, plus a total of $2050 in discounts.

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[Nomad]

Previous year clear outs are always attractive. That's how I buy a new truck when the time comes.

 

[Vincent]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the 450 Kodiak . I find them too slow. Stick with the 700.

 

[Derek]

Nice work on the savings and extra CK. I sent out a bunch of emails to dealerships yesterday. We will see what I get back today.

Nomad, I did the exact same thing with my truck. I’m having a bit of a tough time with Kodiak 700’s though. There doesn’t seem to be many left over from the 2019s. And zero used are for sale.

Vincent, thanks for thoughts. I will add you to large list of 700 votes.

 

[CanadianKodiak700]

I wish you good luck on finding a good deal. There's gotta be a dealer with a few leftovers tucked away now that the sleds in the main display. Check out smaller towns close to you, less sales volume, may have something they wanna just get off the books.

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[maineboy]

I have a 2016 kodiack EPS model..as far as "working out the bugs" goes my kodiack never really had any issues and my model supposedly was the ones with "bugs"..my only regret is not getting any ATV with a locking differential but I can live w/o it..i would also opt for the 700 over the 450--dimension wise, they are practically the same size yet the 700 will get you all that extra horsepower

 

[Derek]

Update:
Got a deal but oh my those extra fees are everywhere. I got a winch and grip/thumb warmer. Still need a plow though. Any recommendations?

Warn and Moose both have been mentioned to me. Also, after reading through other threads here, a 60” seems like a good idea so I can angle the blade and still cover the machines wheel base.

Any front vs mid mount opinions? Mid is supposedly stronger but it’s not like I will be doing that much plowing. Front seems to be better for clearance height and easy of removal but also costs a couple hundred more.

Thank you in advance for your replies.