Honda. I've had 3. We looked at Polaris, but didn't buy one.
Hondas are proper workhorses, last almost forever if properly looked after.
So why have I had 3? We did wear out the first, a 350. It was already 3 or 4 years old when we bought it along with the 1022 acres of Northumberland moorland and hefted flock of 450 Swaledale ewes... so it worked
really hard! Its 4-wheel drive conked after a couple more years, and that was essential for the work we did, so we decided to trade it in for the next model, the 420. I then moved farms and bought an 8 year old 350 that had done only light work. Sadly I neglected its servicing and seized the engine - my fault, not its. I traded that in for a 2 year old 420 with a lot of miles on the clock, and that came to Cornwall with me 2 years later and is still going strong 4 years on from that.
The Polaris we looked at was the one with the weather canopy. The protection from the Cumbrian weather appealed!! But it was rejected for the following reasons :
- Lefthand drive, which the xBH wasn't so keen on
- Being out of the weather appealed, but we found it made you feel less in touch with the ground and the sheep. Like driving along a country lane versus walking across the fields.
- The towing capability of the Honda outstripped the Polaris, and although on that farm we didn't tow huge weights with the quad, we did have some pretty hairily steep hills, so towing muscle was important
- So noisy!!! Partly being in a partially enclosed cab, I guess, but we found the engine noise very intrusive, which probably contributed to (2)
- and the killer : The collies hated it, wouldn't travel in it. They loved the Honda.
The quad-style Polaris (as opposed to the covered cab golf cart / Mule style) may well be a better comparison to the Honda, but as we were very happy with Honda, we just stuck with that.