Log Pulls with the 2020 Yamaha Kodiak 450 | Utility Review

[@blehssed]

To prevent unnecessary wear on the machine if tie up those logs as close and and lift them at the four-wheeler using the rear rack. Will be a lot easier.

[@danielc5205]

I just bought a new 2019 base model Kodiak 450. The base model Kodiak 450s don't come with the 2" receiver hitch but, Yamaha did predrilled and threaded the holes so you can add one later, like I did. Lastly, I'd like to add that even though my Kodiak doesn't have EPS, I still can ride around the farm one-handed, while drinking my coffee.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Thanks Daniel C. Yeah, EPS is handy to have, but certainly not necessary. My last ATV of a very similar size/weight didn't have it either.

[@derekjones2794]

How do you like it? I’m really debating on getting a 450. MY salesman keeps pushing the EPS, but price point I don’t think it’s worth it for light work around the house and the occasional trail ride.

[@danielc5205]

@@derekjones2794 For what I use my Kodiak 450 for, the 450 works well for me. Also, I've never ridden any ATV with EPS before, so can't really compare the two honestly. I've never even ridden the Grizzly 700 before as well. The things I like about the 2019 Kodiak 450 is, just about anyone can ride it with ease, it's pre-wired for a winch, wide foot boards, the IRS rides like a Cadillac, and the ability to use a 2" receiver hitch. The things I don't much care about it is, I wish it had a parking brake rather than park in the transmission, I never liked CVT transmissions in any ATV, and the IRS is only rated for 33lbs of tongue weight. While the Kodiak 450 is rate to tow over 1,300lbs., with only 33lbs of rated tongue weight, you're limited on the types of trailers it will tow.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

@@derekjones2794 I think it's worth the extra money. Take my recommendation with a grain of salt though. My wife and my old man ride this thing on long trail days on tight trails, so the EPS is great to reduce fatigue over time.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

@@danielc5205 couldn't have said it better. I agree with just about all this Derek - thank you for watching.

[@andybassham2369]

Tow rating - Brakes & liability. Honda sat on their 850lb rating for a long time while everyone else was advertising much higher numbers. Same for the rack limit ratings. Most of us have stood on that front rack before that says like 66 or 88lbs max (depending on the machine). I always figured they used those numbers for liability purposes.

[@CW_Firewood]

Ya it’s kinda pathetic if those racks couldn’t take more then 66-88 pounds. Should be able to atleast sit on them if u wanted to

[@JoshuaOverman]

Ratings are all nonsense the Yamaha Kodiak has a way higher towing capacity then a rancher but it’ll snap a driveshaft doing this kind of abuse constantly but a Honda won’t

[@TheDman52]

My 96 kodiak pulled my girlfriends jeep grand cherokee when it broke down. Now it did struggle alittle and didnt like it but she pulled that thing. These machines are tough!

[@va3hie]

Limiting factor for towing would likely be tied to the breaking. Safety issue. Lawsuit issue.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Yeah that seems to be the consensus and it totally makes sense now that I think about it. Thanks for the comment!

[@markdebassige9485]

It is the amount of weight it can pull and properly stop safe enough with out any danger to the rider or machine. Any more weight is putting alot of stress on the breaks and machine and could fail. I just learned this a few years ago. I thought it had to do with engine power myself

[@chrislobb936]

I think tow ratings are determined by everything you mentioned as well as brakes. tires wheel base and vehicle weight. I’ve towed insanely beyond the rating on my quad and it moved it and didn’t brake anything but engineers would shake there heads I’m sure.

[@bigriver3278]

Wondering if you have tried figuring fuel economy on this rig? I've been coming up with 30+ mpg street/trail riding modestly. Obviously there's a lot of variables that can come into play....but commuting around town in 2wd I'm getting well over 100 miles per tank (3.7g). The few reports on KZbin and forums are little better than 20 mpg or less. My daily driver is a lifted & modified '17 Tacoma and it gets a dismal 13 mpg....so I'm glad I have an alternative 8 mos out of the year living in MT.

[@timberray9572]

Find yourself a 4x6ft yard trailer, and you will really find out how much work you can do with that ATV. I have a few videos of how I use mine, to me it is an indispensable piece of equipment.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

We ended getting a 1200# capacity ATV cart from tractor supply. Pulls it great!

[@mrlariata9290]

That's intresting they tow the same with two different engine sizes. Hmmm maybee rear diff gears are lower in the 450 and the grizzly are higher geared.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

I think the limiting factor is cooling. I've towed some heavy loads with the 450 and you run out of traction before you run out of power.

[@shadetree6981]

Yes it has to do with the chassis and driveline of the machine.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Someone from the blogs says it's likely due to the brake sizes/abilities, which makes a lot of sense too. I'm sure it's due to a few reasons. Thanks for commenting!

[@crazyflyboy30]

I think you can do the clutch shim mod same has the Grizzly or 700 Kodak that will give you more low power.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

That's a great point. Especially when you put on heavier tires

[@TheWhiteOakHomestead]

That Kodiak is a beast! And those tires seem to really help out a lot.

[@CDCraig99]

I would guess your limiting factor in towing is first and obviously traction but the rating probably brakes

[@jacobwilliams5702]

They might use the same brakes and brakes are a big factor in towing cause you have to stop it

[@Anonymouso283]

Hey man, what type of rope is that?

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Sorry for replying so late! This is a cheap, "Smittybuilt" 3-inch by 30-foot snatch strap made for vehicle recovery. Amazon has some great snatch ropes and tow ropes for cheap.

[@Anonymouso283]

@ThomperBeThompin Thanks man!

[@ASUSfreak]

Max towing is limited by braking power. If you go downhill and break, the weight pushes you forwards. Als if you suddenly do an 90 degree turn for some reason, the weight pushes you forwards resulting in wipe-out. Also if you tow something uphill, say 10x more than the quad weighs, the weight can drag you backwards if you loose grip. Hope you understand, cause I'm Dutch speaking 😉

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Thanks man! I think your assessment is spot on and on top of that, your English is great! My brother had a Jeep Wrangler (4-door) and it can only tow 3,500lbs (which is pretty low) and we determined it was because of cooling. It would overheat pulling 3,500lbs up over the mountains at 45-60mph. So, I thought it might be cooling, but brake limitations makes total sense. Thank you for watching and thank you for the feedback.

[@ASUSfreak]

@@ThomperBeThompin you're welcome 😁

[@ChristKrew-Rev1.8]

Looking to pick one of these up to drag my yard instead of hula-hoeing my yard. As a disabled veteran.... 1/2 acre is killing me and most people charge right around 4-7 hundred to do it. Would this be overkill for weed pulling and dragging? Thanks for the review!

[@Anonymouso283]

Heavens no! Go for it! If you do buy a 450, get yourself a towing cart while you’re at it.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

@@Anonymouso283 Yup, we just bought an ATV cart that can carry 1,250 lbs. It has been great pulling it with the Kodiak!

[@Anonymouso283]

@ThomperBeThompin Good! You’ll get great work out of that cart. They surely make life a hell of a lot easier.

[@shotgunz124]

My 20 king quad 500 is same rating as 750 kq also I think it’s because the frame is same

[@coryboyd7958]

It would be easier if you put a skid plate under the front of the log!

[@failingdisciple938]

I just bought one of these. Why is the front brake on the right? Down hill the right hand is doing too much

[@ThomperBeThompin]

I actually prefer having the brakes separated between front on the right and rear on the left handle. Single lever is great for simplicity, but I like to modulate each on my own. Perhaps try adjusting the angle of the brake lever? Maybe you can get it more within reach so it's easier to reach. Best of luck to you.

[@hamrmark]

Bikes have the brakes on the right. Maybe trying to help with people crossing over?

[@edwardabrahamiii3742]

Put plywood on your rear rack makes it comfortable to sit on and less mud hits you

[@ThomperBeThompin]

That's a really good idea

[@edwardabrahamiii3742]

@@ThomperBeThompin use paracord to tie it down or zip ties also string they all work to hold it down

[@kyriakosmylona6480]

so for me to understand (im new to this) can this thing tow a 370 pound jet ski?

[@Mixwell1983]

Haha yeah this can tow it easily, the tow capacity is 1322LBS...

[@JerseyFrank007]

Here for the Kawi....we need a head to head! Maybe some drag racing... I'll let you decide.

[@matthewvanderbeek1240]

I have a different brand. But put wood on the rear bars as well. Much nicer if u have tools to set on your ATV when you're working on some project. Or nice to sit on for the passenger. Nice when they have a bar on the back rack that stick up a bit. So stuff don't fall off. Far as pulling specs. Probably do to breaking. Not much different between machines. Not enough difference to make a change in the numbers.

[@TheKingOfInappropriateComments]

I just bought a new one. No receiver.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

That's a bummer. They're about $90 give or take from yamaha.

[@FullsendOffroad]

dissappointing how my KingQuad 700 has only 66lb front and 132lb rear rack capacities and this thing just excels.

[@viperstrike3827]

my big bear 400 4x4 irs is rated for 1200

[@chrishubbs8633]

People these days I don’t think realize how little horsepower is needed to do work like this. Today horsepower is used just as a tool to get people to buy unnecessary vehicles for way more money and so people can brag about it to their friends. As an example. In high school my buddies father had a moving company. He towed a 28 foot enclosed trailer and put an entire house in it. He used a Chevy 3/4 ton truck. It had a 350 in it. I think they only had about 230 hp back then in the early 90’s. Today people laugh at that rating and ask why you would ever tow with that few hp. This hp race among companies is pure BS and the masses just believe they can’t do things unless they have X amount of hp. So they spend thousands more on buying the upgraded machines.

[@patbisson7338]

What tires did you installed ?

[@ThomperBeThompin]

These are the Kenda bear claw HTRs. I made a quick video on these and I have a couple of videos on my own brute Force 300 as well. Size wise they are both good for a 6-ft tall adult.

[@brokejokeratv5851]

Dude I pulled a 85 Fox body mustang up my steep driveway with my Honda rancher 350 I'm sure this would have done alot better

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Yeah, if you have the traction these things can pull a lot

[@ballbeanking]

Man that’s hard on the belt. Get a log arch

[@OpenAirAdventure]

Lots of good said about the Yamaha, guys are beating on them hard and no issues, I asked everyone that rides an atv what they recommend and pretty much all said Yamaha, looks like we may get the Kodiak 700 eps.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Did you buy yet? If it was only me riding the machine, I would have got the 700, but my wife, our friends, and my old man ride it from time to time.

[@OpenAirAdventure]

@@ThomperBeThompin yes we did, definitely a great choice.

[@juliosdiy3206]

Dahaaaaaaaaam its a horse.

[@trevorglenny2227]

I was driving my friends with over sized bear claws got her stuck in a bog would not turn them in reverse no power in them belt was smoking peace of crap Edit yea and the 4wd takes ages to turn on and off

[@ThomperBeThompin]

English is definitely tough, man. Keep working at it though, you'll get there.

[@trevorglenny2227]

@@ThomperBeThompin what u mean by that

[@eckteckteckk171]

No manual shifting,thats why i get a Honda Rancher.