Hoping you all can help out a potential first time ATV buyer. Think I found a good deal on a 2008 polaris sportsman with 40 hrs for $3k. Few questions.

- it isa 300 cc - is this too small? Will be using at a duck lease to haul gear/friends In a trailer behind. Also need the ability it drive in rice fields with a foot or so of water. Worried about power/torque.

Thanks for the help!

Well I'm no expert but if your driving in a foot of water I'm going to assume it will be muddy. So most likely your going to have to upgrade the tire size to a taller set which reduces your torque even more. I had a 220 Kawasaki 2wd and it had plenty of pep on regular land, not so much pep in the mud.

I now have a 500 4x4 Suzuki and I think it would be about the minimum I'd want for a 4x4.

Maybe somebody else can tell you how it'd work in the rice fields but I'd be leary. It does have low hours though and the price seems decent if it is a 4x4. Also if it's a manual you would be able to control the torque a bit better than if it's an automatic.

I would think that a 300 would be a little under powered for what you are going to be doing with it. If you where cruising around lease roads it sounds like an reasonably priced machine that would operate fine but I don't think that is the case. I had a Yamaha Big Bear 400 with slightly oversized tires and it struggled.

Just doing some looking on CL around east Texas I found several Honda 500 Foremans or equivalent competitor size options for 3500-4500.

I agree with them as well. A 300 would be great for cruising but it will probably be a little underpowered once you hook up a trailer and put a little weight on it. I would suggest a 500 or so and you wont have to worry about too little power. If you are a Polaris fan the sportsman 400 is actually a 455cc motor so its actually a little bigger than most people think.

Agree need more power

Hauling a trailer with people and gear in it in a foot of water? I'm no expert but 300cc is really underpowered. I would think at least 550cc minimum.