Compare

[PNW Rook]

Hey everyone, I'm in the market for a sled 2013-17. Purpose for my question is I'm new and don't have a well rounded advice pool around me. My pool says buy a Polaris you'll never regret the decision..... well Artic Cat speaks to me I like them. Why? Ihave no idea, I have No solid reason why. Please hammer out reasons Polaris is king, why artic cat is better than skidoo and so on. I will be riding in Washington State mountain country, PNW. What kind of riding??? Great question, groomed, hill climbs and some trees. Thanks in advance

 

[summ8rmk]

I've owned well over 20 sleds from the big 3.
I ride central Washington cascade concrete.

Ski-doo use to be my favorite sled, till the rev chassis. Since then, i can't stand the ergonomics and handling for back country riding.

I never liked Cat till the Mseries, that is the first true backcountry sled. They were my choice from 2006-2019. Engines are the most reliable and plenty of power. Clutching on the other hand, almost as bad as skidoo with the added bonus of possibly exploding.

Polaris has been hit and miss for me for the last 30yrs.
The 2019+ are great, especially the Khaos.
I don't care for the pro chassis and the Axys didn't impress me till 2019 with the react front end and revised cooling and electronics.


The Polaris is the best at steep sidehills and the most predictable sled.

Cat has the best tracks and traction. The ascender chassis is great for sidehilling and straight up climbs.

Proclimb is not bad at sidehilling with the 36in front. It is quite wild while climbing but gets the job done.

Skidoo is the best at wheelies. I like how smooth the engine runs and how quiet it is.



Riding the same brand as the majority of ur group has some benefits, if there are problems or damage to a sled. Can borrow parts to get sled back to truck.

Sent it

 

[sno*jet]

since you put 17 as the latest you will go i will tell ya i do not regret the 17MC I purchased new and still ride with the others newer machines. yes the zuki is not as snappy off the line but top end is still compareable. if not there are plenty of mods you can do reliably. suspension is still better than polaris pro imo (not khaos) and pogo doo front ends. 17s had a great shock/valving package if you get a MC or limited. Get a MC tho. It has most of the newer chassis mods the current cats do. clutches do not explode in fact i think they offer better belt life than polaris ta boot. cheaper belts that last longer. a 17 axys is not a bad choice at all, I just like the robustness of the cat. A-arms dont bend as easy and motor goes at least twice as long before needing rebuilt. Either brand will need clutches thoroughly gone through if its higher miles.
Going forward if you have a MC, you can literally bolt on anything you like better about the newer cats. just a matter of how deep your pockets are. Im not sure you can bolt an 850 into an older axys or their newer plastics, but polaris has TONS of aftermarket options anyway.
I wouldnt buy a doo 850 older than 19 unless its a KILLER deal. first two if not 3? years of the 850 doo were belt exploders and them things aint cheap. seems like they are the most expensive sled on snow to operate is their main drag to me, I actually like the handling fine. kinda fun. Ive never tried to hang long sidehills on one though. I know they dont walk across set up snow easily like a polaris or twin rail cat can.

 

[boondocker97]

My opinion is similar to the other guys here. I will add for me the Doo has a twitch when on it's side that I'm not real fond of. Don't notice it when the snow's deep, but don't like it on shallower or more setup snow.

A guy I work with that was pretty new to sleds bought a proclimb cat to start on. He was really impressed with the durability and the amount of things he was able to smash into as a new rider without damaging anything. He told me several times his riding group couldn't believe his a-arms were still intact. So there's that if you are just getting started. He's maybe 5'-4" and 130lb and just bought a used Polaris Axys since he is ready for a lighter machine and now has some skills to use it and keep it out of harms way.

We have Cat, Polaris, and Ski-doo in our riding group and we all manage to get into the same places and trouble from time to time. It's a lot of personal preference on what you like these days.

 

[PNW Rook]

since you put 17 as the latest you will go i will tell ya i do not regret the 17MC I purchased new and still ride with the others newer machines. yes the zuki is not as snappy off the line but top end is still compareable. if not there are plenty of mods you can do reliably. suspension is still better than polaris pro imo (not khaos) and pogo doo front ends. 17s had a great shock/valving package if you get a MC or limited. Get a MC tho. It has most of the newer chassis mods the current cats do. clutches do not explode in fact i think they offer better belt life than polaris ta boot. cheaper belts that last longer. a 17 axys is not a bad choice at all, I just like the robustness of the cat. A-arms dont bend as easy and motor goes at least twice as long before needing rebuilt. Either brand will need clutches thoroughly gone through if its higher miles.
Going forward if you have a MC, you can literally bolt on anything you like better about the newer cats. just a matter of how deep your pockets are. Im not sure you can bolt an 850 into an older axys or their newer plastics, but polaris has TONS of aftermarket options anyway.
I wouldnt buy a doo 850 older than 19 unless its a KILLER deal. first two if not 3? years of the 850 doo were belt exploders and them things aint cheap. seems like they are the most expensive sled on snow to operate is their main drag to me, I actually like the handling fine. kinda fun. Ive never tried to hang long sidehills on one though. I know they dont walk across set up snow easily like a polaris or twin rail cat can.

Thanks that's a lot of great information.