All-terrain vehicles and ATVs – “800 6×6 Big Boss.”

Tenacious and fast

The 6x6 all-wheel drive concept is ideal for extreme off-road conditions: the contact patch of a six-wheeler is significantly larger in area than that of more common solutions, so the car can “cling” to every centimeter and get out of any traps. When a regular ATV gets stuck in a wet ravine or a harrowed field after a rainstorm, the Polaris Sportsman will crawl out of this jam.

During sowing or harvesting, you have to save every minute: a downtime of an hour is equal to the loss of hundreds of thousands of rubles. In a rush situation, driving a tractor from field to field is too expensive in terms of fuel, and killing personal cars, even SUVs, is more expensive. The all-terrain vehicle will solve the problem of prompt delivery of everything you need: it is not afraid of either heavy rains or agricultural work going on in the fields - the machine is compact enough to deftly go around any occupied area. An average farm can recoup the cost of purchasing a Polaris all-terrain vehicle in a couple of seasons - if you count fuel costs, losses from delays and other costs.

“Sportsman 800 6×6 Big Boss” has gained muscle

In the saddle of this Polaris ATV you can feel confident in the middle of the Siberian taiga or the Amazon jungle, especially in the forests near Moscow. Not so long ago, “Big Boss” received a new chassis, a new engine, and now the six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle is not afraid of the most difficult off-road conditions.

AT THE FIRST presentation of the “Sportsman 800 6×6 Big Boss” in Minneapolis, USA, it was not possible to really test it. Then, about a year ago, we were, as they say, given a ride on an all-terrain vehicle. But it still didn't look weak. Imagine a huge pile of stones, each the size of a horse's head - a six-wheeler climbed onto it and went down as calmly as if he had climbed a slide for the little ones in kindergarten. Then they attached the front blade to it, and we moved a decent mountain of sawdust back and forth. Towards the end, they loaded bags of cement with a total weight of 500 kg into the back, and I took them for a ride over that pile of cobblestones again. All! At this point the presentation ended, and we went to drink coffee.

Meanwhile, the new “Big Boss” is clearly aiming to become a top seller. And, of course, I did not miss the opportunity to get to know him better in Russia. For our test, an ATV was specially delivered from St. Petersburg to the Brandt motorcycle dealership.

Strong and resilient

The Sportsman 6×6 differs from conventional ATVs not only in its six wheels. At the rear it has a roomy body located above two axles. It is larger in size than many side-by-sides - according to the technical parameters declared by the manufacturer, the load capacity of this body reaches 362 kg.

In addition, up to 680 kg can be towed - which means that with the help of an all-terrain vehicle it is possible to transport mounted units, big bags, containers for fertilizers and pesticides.

Motor 44 hp. With. allows you to easily overcome the main obstacles that occur when moving from one field to another, even with a loaded body. 44 horsepower is quite high power, even if you have to turn not four wheels, but six. The dynamics and top speed are suitable for this design. In a convoy of four-wheelers, if they are not racing, but just going on business or on a trip, the car will not lag behind.

Polaris engineers know what the user needs down to the last detail. This model uses plastic that is difficult to scratch or break, even if it hits something heavy, catches on a tree, or gets caught in hail. The driver has a mid-height backrest that he can move back and forth without tools. The passenger seat is organized even with comfort that is excessive for utilitarian equipment.

Tracked Polaris Sportsman 6x6

Polaris Sportsman 6x6 Big Boss, shod with tracks, deserves its own name - “quad tractor”

It is no coincidence that the body of the heaviest Polaris ATV has “Big Boss” written on it: six wheels, three driven axles, a 362 kg body... In a word, a boss among its own kind. The manufacturer claims that Polaris 6×6 (the only six-wheeler in its class) is not inferior to most mini-tractors in terms of load capacity, and in cross-country ability - to tracked all-terrain vehicles. But instead of comparing centipedes with tractors, why not put tracks on the all-terrain vehicle itself? How will his behavior change when, instead of pneumatic tires, his support becomes a toothy rubber band spread out in the snow?

The track kit is designed directly by Polaris. It includes the movers themselves with a plastic drive wheel and rubber track and an installation kit of springs and reinforcing linings for the entire front arm. The front tracks with three road wheels are narrower and shorter than the rear tracks, which have six such rollers. Since the Big Boss has two drive axles at the rear, the rear tracks have two drive wheels each - ideal for power distribution. In this case, the tracks do not rest on the drive wheels, but only on additional rollers. This makes the entire system more elastic, better able to handle unevenness. The design is made with the possibility of self-installation, according to the principle of “removing the wheels, installing the tracks.” The diameter of the drive gears is slightly smaller than that of standard ATV tires, but you can still move confidently over rough terrain only with a lower tire setting. However, speed is far from the main advantage of a utilitarian all-terrain vehicle, and even more so in the tractor version.

The turning trajectory must be planned in advance. But whatever comes along the way, Big Boss will easily overcome

The fact that the support area has increased when replacing wheels with tracks is noticeable from the very first meter of movement. In place, the steering wheel, despite the electric power steering, still cannot be turned - only while driving. The tracks respond more lazily to steering wheel turns in a rut: getting out of it is sometimes a difficult task. The second difference in behavior is that the suspension stiffness has increased. This is understandable - tracks weigh more than wheels and do not absorb small bumps well, while large ones go through with a bang. But the main thing is that the car climbs over any obstacle, and the tracks can be crossed both crosswise and diagonally. It is important to move slowly. Deep snow, of course, is also not a hindrance - the ATV almost never falls through and there is no chance of getting stuck. A tree lying across it forces you to let off the gas and crawl over it as slowly as possible. And that’s all that’s required – the ATV can handle it in any case and at any angle. The only thing that can stop the six-legged one is a melting swamp, when a heavy machine, having broken through the ice crust, goes into the quagmire. All other obstacles - half-meter ledges, slippery slopes, virgin snow - are passed without effort. It is important not to let go of the gas. The power reserve of the 567 cc engine is 44 hp. Yes, but all movement occurs when the trigger is pressed as much as possible. And the caterpillar vehicle starts off in an unusual way - the smoothness of pressing the gas has almost no effect on anything. And as soon as the engine reaches operating speed, full throttle is needed. The variator, once howling, freezes at the note of maximum torque and no longer twitches. The mechanical losses of the tracks are high, which is why complete release of gas causes intense braking and a quick stop. At the same time, the speed on rough terrain and snow does not exceed 30 km/h - further it is simply uncomfortable, since the control accuracy on tracks is lower. On hard surfaces you can drive 45–50 km/h, and the unspoken record, set in ideal conditions, is 70 km/h in high gear and with a hot head behind the wheel.

The plastic dump body is lightweight, durable and can be unloaded with one click on the latch

Taxiing on tracks is a separate story. Of course, they do not add agility and any maneuver must be calculated in advance, taking into account both the presence of ruts and the trajectory of the turn. That is, the response to turning the steering wheel is fast, but the radius of circulation can confuse an inexperienced rider. Fortunately, you can always reverse, and the electric booster does not require pumped up muscles when you have to repeatedly crawl back and forth in a limited space.

An obvious advantage of the tracks is the insane traction on the hook. The all-terrain vehicle can easily tow 680 kg, and the hook itself, or rather the ball, has power squares in front and behind and is quickly rearranged. No wheels, even if there are six of them, provide such contact with the surface as an elastic track. This manifests itself both in a snow-covered ravine and on smooth ice. The only caveat is the variator belt, which, whatever one may say, is loaded noticeably more. No, with reasonable driving it does not overheat and we did not smell the dangerous smell of burnt rubber during an hour of climbing in the vicinity of the Pirogovskoye Reservoir. But when going on a long trip or preparing to carry logs from the forest with “Big Boss”, stock up on a belt, or even a couple. For those who are seriously concerned about replacing it, I can tell you that the entire procedure in the “in the snow under spruce paws” format takes no more than an hour of leisurely work with long smoke breaks.

As for the basis of our test - the Sportsman 6x6 ATV, I won’t say anything new here. The utilitarian centipede is not known for its ease of jumping from a springboard, but it effortlessly carries several bags of potatoes and easily dumps them, since the body reclines like a dump truck. Heavy, confidently crawling, “Big Boss” will be useful for travelers over long distances, for those who take a substantial load in tow or are preparing to walk in azimuth, regardless of the terrain and surface texture. It’s easy to transform the already outstanding “rogue” Sportsman 6×6 Big Boss into a super all-terrain vehicle with crazy traction using tracks, and the reverse transformation is just as easy. The cost of a set of tracks of 377,855 rubles does not seem too high, since only helicopters are even more all-terrain, but they, unfortunately, are not all-weather.

Create your Sportsman

The Brandt company offers a wide selection of accessories for any job and any riding style: more than 1,400 items of accessories with the Lock & Ride fastening system - this entire range is available to Russian buyers. With this line, you can customize the all-terrain vehicle to suit your needs with maximum efficiency.

With a variety of Pro Fit cab configurations, you can use the ATV all year round; A wide range of specially designed accessories will allow you to carry out large volumes of complex work and make longer and more comfortable trips. Sportsman ATVs are a good alternative for those who are not ready to spend money on a mini-tractor.

ATV catalog

“A terrible hope!”

A two-cylinder injection 800 cc water-cooled engine with a power of 64 hp, borrowed from the same “Sportsman 800”, was placed in the FRAME of the front part of the car. It’s even awkward to compare with the previous carburetor “five hundred”, which produced 35 horsepower.

As for the chassis, the suspension - both the McPherson front and the independent rear - have become softer, not as “woody” as on the previous “Big Boss”. But the anti-roll bars are stiffer here.

And most importantly, the headaches caused by the chain drives of the two rear axles are forever a thing of the past. For a vehicle that operates in difficult off-road conditions, these chains were constantly stretched, and therefore could fly off the gears at any moment. Now, having “overturned” the body, you see two powerful cardans: one from the transfer case to the front axle, the second connects this axle to the rear axle. And six more cardans transmit torque to six wheels. This whole enterprise is tied into one iron knot, and, as the chief mechanic of the Brandt, Misha Kufarev, put it, “It turned out to be a terrible hope!”

CHARACTERISTICS

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We meet by clothes

WORK on correcting the shortcomings that, to be honest, the previous model had, Polaris began with the exterior. And they did the right thing. The former “Big Boss” looked like a hard worker in a shabby padded jacket - diligent, but unprepossessing. His appearance was not very presentable. And this is not just my opinion - the distributors simply begged the Polaris team to make the appearance of the six-wheeler more attractive.

They listened: the updated all-terrain vehicle received a nice “face” in the image and likeness of the very successful Polaris Sportsman 800 model. And at the same time, all the options - from a large windshield and heated steering wheel grips to a winch and a front trunk made of durable plastic with a reliable lid. The headlight turns with the steering wheel, which is very convenient on a dark highway; The dashboard is electronic. Against the backdrop of such luxury, the scanty “one and a half” seat is surprising, to put it mildly. You can take a passenger with you, but it’s better not to even dream of any comfort during the trip. A large car could easily be equipped with two full-fledged seats for passengers. It's strange that they didn't do this.