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Rancher ES 420cc

4K views 15 replies 4 participants last post by  All_Honda 
#1 ·
I will be going to look at a 420 Rancher ES to purchase in a couple days. It is an '08 model. It looks to be in fair condition for the age and the owner says everything works fine and it runs, shifts, and drives good and brakes work good as well as steers good.

Is there anything I should look at specifically other than overall cleanliness, bearings, ball joints etc?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
If they are ridden in water the rear end is prone to getting moisture in it and ruining stuff. If the brakes still work and all of that I'm guessing it wasn't a water machine (or everything was fixed). Other than that just the common things like wheel bearings and such.
 
#3 ·
OK, might bring my tool box and see if I can take a look at the rear diff oil, I'd say it was changed but I'll still check for a milkshake in the rear diff.
 
#4 ·
Not knowing the owner its hard to tell what the quad has been through but it does look fairly clean from the pics. It don't look like it was in water a lot if it has. The aluminum parts don't have that brownish gold tint and rust on the bolts etc. Just judging from pics looks alright.
 
#5 ·
I'm going to look at that rancher tomorrow, I'll let you know what I find out. I'm driving quite a ways to look at so I hope its in good condition.
 
#6 ·
Well I went ahead picked up the rancher. Its not as good shape as I was hoping cosmetically but it runs drives and stops great so far. I changed the oil and filter immediately after taking a quick spin down the road a little ways and back and will probably change the rear diff oil soon. So far I've riden down all my trails and it seems to handle well.
 
#7 ·
my 07 looks like crap, the plastics scratch and dull easily but seem pretty durable and I haven't managed to crack them yet. The 420es seems reliable, I haven't had any mechanical issues in 8 years/3500 miles.
 
#8 ·
That's good to hear, this one has 3200 miles on it so its welllll broke in lol. Only concern is there is a slight rattle at low rpm/idle cold but seems to go away after it warms up. I'll try to get the valves and clutch adjusted pretty soon and look into what it takes to change the can chain tensioner replaced.
I got the fluid in the rear diff changed today, I was glad to see there was no water in it though it didn't look like it had been changed for quite some time.
I'll try to get a pic of the machine soon :)
 
#9 ·
I would still suggest checking wheel bearings, as letting them go, if there worn, can lead to maybe bigger issue's
wheel bearings are easy and well, they wear in use and just time/exposure, as seems many today leave the factory with piss poor amounts of grease in them, so even when I replace new one's I check to make sure there greased up good before installing!
best of luck with the new to you atv too, congrats!
 
#10 ·
OK I'll check the wheel bearings also, they feel good and tight but I'll pull the wheels off and get a better look at them. I'll need to get a good look at the brakes anyway. Thanks for the tip.
 
#11 ·
<--- Pic of the rancher in my avatar. I'll get a full size pic soon :)
 
#12 ·
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Heres a bigger pic, not a bad looking machine.
 
#15 ·
Thanks :) Yea its not bad, has quite a scratches and such but it don't look too bad.
It starts good and runs strong with no smoke at all but has a bit of a rattle, I'm going to adjust the valves and see if that helps. Also found out the one way bearing in the clutch is on its way out just like my recon (freewheels a bit) sadly but at least that's a fixable part, although a bit pricy.
 
#14 ·
Quick question:
I went to pick up a new bottle of oil for the rear diffs on the rancher and recon at the local auto part store and there was no oil that said "hypoid gear oil" so I settled for some regular GL-5 80w-90 Castrol. I asked the guys at the store if they had any hypoid gear oil and they couldn't even remember what it was...

Am I correct in assuming the stuff I bought will work fine as long as I keep it clean and changed regularly, even though it says nothing about hypoid? I did add a little Lucas also, didnt figure it would hurt since there are no limited slip clutches to worry about unlike my truck.
 
#16 ·
Just a little update on this, the 07' Rancher is still doing good. I put a little over 400 miles on it so far bringing the odo to almost 3600 and haven't had any trouble out of it. Lately I've been dragging firewood out of the woods where I don't have any trails wide enough for the tractor. This quad sure doesn't lack power but traction is a bit of an issue at times being a 2wd. But overall im prety satisfied with the purchase :)
 
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