P500 The 500 for a big guy hauling an elk

[Myfeetrock]

Hi all I'm new here. I don't own a Pioneer 500, but I'm looking into getting one next summer if it can do all I need it to do. I own a 2013 sportsman 500 and it's mainly for hunting. I've pulled a trailer loaded down and carried a bull elk out with it. I had the head, shoulders, hind quarters, and the kitchen sink on the racks. Way over loaded but still had power to get me down the mountain. Will a pioneer 500 carry my 6'5" 250lbs body, my wife, and a trailer with 400 pounds of elk up and down a mountain road above 10,000ft with no issues. The only reason I am asking is because I live in Colorado and this is the elevation I hunt, and I have heard a lot complaints about lost power at high alt. Thanks.

 

[Admin]

 

[JACKAL]

Hi all I'm new here. I don't own a Pioneer 500, but I'm looking into getting one next summer if it can do all I need it to do. I own a 2013 sportsman 500 and it's mainly for hunting. I've pulled a trailer loaded down and carried a bull elk out with it. I had the head, shoulders, hind quarters, and the kitchen sink on the racks. Way over loaded but still had power to get me down the mountain. Will a pioneer 500 carry my 6'5" 250lbs body, my wife, and a trailer with 400 pounds of elk up and down a mountain road above 10,000ft with no issues. The only reason I am asking is because I live in Colorado and this is the elevation I hunt, and I have heard a lot complaints about lost power at high alt. Thanks.

@Myfeetrock Welcome to the club! much discussion about the P500 and those of us who have beaten anorexia posted here:

P500 - Honda Pioneer 500 and a larger driver | The Honda Side by Side Club!

Long story short, if most of your trailer towing loaded will be under 20 MPH it should fit the bill just fine, the P500 lets you pick the gear for the terrain, meaning it may not go where others go as fast as they go but it will go no problem. We have a few Alaska members who absolutely depend on their P500 for hunting maybe not at the same elevations but the terrain is just as unforgiving. I will post links to them as a follow up for a better read.

 

[JACKAL]

This is definitely worth your time to read, dog gone nice pictures too. Start at the first post, I picked the wrong link but close enough for me

P500 - Photos from moose hunting north of Fairbanks AK | The Honda Side by Side Club!

 

[Myfeetrock]

@Myfeetrock Welcome to the club! much discussion about the P500 and those of us who have beaten anorexia posted here:

P500 - Honda Pioneer 500 and a larger driver | The Honda Side by Side Club!

Long story short, if most of your trailer towing loaded will be under 20 MPH it should fit the bill just fine, the P500 lets you pick the gear for the terrain, meaning it may not go where others go as fast as they go but it will go no problem. We have a few Alaska members who absolutely depend on their P500 for hunting maybe not at the same elevations but the terrain is just as unforgiving. I will post links to them as a follow up for a better read.

Cool thanks! 20mph is all I need.

 

[AZMountainRider]

Can't say I have tested the machine with that kind of weight, but I live at 7000 ft and have put on some slow crawling miles on steep trails,mud and snow and got it going on flat forest roads and I don't notice any power differences. Also time on desert trails. I didn't notice a difference in power at 2000 ft vs 7000 ft.

 

[DavidsPioneer]

I would not hesitate the least bit.

 

[p500fan]

It will outdo any ATV I've ever owned. My last ATV was a 450S Foreman, and the P500 has WAY more torque and capacity than it ever had. Would not hesitate on the P500. They are amazingly well designed, and have exceeded all of my expectations.

 

[Akfishbum]

Hi all I'm new here. I don't own a Pioneer 500, but I'm looking into getting one next summer if it can do all I need it to do. I own a 2013 sportsman 500 and it's mainly for hunting. I've pulled a trailer loaded down and carried a bull elk out with it. I had the head, shoulders, hind quarters, and the kitchen sink on the racks. Way over loaded but still had power to get me down the mountain. Will a pioneer 500 carry my 6'5" 250lbs body, my wife, and a trailer with 400 pounds of elk up and down a mountain road above 10,000ft with no issues. The only reason I am asking is because I live in Colorado and this is the elevation I hunt, and I have heard a lot complaints about lost power at high alt. Thanks.

I bought mine primarily for moose and caribou hunting, it exceeded my expectations on my moose hunt this year. It did very well on steep muddy slopes and crawled through nasty brush, and some deep marsh grass and water. It hauled out my moose with no issues two guys and half a moose without a problem. I did not have my trailer with me so it was all strapped on the p500.
I have only been stuck once and that was my own stupidity, tried to cross a nasty puddle on ice that was two thin. To say the least I went through into mud and water that was almost to the top of the doors, hooked up the winch and she pulled herself out.

So I would highly recommend this machine for any hunting trip I plan to do.......just pick good tires the factory ones are terrible.....I went with Maxxis Bighorns.

Hope this helps

 

[Myfeetrock]

I bought mine primarily for moose and caribou hunting, it exceeded my expectations on my moose hunt this year. It did very well on steep muddy slopes and crawled through nasty brush, and some deep marsh grass and water. It hauled out my moose with no issues two guys and half a moose without a problem. I did not have my trailer with me so it was all strapped on the p500.
I have only been stuck once and that was my own stupidity, tried to cross a nasty puddle on ice that was two thin. To say the least I went through into mud and water that was almost to the top of the doors, hooked up the winch and she pulled herself out.

So I would highly recommend this machine for any hunting trip I plan to do.......just pick good tires the factory ones are terrible.....I went with Maxxis Bighorns.

Hope this helps

This and other post have me sold. I took my wife to look at a pioneer the other day to see how we fit in it. I also called my twin bro over. My bro and are both 6'5" and 250lbs. I was surprised with the room. My plan is to sell my atv in the spring and buy a P500 in june or july. I'm ready to play on the sled, but summer can't get here fast enough.

 

[rocmar]

Hi all I'm new here. I don't own a Pioneer 500, but I'm looking into getting one next summer if it can do all I need it to do. I own a 2013 sportsman 500 and it's mainly for hunting. I've pulled a trailer loaded down and carried a bull elk out with it. I had the head, shoulders, hind quarters, and the kitchen sink on the racks. Way over loaded but still had power to get me down the mountain. Will a pioneer 500 carry my 6'5" 250lbs body, my wife, and a trailer with 400 pounds of elk up and down a mountain road above 10,000ft with no issues. The only reason I am asking is because I live in Colorado and this is the elevation I hunt, and I have heard a lot complaints about lost power at high alt. Thanks.

Its fuel injected..altitude has nothing to do with it

 

[joeymt33]

Higher elevation WILL cause a loss of power. It's worse on a vehicle that's carbureted because it can't adjust. EFI will pull back fuel since the air is thinner. That will result in the correct fuel ratio which is better than having too rich of a fuel mixture.

Now having a turbo and fuel injection will give the best results since it can compress the air

 

[sam3006]

I live in Arkansas at 600 ft elevation, I've had my 500 out to Colorado 4 times now, to a buddy's cabin at 9,800ft. It's not far to almost 13,000ft. The two of us will total in the 525 range. I usually carry quite a bit of gear in the rear deck when I'm out there, spare, tools, ice chest, etc, probably adding well over another 100 pounds. We've run it a lot out there and I haven't noticed much of a power loss. Haven't had the luck to tote out an elk with it yet, so far we could get access with a truck when we've needed it, but I think it'd handle it just fine, specially with a trailer.

 

[rocmar]

I been from sea level to 12,800 ft
never noticed power loss. ..

 

[solrus]

Going for elk hunt tomorrow, hope to get 2-3 cows this weekend , if success , will update u on hauling them .

 

[Myfeetrock]

Going for elk hunt tomorrow, hope to get 2-3 cows this weekend , if success , will update u on hauling them .

Anxiously waiting!

 

[solrus]

No cows, just bulls , cant hunt them during shoulder season.

Here is my post about the trip

P500 - Shoulder Elk hunt adventures 2016

 

[Buckster]

You will have absolutely no problems! I too hunt elk in Colorado. I have run this machine to 12,000 ft. with no problems what so ever. It has great torque and plenty of power without a lot of speed, but where I go, there's no way you can get over 20 mph anyway.

My dad refers to it as "the little tank". LOL as you can not stop it.

I think most of the altitude complaints were about the pioneer 700, which is not geared as low as the 500.

I love the paddle shift to make those steep climbs.