The Honda Rancher 420 might not be as well known as other ATVs, but that doesn’t mean it’s not just as reliable and fun. It all depends on what you’re looking for in the specs and cost. Honda offers eight different trims to give you the power of choice. What type of transmission do you want? Do you want a straight axle or an independent rear suspension? What about electric power steering? Let’s talk about these Honda Rancher specs and the best features that they packed in.
Top Features of the Honda FourTrax Rancher
DCT Transmission
Honda has outdone themselves again by taking their best technology and putting it into their ATVs. The 2021 Rancher is no exception. With the dual clutch transmission, you don’t have to shift gears since it does it before you think you need it. Since it’s a gear-driven clutch, you don’t have the hassle of changing belts.
The Honda Rancher gives you the power of control. You can switch it to manual and have some real fun. Manual is great when you’re climbing up hills. Yet, automatic makes rock crawling child’s play and easier to watch out for what’s up ahead.
Electric Power Steering
Wouldn’t you love to have a hard-working ride and not sweat for it? Well, electric power steering has an answer for that. With EPS, there are torque sensors that measure how much force you put into your machine and then matches equal force to the wheels. Simply put, turning is super easy and it takes out all the work on your end.
Electric Shift
If you wear heavy work boots or if the weather makes the pedal shift slippery, it can be difficult to change gears. Electric shift makes it simple. It allows you to shift gears by pressing an up or down button that is easy to do while riding. You can still stay in control and be comfortable the whole way through.
Independent Rear Suspension
Trample the toughest trails with independent rear suspension. It gives you eight inches of travel and nine inches of clearance. By being higher off the ground compared to a straight axle, you can easily spot the stuff in your way and react faster. The extra oomph makes riding over rocks and big hills feel like butter. It’s smoother since the weight gets evened out and it absorbs more shock.
Programmed Fuel Injection
Every Honda Rancher 420 is fuel injected, but what does that mean? It means giving your engine exactly what it lacks at the precise moment, keeping your engine cool and efficient. No fuel is wasted because a computer constantly monitors a whole list of things. Next, it uses this information to delivers the fuel and air the engine needs.
TRAXLOK® SELECTABLE
Honda introduced their TRAXLOK® SELECTABLE tech in 2014 and it’s still here today because it’s so useful. It gives you the control to quickly switch from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive. Two-wheel drive is lighter and lets you zip through turns with little effort. On the other hand, four-wheel drive adds traction to your tires when you’re going up a hill, riding through slick areas, or rock crawling.
Specs for the Honda FourTrax Rancher
The Honda Rancher and Rancher ES are the base models for this line and are two-wheel drive only. They’re the only trims that are less than $6,000, which is a great price if you don’t need the extra upgrades. These Honda Rancher models share the same specs, except for how the manual shift works. With the base model, a foot pedal shifts the gear while the ES uses simple arrow buttons.
Independent double-wishbone; 6.69 inches of travel
Independent double-wishbone; 6.69 inches of travel
Rear
Swingarm with single shock; 6.69 inches of travel
Swingarm with single shock; 6.69 inches of travel
BRAKES
Model
Honda Rancher
Honda Rancher ES
Front
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
Rear
160mm Sealed mechanical drum
160mm Sealed mechanical drum
TIRES
Model
Honda Rancher
Honda Rancher ES
Front
24x8x12
24x8x12
Rear
24x10x11
24x10x11
MEASUREMENTS
Model
Honda Rancher
Honda Rancher ES
Length
82.8 in.
82.8 in.
Width
47.4 in.
47.4 in.
Height
46.2 in.
46.2 in.
Seat Height
33.7 in.
33.7 in.
Ground Clearance
7.2 in.
7.2 in.
Wheelbase
50.0 in.
50.0 in.
Turning Radius
9.2 ft.
9.2 ft.
Fuel Capacity
3.9 gal., incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
3.9 gal., 1.3 gal. reserve
Front Rack Capacity
66 lb.
66 lb.
Rear Rack Capacity
133 lb.
133 lb.
OTHER
Model
Honda Rancher
Honda Rancher ES
Colors
Red, Olive
Red, Olive
Cost
$5,499
$5,799
Two-wheel drive depends on lots of speed to get through tricky spots. Photo by Honda
Specs for the Honda FourTrax Rancher 4×4
If you’re after four-wheel drive then there are three different options. Whether you want pedal shift, electronic shift, or power steering is up to you. Cost might be a factor too, but either way it’s $1000 more than the two-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive gives you more traction and is really important when dealing with hilly or slippery land. Still, all of these trims can switch to two-wheel drive.
Direct front and rear driveshafts with TraxLok® and torque-sensitive front differential
Direct front and rear driveshafts with TraxLok® and torque-sensitive front differential
Direct front and rear driveshafts with TraxLok® and torque-sensitive front differential
Transmission
Five-speed manual with reverse
ESP five-speed with reverse
ESP five-speed with reverse
Clutch
Automatic
Automatic
Automatic
SUSPENSION
Model
Honda Rancher 4×4
Honda Rancher 4×4 ES
Honda Rancher 4×4 EPS
Front
Independent double-wishbone; 6.69 inches of travel
Independent double-wishbone; 6.69 inches of travel
Independent double-wishbone; 6.69 inches of travel
Rear
Swingarm with single shock; 6.69 inches of travel
Swingarm with single shock; 6.69 inches of travel
Swingarm with single shock; 6.69 inches of travel
BRAKES
Model
Honda Rancher 4×4
Honda Rancher 4×4 ES
Honda Rancher 4×4 EPS
Front
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
Rear
160mm Sealed mechanical drum
160mm Sealed mechanical drum
160mm Hydraulic disc
TIRES
Model
Honda Rancher 4×4
Honda Rancher 4×4 ES
Honda Rancher 4×4 EPS
Front
24x8x12
24x8x12
24x8x12
Rear
24x10x11
24x10x11
24x10x11
MEASUREMENTS
Model
Honda Rancher 4×4
Honda Rancher 4×4 ES
Honda Rancher 4×4 EPS
Length
82.8 in.
82.8 in.
82.8 in.
Width
47.4 in.
47.4 in.
47.4 in.
Height
46.2 in.
46.2 in.
46.2 in.
Seat Height
33.7 in.
33.7 in.
33.7 in.
Ground Clearance
7.2 in.
7.2 in.
7.2 in.
Wheelbase
50.0 in.
50.0 in.
50.0 in.
Turning Radius
9.2 ft.
9.2 ft.
9.2 ft.
Fuel Capacity
3.9 gal., incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
3.9 gal., incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
3.9 gal., incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
Front Rack Capacity
66 lb.
66 lb.
66 lb.
Rear Rack Capacity
133 lb.
133 lb.
133 lb.
OTHER
Model
Honda Rancher 4×4
Honda Rancher 4×4 ES
Honda Rancher 4×4 EPS
Colors
Red, Olive, Camo*
Red, Olive, Camo*
Red, Olive, Camo*
Cost
$6,499
$6,799
$7,199
*Camo costs an additional $500
Four-wheel drive distributes power to all four tires so it’s difficult to tip over when going uphill (cow tipping isn’t as fun as it looks). Photo by Honda
Specs for the Honda FourTrax Rancher Automatic DCT
There is little difference between the 4×4 models and the Honda Rancher DCT EPS except for the automatic transmission. Now, the Rancher DCT IRS and Rancher DCT IRS EPS are the biggest hardest-working models on this ATV line. Bigger is generally better, right? Well, in this case, it is. This is what’s been improved, most of it due to the independent rear suspension.
9.2” of ground clearance (up from 7.2”)
2.3” larger turning radius
More suspension travel
Increased length, height, seat height, and wheelbase
Here are the rest of the Honda Rancher Automatic DCT specs:
Direct front and rear driveshafts with TraxLok® and torque-sensitive front differential
Direct front and rear driveshafts with TraxLok® and torque-sensitive front differential
Direct front and rear driveshafts with TraxLok® and torque-sensitive front differential
Transmission
Five-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission with reverse and Low/Drive sub-transmission
Five-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission with reverse and Low/Drive sub-transmission
Five-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission with reverse and Low/Drive sub-transmission
Clutch
Automatic
Automatic
Automatic
SUSPENSION
Model
Honda Rancher DCT EPS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS EPS
Front
Independent double-wishbone; 6.69 inches of travel
Independent double-wishbone; 7.28 inches of travel
Independent double-wishbone; 7.28 inches of travel
Rear
Swingarm with single shock; 6.69 inches of travel
Independent dual-arm; 8.46 inches of travel
Independent dual-arm; 8.46 inches of travel
BRAKES
Model
Honda Rancher DCT EPS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS
Honda Rancher DCT EPS IRS
Front
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
190mm Dual hydraulic disc
Rear
160mm Sealed mechanical drum
170mm Hydraulic disc
170mm Hydraulic disc
TIRES
Model
Honda Rancher DCT EPS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS EPS
Front
24x8x12
24x8x12
24x8x12
Rear
24x10x11
24x10x11
24x10x11
MEASUREMENTS
Model
Honda Rancher DCT EPS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS EPS
Length
82.8 in.
84.6 in.
84.6 in.
Width
47.4 in.
47.4 in.
47.4 in.
Height
46.5 in.
46.8 in.
46.8 in.
Seat Height
33.7 in.
34.9 in.
34.9 in.
Ground Clearance
7.2 in.
9.2 in.
9.2 in.
Wheelbase
50.0 in.
51.0 in.
51.0 in.
Turning Radius
9.2 ft.
11.5 ft.
11.5 ft.
Fuel Capacity
3.9 gal., incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
3.9 gal. incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
3.9 gal. incl. 1.3 gal. reserve
Front Rack Capacity
66 lb.
66 lb.
66 lb.
Rear Rack Capacity
133 lb.
133 lb.
133 lb.
OTHER
Model
Honda Rancher DCT EPS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS
Honda Rancher DCT IRS EPS
Colors
Shale Blue, Red, Camo*
Olive, Red
Reactor Blue, Red, Camo*
Cost
$7,699
$7,499
$8,199
*Camo costs an additional $500
DCT takes the work out of riding by making the acceleration and shifting smooth and consistent. Add a winch to improve the Honda Rancher’s utility, making the work even easier. Photo by Moto-Bike 2020
Final Thoughts
The Honda Rancher specs get the job done and is an impressive addition to the ATV family. Versatility is where it really shines. Do you want manual or automatic? You can have both. What about 2WD or 4WD? Again, you can have both.
Honda doesn’t skimp on any of the high-quality features and still manages an unbeatable cost with an MSRP starting at $5,499. You can get better value by upgrading later with parts from SuperATV. The great price and customization make the Honda Rancher 420 a great choice whether it’s for work or recreation.
I have a Honda Rancher 2002 ESP that is set up for a wench has the buttons on handle bar,but no wench or plate. Waz looking for one to fit tge set up that come with it? Csn you help me?
wench,,,,is she good looking,,,,or maybe you mean winch,,,,,,,,,im wondering how heavy this is on front and rear,,,,id like a unit that i can pick up the front when i get stuck,,,,maybe i need a 175 or 250cc
4 Comments
wow
I have a Honda Rancher 2002 ESP that is set up for a wench has the buttons on handle bar,but no wench or plate. Waz looking for one to fit tge set up that come with it? Csn you help me?
Hey Jim! You would need to find a mount specific to your machine. Unfortunately, we do not offer this for the Honda Rancher. Thanks for tuning in!
wench,,,,is she good looking,,,,or maybe you mean winch,,,,,,,,,im wondering how heavy this is on front and rear,,,,id like a unit that i can pick up the front when i get stuck,,,,maybe i need a 175 or 250cc