Thread: Farm bike vs quad

Had horses, had two wheels, got 4x4 quad. Also done a lot of 4x4 off-roading. Worst injuries were done by a bloody horse that fell over on the hills and rolled over me.

I am loving the quad. Like all things, ride it within its limits and you will stay safe. Know when to park it up and get off and walk. Know when to get off it and walk along side it if need be. Other big problem is that people typically overload their machines. Keep within the manufacturers spec's.
Love them or hate them, I bought a Polaris. Its the 570 Ute. Rated for 180Kg in the tray means that we can go two up and sill fit a boned out animal or two in the back. Great traction system, awesome hill decent control, and the independent rear works better for what I do than a solid axle. Made a frame up for the rear tray that works as a bench seat for two additional riders and it will take two fish bins in the frame for gear/meat, plus there is tray underneath for more gear (what did I just say about overloading )

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

Had horses, had two wheels, got 4x4 quad. Also done a lot of 4x4 off-roading. Worst injuries were done by a bloody horse that fell over on the hills and rolled over me.

I am loving the quad. Like all things, ride it within its limits and you will stay safe. Know when to park it up and get off and walk. Know when to get off it and walk along side it if need be. Other big problem is that people typically overload their machines. Keep within the manufacturers spec's.
Love them or hate them, I bought a Polaris. Its the 570 Ute. Rated for 180Kg in the tray means that we can go two up and sill fit a boned out animal or two in the back. Great traction system, awesome hill decent control, and the independent rear works better for what I do than a solid axle. Made a frame up for the rear tray that works as a bench seat for two additional riders and it will take two fish bins in the frame for gear/meat, plus there is tray underneath for more gear (what did I just say about overloading )

Attachment 121895

Attachment 121896

I know its second nature to change the way you ride the bike as the weight distribution changes for a lot of people. Just consider what happens when an inexperienced rider rides in somewhere, gets an animal, loads up that very high rear rack that is a long way back over the rear axles, then gives it a bit of throttle up a bank.


I personally think of quadbikes like helicopters. If you don't have your hours up and you can't concentrate the entire time you are operating one, steer clear of them.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I know its second nature to change the way you ride the bike as the weight distribution changes for a lot of people. Just consider what happens when an inexperienced rider rides in somewhere, gets an animal, loads up that very high rear rack that is a long way back over the rear axles, then gives it a bit of throttle up a bank.


I personally think of quadbikes like helicopters. If you don't have your hours up and you can't concentrate the entire time you are operating one, steer clear of them.

Agreed. That's why no one pilots my machine but me.

I have also taken it out in a controlled environment and tested it for stability so I know it's capability ahead of getting into a situation. That's how I know when it's time to get off and walk, rather than saying in retrospect "I should have got off and walked ...."

It's also why I went with the Polaris Ute - it has a longer swing arm than normal and is actually rated for 180kg. The frame is build so that the bins when used have this bums at the top of the tray height keeping COG as low as possible. Boned out meat goes into the rear tray, so it is usually just gear you want to keep dry that goes into the bins.

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

Agreed. That's why no one pilots my machine but me.

I have also taken it out in a controlled environment and tested it for stability so I know it's capability ahead of getting into a situation. That's how I know when it's time to get off and walk, rather than saying in retrospect "I should have got off and walked ...."

It's also why I went with the Polaris Ute - it has a longer swing arm than normal and is actually rated for 180kg. The frame is build so that the bins when used have this bums at the top of the tray height keeping COG as low as possible. Boned out meat goes into the rear tray, so it is usually just gear you want to keep dry that goes into the bins.

I'm not saying you have a bad set up. For my bike I have a set of boxes that attach with ratchet strops that are attached to the boxes, so I can just swap the boxes for different tasks. Some of them are horrendously awkward.

My point was more that if someone reads some of these comments and is not aware that loaded vs unloaded is like two separate machines, then they can get into trouble.

As far as stable goes, try the new model Kingquad in hill country. It actually feels like you can't tip it over.