ATVs and Trailers

[lambic]

If you are looking at a Suzuki, I would go for a king quad 500 rather than the 400.

Smoother fuel injected engine, independent rear suspension, power steering on some and much more reliable.

Good luck with the search

If you rolled a 500 King Quad, would you be able to right it by yourself or too heavy?

According to Suzuki brochure the 500cc is 125 cm wide, therefore it seems unlikely to fit on a 121cm wide P7E trailers? Unless I am missing something obvious....

 

[Bower]

Sorry will be too big for you, don't trailer mine often so forgot how big it is.

but it's a very good bike

 

[nick.308]

we have had suzuki king quads for last 12 yrs.
We used to have honda's for 15 years previous but they don't really have enough grunt for towing our farm trailers and we more expensive and we preferred the CVT auto suzuki to the Electronic Shift Hondas.
Im sure our suzuki's are the same standard width and we put ours on a 4ft wide trailer which in 121cm ish off the top of my head. The body work (mud guards) is wider than the outer wheel width whack is probably where your extra with comes from?

I would buy a suzuki any day of the week and I agree with 500cc up. You can't have enough grunt.The build quality I think is as good as honda.
and you get more spec for your money. e.g. independent rear wheel suspension on suzuki vs one suspension strut on rear axle of the honda I believe.

 

[nick.308]

also my dad managed to roll our 500cc king Quad onto himself and he said the weight slowly suffocates you as it would with any quad. He had to slide out with difficulty and was able to upright it. He had dislocated his shoulder the other year before so he hasn't the best upper body strength either.

 

[lambic]

Nick

You are putting forward a convincing argument.

Is your trailer a P7E?

Any chance measuring the width of 500 ?

Just wondering if I got a P7E with mesh sides whether it would be a squeeze some part of the quad ...

 

[rodp]

Forget the make of my trailer but it has indespension units on it rather than the leave springs that IW use. I find IW rattle like hell when not carrying a decent load but indespension units ride much smoother.
As Rod says zips might be a problem, although mine have worked find for the past 3 years or so. I had thought of just having eyelets and passing a tape or chord through like they do on the foreign truck trailers. I also made a little jib that slots into the top of the bars that hold the cover. So suspended grallocks and loading of reds is easy.

Zips WILL fail, we make these covers for a living. TIR tape through eyes is reliable and very secure, but a bit of a faff with freezing cold hands in winter. The trucks use it because they have a customs seal on the end of the tape. We find Velcro flaps easy to use, reliable and simple. That's just our experience of these things.

 

[scotspine]

Lambic

I have a Ifor P8 (8x4) with mesh sides. Room for old Yamaha Kodiak and hill trailer(stood on end) plus several Reds. Great trailer and very versitile.

Smaller trailers with mess sides will be a sqeeze.

Regards

 

[lambic]

Scotspine

Do the mesh sides reduce the space a bit then? I assume they are removeable?

If my DSC2 assessor is reading this, I do not put reds in a trailer with a dirty quad They magically get transported in a sterile environment.

Shortlist of quads is down to 2 now....... new / ex demo Honda 420 PS Manual + Winch or ex demo Yamaha Kodiak 450 (new version) ..... not much on the SD about the new Kodiaks, not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Welcome any sage advice on which one to focus in on......or why the Kodiak might be a better buy than the Honda

Cheers

 

[Sheamus]

The fitted mesh sides do not encroach on the loading space area. However having these fitted does reduce your gross load carry weight for the trailer. They can be removed at any time or replaced its an easy task to complete.
Regarding the Yamaha Kodiak it was super seeded by the grizzly some time ago. So the Kodiak models will be relatively cheaper to purchase.

 

[Milligan]

the 420 honda has solid axle. the foreman has the independent and a much higher load capacity.
You can't give a mate a lift on the 420 as the rack can't cope but I can lift the ends and tip it up if needed.
Only reference point I have is a mates Polaris CVT with indi suspension which weighed a heffer plus and couldn't be lifted.

Pros and cons with all these things.

Not sure if PS is essential if you are used to dragging deer; another thing to go wrong?

 

[lambic]

The fitted mesh sides do not encroach on the loading space area. However having these fitted does reduce your gross load carry weight for the trailer. They can be removed at any time or replaced its an easy task to complete.
Regarding the Yamaha Kodiak it was super seeded by the grizzly some time ago. So the Kodiak models will be relatively cheaper to purchase.

Seamus they have released a new 2017/2018 Kodiak, think designed to cater for the Yankee's. Lots of bells and whistles.

Perhaps more to go wrong as well...

Gut instinct is go for the reliable solid axle Honda with power steering and manual transmission.

 

[Sheamus]

Im 3 years behind the times regarding quads Lambic. Back then I purchased a Grizzly 450 special edition which has done its job admirably. So I have never had a reason to look at the quad market again.
But yes your right there is a new Kodiak and it looks very nice but not too keen on the starting price £6,799.

 

[Huntersforge]

I run an IW p6e and an elderly Kawasaki klf300 . Bulletproof. Air cooled, permanent 4x4, virtually no electrics. Seen it’s fair share of action and been 100% . However if I was in the market for new bike it would be a Honda.

 

[bowji john]

I went through this exact thought process when looking for quad and trailer for work around the farm and traveling to (and over) permissions

In the end I went for a little Suzuki jeep, floaty tyres and home made trailer

No VAT, easy to maintain, doesn't chew up fields, warm, road legal, and warm - did I mention warm .

j

 

[countrryboy]

Must admit i'm not sure of the Iffor range, but do they not go out to 5ft in the P?
Every single time i've bought a new quad it has got wider and wider, my early quads u had a 4" timber down both suides to keep quad centred. now u barely have 1-2" down the sides. I've caught the mudguards on my last 2 rolling them off the trailer and i hate catching them
Personally I don't like the lighter trailers and while the GP's are heavier for off road u can use themoff road in decent flat fields, but using any road trailer off road just knackers them as u push them too far and end up ripping stuff off them
Plus the 8ft givers u a decent bit of room in the front of the trailer for beasts/tools etc even the 7ft won't give u much room

Bit pricier but i think the GP's are a far better trailer, solid axle, higher sides (barely need to strap quad down, well i never) and brakes/hand brake (which can be handy for shunting it about on hills)


As for PS, some folk love it others hate it, know an estate of grouse keepers got rid of all there new bikes as hated the PS on the hill, think they said it was to light and if u hit a tussock/rock it felt like the bike would flip.
if ur not carrying a load on the front rack u don't really need it. Best ask for a demo bike on trial see wot u like best

 

[scotspine]

Lambic

I leave the mesh sides on all the time so the bigger trailer is ideal as I can squeeze down the side of the trailer even when the quad is loaded, so getting quad on/off a doddle.


A P6 with mesh sides leaves no room for manoeuvre but no worries if you don't want to sides.

Incidentally, I bought new "normal" tyres for it as the factory balloon tyres wore out in no time and were prone to punctures.

Regards

 

[lambic]

I suspect you are more slender than me if you squeeze in the gap.

I think the mesh sides are worth it for other jobs in the house and would probably leave them off for the quad.

Obviously nothing is perfect, but the P7E seems the best compromise between handling, storage and usage.

.....Currently considering if making a quad road legal is worth the hassle if you live in the middle of nowhere.... Anyone had their wrists slapped ?

 

[rodp]

I suspect you are more slender than me if you squeeze in the gap.

I think the mesh sides are worth it for other jobs in the house and would probably leave them off for the quad.

Obviously nothing is perfect, but the P7E seems the best compromise between handling, storage and usage.

.....Currently considering if making a quad road legal is worth the hassle if you live in the middle of nowhere.... Anyone had their wrists slapped ?

Around here any nonlegal quad on the road is impounded, and they also charge you the recovery fee.

 

[countrryboy]

Around here any nonlegal quad on the road is impounded, and they also charge you the recovery fee.

But is that farmers driving on the road at sensible speeds between fields or keepers between woods or yung hooly's tearing about on more racing type quads?
I've never heard of anyone being done for it and very few farm quads are registered locally but loads on the road (but this is in a rurl area)

 

[JTO]

There is something somewhere about using a vehicle for limited distances for farm use without the need for a Road Fund License(Zero charge for tractors anyway, perhaps). Insurance would be required, I would think.