Quad bike questions

[Ranger22]

Find a 500 hydrostatic quad, brilliant bikes. Wish I still had mine. Avoid the small Yamaha, terrible quads. They have belts on them and if they get wet, you ain’t going anywhere. They also won’t reverse up hills, you have to plan your route carefully. Long grass also wraps round the back end of the bike and can catch fire!

 

[norma 308]

When the ground is really wet (aka the last 5 months!) a quad makes hell of a mess of fields too.

The mess is just the surface one good rain and it’s gone we have Honda for my day to day feeding phezs and Polaris and my own jimney quad leaves next to no mess
my scars from feeding same rides are already gone I have to use same routes as we are in a scheme the other headlands are designated wildlife corridors can’t use them

 

[Pedro]

Lots of ponderables to think of. Quads can be expensive but older ones can be had for not too much. Trailers tend to keep their value. You could have a sheep single axle trailer for around £500. A small Ifor Williams one which you could tow with the quad or put it on when transporting is more expensive but is great and is what I used. Accommodation for the quad and trailer is important, as has been said they are a tealeaf magnet. So be wary if you keep it on site. I used to keep mine in the garage at home, which was a pain having to hitch it up and tow it there and back, but gave more peace of mind. As for engine size, I wouldn't go less than 450cc if you can help it. As for make, Honda tend to come out on top, but if buying second hand, condition will be key. Generally the Japanese makes are good. I had a Yamaha which, unlike Ranger22 found was fine. But in any case, stick to those known names.

 

[4616Oxon]

Find a 500 hydrostatic quad, brilliant bikes. Wish I still had mine. Avoid the small Yamaha, terrible quads. They have belts on them and if they get wet, you ain’t going anywhere. They also won’t reverse up hills, you have to plan your route carefully. Long grass also wraps round the back end of the bike and can catch fire!

Yes that what I am looking at.

 

[Ranger22]

Yes that what I am looking at.

I had mine for years, the only issue I had was the angle sensor throwing a fit and putting the quad into limp mode. The angle sensor can be reset, no need to buy a expensive new one

 

[wytonpjs]

It will all depend on your ground. In Scotland, yes, you can see from the photos that a quad will go places that the car won’t. All my ground is (mainly) flat and in the winter I cannot drive any vehicle on it, so doesn’t matter if I use a quad or a car. I have to stick to the tracks and drag to there.
In the summer, the car will cover the ground just as well as a quad and generally I use a heck basket on the towbar but have a small trailer as well if need be. Most of my patch’s are under 100 acres.

I’m still using road tyres on my Freelander. But I am thinking of changing that. I also went through 26 inches of water in the Freelander. Was bricking it but it made it through, dry. Not sure the quad would have done it.

Issues with quads. Need a trailer, need a quad. Expenditure. They are very popular with thieving scum so it will need to be well secured and insured. More expense. Servicing, more expense.

A quad is great but Seriously look at changing your tyres on the Freelander, love mine. It may well do all that you need and it has heated seats.

So has my quad

Ran my FL2 initially on General Grabber AT3 tyres but had a lot of sidewall damage - lost 3 in 18 months. Went to Falken Wildpeak AT3 and never looked back - went through 2 sets in about 100k miles. Regretting selling it especially as I’d fitted a very capable winch.

 

[wytonpjs]

My preference is auto and that’s what I have on my TRX420 - it’s very versatile but I can also override with the hand shift.

 

[kingstonandy]

Buy Honda. If you buy off farm be very careful of frame rot in the areas where the sheep/cattle sh1t lands. They can look very tidy with the plastics on and polished.

 

[GBR66]

Lots of good advice above, doesn't have to be a huge cost. I can't recommend Dalton ATVs in Wales highly enough, I bought my current quad from them, unseen in lockdown and they delivered it in a transport frame, had a running problem and they collected, fixed and returned it. 2WD semi-auto Honda, road legal, had loads of hours, cost £2650 but after nearly 4 years of us using it for probably an hour or two a day it is running sweet, only had oil changed and topped up, gear change getting a bit sticky so will need fixing soon but has been great value, if fairly flat ground you don't need 4WD and 2WD has less to go wrong. BTW my last quad was secondhand in 1998 for £1500 and lasted 22 years (used less than current one), sold it as a non runner on Ebay to a Polish bloke for £500, so 12.5 pence per day before servicing and fuel!

 

[4616Oxon]

Lots of good advice above, doesn't have to be a huge cost. I can't recommend Dalton ATVs in Wales highly enough, I bought my current quad from them, unseen in lockdown and they delivered it in a transport frame, had a running problem and they collected, fixed and returned it. 2WD semi-auto Honda, road legal, had loads of hours, cost £2650 but after nearly 4 years of us using it for probably an hour or two a day it is running sweet, only had oil changed and topped up, gear change getting a bit sticky so will need fixing soon but has been great value, if fairly flat ground you don't need 4WD and 2WD has less to go wrong. BTW my last quad was secondhand in 1998 for £1500 and lasted 22 years (used less than current one), sold it as a non runner on Ebay to a Polish bloke for £500, so 12.5 pence per day before servicing and fuel!

Love this! And yes have chatted to daltons- they are excellent.

 

[teyhan1]

Enough said.
Suzuki King quad 300 with High/Low/Extra Low and Diff Lock.
Find me a Honda that has that.
And that’s 3x Reds.

 

[pendle]

Enough said.
Suzuki King quad 300 with High/Low/Extra Low and Diff Lock.
Find me a Honda that has that.
And that’s 3x Reds.
View attachment 352872

I have had two of the Suzuki 300 king quads.
Awesome quads.

Now I have a 2WD Suzuki Osark and quad trailer that is now sitting in my container as I had lost the storage area at the estate I control the fallow on.

 

[Roebuck9]

If you are on flat ground you can load the racks up but it massively increases the risk of tipping the quad over, we have done three seasons with this sled/trailer hybrid from @Stirlinggundogs and it’s never missed a beat Glade Deer Management

I am considering having a quad but the above is another consideration I had not thought of until it happened of course. many thanks for posting.

 

[teyhan1]

The nicest part about the KQ 300 is the ultra low gear. If things are a bit dicey you can get off and walk beside it without it taking off if you give it too much throttle.

 

[teyhan1]

Should also say, look closely at the terrain you’ll be using it on. If it’s very rough consider a quad with power steering. Very expensive to retrofit a kit after you’ve spent all your money on one without.

 

[wytonpjs]

Should also say, look closely at the terrain you’ll be using it on. If it’s very rough consider a quad with power steering. Very expensive to retrofit a kit after you’ve spent all your money on one without.

It’s honestly the only drawback of my TRX420 in not having PAS. Was the best £3k I spent 6 years ago and at the time I thought I wouldn’t need it so not worth the extra. I now wear wrist protectors but after being out for 5 hours yesterday on testing terrain I’m still feeling it today

 

[teyhan1]

Hence my latest acquisition to the fleet.

 

[wytonpjs]

Hence my latest acquisition to the fleet. View attachment 353001

What’s going on with that exhaust - a bottom heater

 

[GBR66]

Another questions - fully auto or manual foot shift?

I like the Honda clutchless thumb shift

 

[teyhan1]

What’s going on with that exhaust - a bottom heater

Ah.
A spare Kawasaki exhaust that I’m going to attach to the oem muffler so as I can hit them on the head and save on bullets.