Quad bikes: advice needed

[Bill Wright]

I have a 2 acre garden and it's very steep in places. At the top I'm well above the roof of the house. The path/lane/track is about 1 in 7 at its steepest. I call it a garden but it's mostly grass field and trees. As time goes on I'm finding it more and more tiring to get about. I've just planted some apple trees (with sheep-proof tree guards) and I ended up using a Transit van to convey me and materials to and fro. That's ridiculous really. I'm wondering about getting a quad bike; most likely second hand. Actually I'm definitely going to get one. Trouble is I don't know anything about them. What size engine would be reasonable to carry me and a trailer with, for instance, two or three bags of top soil and a few tools on it? Petrol, diesel, or electric? I'm assuming it would have to be four wheel drive.

Bill

[GB]

Are quad bikes a bit risky on steep slopes?

[tabbypurr]

1:7 is nowhere steep enough to be a serious stability problem.

NT

[newshound]

As long as you are sensible, and if it really is a uniform slope. It helps if you don't have to turn on the slope itself.

I rent a field about twice this size for my wife's equines. We did have a small tractor (with a proper cabin and roll cage) which was good for some stuff, less good for others. We now have an all terrain vehicle (ATV) rather than a quad, this has two seats side by side and again a proper roll cage. Ours is a Cub Cadet but there are lots of others. Not as fast as a quad but that is no disadvantage if never going on road. It has a tipper back which holds 400 kg. Significantly more expensive than a quad, though.

I use it to: take fence posts and tools around the field: really saves a lot of effort. Collect horse poo. Transfer perhaps 100 litres of water at a time when required. Tow a roller or a chain harrow. Tow a separately powered "topper".

It has switchable 4WD, and also a diff lock. Three cylinder Japanese diesel, though branded "Caterpillar" (so can run on red diesel).

The livery yard where I keep my horse has a large quad which will happily tow a trailer containing a few hundred kg. I have driven it but never feel completely safe: it has a bizarre thumb-trigger throttle which is not very easy to control, I can't understand why they moved to these instead of a twist grip.

Quads seem to come in three sizes: toy, small, and large. I'd have thought a small one would do what you need. I wouldn't have one if I had children at home, though.

[Davey]

This is a d-i-y group. Consider changing it to a proper control?

You know it makes sense...

[harry]

These are very good.

[Davey]

The only quad bike I have ever ridden had one of that same type, and from memory, it was as you describe, very difficult to control smoothly. I did one short trip, and that was plenty enough.

[newshound]

If it were for my own use, I would have little hesitation. But if anyone else was to use it, this would very likely wipe out any protection from employers' liability insurance.

[newshound]

No roll cage, though. Probably OTT for that application (but very good in swamps). Looks a bit cheap to me.

[newshound]

Not much help in the typical quad bike accident though.

[The Other Mike]

An inclined railway or a slipway and a powered winch might be a safer alternative.

--

[newshound]

Because, unlike motorbikes for example, you are most likely to break arms, legs, or your neck, or get driven over in these accidents.

[newshound]

Fine if you just have one track, but with 2 acres you are likely to have distances of 50 to 100 metres to cover in several directions.

[Marland]

They also come in use on private land only and road legal ones which you can register and use on the public highway subject to holding the right driving licence and having insurance , road tax varies depending if you can

run one as a genuine agricultural vehicle. At the moment they can be driven on most car licences so a growing number are seen by people wanting the open air feel of a motorbike without the legal requirement to wear a crash helmet or do the CBT training for a motorcycle licence.

GH

[Max Demian]

You didn't need to do Cognitive Behavioural Therapy when I passed my m/c test. Just a couple of times round the block and the examiner jumped out in front of you for the emergency stop.

[Max Demian]

Just get a pony.

[Andy Burns]

Put t'whippets on a high protein diet.

[Muddymike]

The house we have just sold had a one acre garden with parts that steep. I carted logs, soil etc. around with a trailer on my ride on mower. Never had a problem even on wet grass. The only issue was reversing as the trailer had 4 wheels with the front ones steering.

Mike

[Tim Lamb]

Ah! You have to drive the tow vehicle as if the draw bar hitch was in your hands......

I think a small 4 wheel trailer behind a ride on mower would serve. Then it could be used to control the bits the sheep and chickens allow to grow.

[newshound]

On my 1949 rigid frame C10 (in 1966) they were so far away when they jumped out that I could barely see them.