Posted: 8/30/2008 9:19:46 PM EDT
|
Please explain shitty mileage. 70 miles to the gallon doesnt sound shitty. Hard to maintain???????? Well I have 2 2006 canams and have wrecked the fuck hell out of them and even had to get new handle bars COULD have just straightend the old ones. oil changes and that about it. And I take care of these things 8G a piece you damb right. I am thinking you may not own an atv???????????? Or have some insight I have yet to find while ridingthem working them or even racing them???????? And light paylaod. Shit these thigs may only carry 300+ rear and 250+front rack and only tow what was it 700lbs. If you look at the bumper ball an a 90's model Toyota or Nissan it is only rated at 750LBS tongue weight. So yeah the small post count means??????????? ETA Before a reply to my asswipe speach comes in I was eating CPT crunch and trying to type fast one handed...... |
I disagree. I have a Suzuki KingQuad 700.... I get 25 mpg, virtually no maint. (it is fuel injected and has a 4.5 gal fuel cap. ) and it can easily carry all your SHTF supplies (1 person only) It is mostly quiet, can do 72 MPH out of the box..... super bright headlights, and even plenty of power to pull a trailer. I love this thing..... I would not hesitate to use it in such a situation. I can ride 40+ miles per day off road with no problems, and if there are trees/woods around I can vanish in an instant! 
|
I am a firm believer in a quad as a BOV. But, 40MPG is a pipe dream with a loaded quad. Hell even with an unloaded quad. As far as doing 70 MPH on a quad, that is just scary. I have done 50-55 on the highway on a quad, and it was scary. Never mind the bumps on a trail at that speed! Halffast might disagree though!! If you are planning on using an ATV as a BOV, load it up and test it. We kinda did that at the TX/OK campout. Well, we tried, but ended up hauling a trailer behind Halffast's quad. Ask him what kinda mileage he got. I got about 18-20 on a 2 seat Bom 400. The limit to a quad is how far you need to go and how much fuel you can carry. But you have the advantage of going where a truck or car can't. YMMV, Toad |
| I have an 08 Rancher 420. It gets roughly 30 mpg, fuel injected, front basket, rear drop basket, HighLifter extra capacity springs, winch, 26" tires and 4x4. It certainly would get a spot in the back of my truck in a bug out b/c it's invaluable when the need to get off road where my truck won't make it comes... |
|
I have a BF650, it has required almost no maintenance and can haul a heck of a load over some very rough terrain. I also have a 94 Wrangler that I have driven all over the country both on and off road so I know what a jeep can do. A quad will outperform a jeep in the nasty stuff, it will not carry as much nor is it as fast on the road. If I had to bug out by road I would take the jeep, if I had to go cross country I would take the jeep with the quad in tow. As soon as the jeep could no longer make it I would jump on the quad and take off. Both are good tools but for different purposes. Using the right tool for the job is the key. |
there is an after market addition to the stock muffler that is made for hunting. from what i've read, it's very effective, even at speed. look on cabela's website, or their catalog under the atv section. |
|
out here in parts of Utah many people use their ATV to get around more than their car. They even have speed limits posted for ATV's in town. I've been itching to get one. Only wish they'd come up with the technology to make it completely electric, and rechargeable with a photovoltaic tarp. |
There are a few out there (although the names escape me at the moment). I saw one advertised on a hunting show a few days ago. Nice and quiet. It may have been made by EZ-GO (the same folks that make the electric golf carts) this thing was pretty capable off road. |
i think the one you saw advertised was from bad boy buggies. |
|
my cj will do everything your quad will do and much, much, more. it will go where quads and hummers can only dream about going. it will take at least 4 people, tow 5000 lbs, climb 4 foot sheer rock uplifts, go through 5 feet of water and it is only 5 feet wide. it is east to work on, and parts are everywhere. to me a quad is just a toy. though to a certain extent so is my jeep; i take it off road quite a bit so i know its limitations. and, a cj is much cheaper than your quad. i bought mine brand new for $7,100, it has 220k on it and there is no sign of it slowing down. sorry to piss on your cheerios. at least you have me beat on gas milage. but, not only do i have a larger tank, i have external storage tanks so i can still out distance your quad even with you taking a fuel stop. joe |
|
|
A quad is what it is. They can be useful for a lot of stuff but I just don't see mine as much more than a toy because of its fuel consumption and the game you get into with trying to haul a lot of fuel and losing the nimbleness an empty quad brings to the table. Depending on your area it may be a lot more useful than it is in other areas, so your method may vary. Rather than try to load my quad down I kind of look at it as a motorcycle type load for bugout situations. It will get me closer to where I want to go and I can take some extra fuel and what not but it quickly becomes a game of me using what I have available and not me planning to rely on it because of several reasons already mentioned by others. I have a polaris 500 and its load limits are pretty decent. I even have a small trailer if I want to tow something with it. Once that thing gets all loaded down it is not going to get great fuel mileage, it is not going to run at top speed smoothly, and it is not going to go offroad as well as it would with a lighter load. I think it is stupid to not consider a quad as an option if you have one. I am always looking at what I own and thinking about ways to use it. But I personally don't plan around my quad very much. |
No it won't it's to wide........ sorry to piss in your cheerios  Is an atv the perfect bov well surely not but it's like most other things it's another tool in the box...... |
| I have to step in on this one. I own CJ5 and several Quads. My jeep is just as easy to get around as my big Quad for a whole lot less money. I have a 220 Bayou this is small and get in and out of tight spaces easy. No cargo room ot payload though. If it came down to it The CJ is my choice hands down. Those big ass quads suck the gas and are expensive. |
|
We have a couple Polaris 400's, and per mile maintenance, they need a lot more maintenance than a normal 4x4, plus the 4x4 is easier to find parts & tires for. I get worse gas mileage than you guys do, maybe only 25mpg, with a lot less payload than a 4x4 and a lot more noise. I won't tell someone to junk them, but if you are deciding to buy only one BOV, I think a used 4x4 is a smarter call. |
+1 My personal favorite 4WD ATV is my 2000 Honda Foreman 400s. Its my "earth pig" goes anywhere, crosses anything, carries everything and never quits. I have loaded it with 1000 lbs and it hardly even noticed. It was good for 55mph on hard pack dirt roads when unloaded although it wasn't very safe on a crowned road (short/narrow wheelbase issues). The single biggest issue that kept me from ever considering it as a backup BOV was the street legal aspects - just not possible to drive down a paved road legally. On the other side of the coin I have a 2003 Suzuki DR-Z400e thats plenty off road capable (taking it on the TAT in 09), no problem being TX-DOT street legal *but*....it can not carry anywhere near the load of the Foreman. The DR-Z will run easy 70mph and go anywhere the Foreman can go but the load carrying ability is the trade off. Its a shitty trade off but thats the break even point for off road/street legal all terrain vehicles in most states. My DR-Z "E" model isn't even allowed to be registered as street legal in some states  (although my TX license plates are honored in all 50 states)... but I do not know of any state that allows of a 4 wheeler to be registered as street legal. The ability to ride the black top out of town, lane split if needed, and hit the county roads, dirt roads or single track puts the DR-Z in unique class that doesn't have many peers (but there are some formidable peers out there!)Until I can put plates on my Foreman I'd rather have street legal 4x4 and even with plates on my Foreman.....I can still go farther and transport more in my Toyota FJ until I get to all but the gnarliest or narrow trails. Not trying to put the thread into a "MY machine is better than YOURS!" mode...please dont let my comments offend your mechanical choices. All Im trying say is street legal > not street legal |
Right here. Other states here. I've seen them on the road in rural towns here in AR. |
Interesting information and thanks for sharing the info. The kits dont automatically make ATV street legal. Having a state issued license plate is usually the litmus test for street legal (with obvious exclusions for agriculture/farm tractor use which wouldn't be allowed anywhere near major roadway). Here is where I got the dual sport kit for my DR-Z - been very pleased with it! I have never seen a 4 wheeler with a state issued license plate that was equal to a automobile. I have seen farm/rural use which is typically very restricted and never has a plate, sometimes a sticker but often just compliance with some regulations. Funny that you post from AR because thats one of the places I was thinking I saw a 'recreational use' license for a 4 wheeler...might have been WI - either way, it was akin to the TX ag use thing and pretty restricted and no license plate. Reading through the 2nd link it still looks like the only place they are fully street legal is ID and MT (with a motorcycle drivers license). Heck if you lived in MT or ID you dont need to B/O....you are already there
|
Jeep vs ATV just depends on what your looking to do as in every thing else . Jeeps can traverse terrain that a ATV just cant . But ATVs are faster offroad and make a lot better time. Of course ATVs are narrower so can squeeze inbetween things better but a jeep can use its weight to push bigger objects down or out of the way such as 3" diameter trees . Such as this path I made   You can flat tow your jeep behind another so once detached you dont have to worry about a trailer but a ATV you can load into the bed of your truck with a loss of storage space or in a toy hauler camper which is to me has some very appealing possibilities . Heres my flat tow setup , I can detach in less time it takes most red lights to cycle .  As far as cargo of course the jeep wins that argument but of course with the cost of the vehicle weight . Both can pull trailers to add to there carrying capacity but relative to vehicle size . Like the earlier jeeps such as mine wiegh in at 2500 pounds with up grades it bumping 2750 now , the later models weigh more but I would feel better about hauling heavier loads with them . I use mine to get fire wood out of recently done cut overs  But its all in what your needs are and your situation dictates . |
Like the member stating poor fuel milage most of the newer ATV's are street legal. I love my POLARIS RANGER.Road speeds of 55mph street legal and with the addtion of of a rear roll cage I can fit a weeks worth of gear and then some.Even loaded for bear I can average a road speed of 45 mph at 8000' elevation.Far from being limited. |
|
As stated earlier.....right tool for right job. If you have the money, they could be very useful. My buddy finds new uses for his all the time. All that said, after I purchase the BOL, I think I will get my own. It will live there and be very useful for me after I have bugged out. SUV to get to BOL, ATV after I'm there. But to each his own. -Green. |
The OP said better than a truck. Now when I see your Ranger going down the interstate at 80mph, I'll be in impressed. Tj |
All's it takes is a chip with a small programer.Sad thing is the fuel milage suffers to that of a V8 chevy and from what others found was belt and clutch premature wear.
|
|
I am a Jeep owner and a quad owner. I have been active in 4x4 clubs and done a fair amount of off roading in my Jeeps and other 4x4's. That does not make me an expert. I have also spent a lot of time on my quads, both working and playing. Again that does not make me an expert. I think what it does is it gives me an objectivity into both vehicles. These are my opinions. It doesn't mean I think anyone is wrong or that something else won't work for them. All my comparisons are based on stock or mildly modified vehicles. Heavily modified vehicles, both Jeeps and quads, can do things that stock can not, but they usually give up versatility in other areas to achieve superiority in one. The chances of Bugging Out on a quad are slim. If it's not a very serious SHTF or EOTWAWKI situation, law enforcement will stop any non-street legal vehicle. Quads also have limited range, carrying capacity, protection from the elements, and protection from attack. While quads can get excellent mileage compared to Jeeps, if you need to transport four people and use two quads to do it, those two 30 mpg quads are only going 15 miles on a gallon of fuel. If you use four quads so that you can carry something besides a passenger, now you're getting around 7 mpg. As a rule, quads are better off road than a Jeep. It's not always the case, but I have seen many more places that a Jeep can't go and a quad can than the opposite. Size has a lot to do with this. Quads are lighter, narrower, more maneuverable, have a higher HP to weight ratio, and a lighter footprint than jeeps. They go over, around, and through things that Jeeps cannot. They also side hill much better than Jeeps. On the ATV campout that Acman and I did in July, we rode 900 miles on the quads in a week. There was no place where we turned the quads around that I would have gone on if I had the Jeep. There was one road where the bridge was washed out over a river. We were able to pick our way down the bank and find a place to cross on the quads. There is no way that any Jeep would have been able to do it without some major chainsaw action. Even then I believe it would have taken a Jeep with an extreme lift, huge tires, and lockers, front and rear, not to get hung up on the rocks, or stuck in the mud. Another trail had huge boulders in it. There is no way a Jeep could have cleared them as the trail was too narrow to do anything but straddle them, but the quad was able to go around. A road we went up was extremely rutted by recent rains. A Jeep, with a spotter and some very careful maneuvering could have made it, but the quads were able to quickly pick a route and climb to the top. Again, a quad is not the answer to everything. It is, as others have said, just another tool in the toolbox. Quads are great for single riders, with light loads and short trips over rough terrain. Jeeps are better for varied surfaces with multiple passengers and some gear (although they still won't carry much compared to a truck or full size SUV) over longer distances. I think each has a place in the survivalist's fleet. Like we are fond of saying around here, Get Both! David |
If there's a crisis, and you're leaving the area, do you really think the po-po are going to be interested in pulling you over?
Ever seen the pictures of people evacuating? Looks more like POINT 8 miles per hour, let alone 80. Quad/ATV vs Jeep/Truck/Tahoe, whatever, all depends upon where you need to go, and what the path you'll need to take there is. |
| I have an 2006 suzuki ozark, 250 cc utility model. No clutch , reverse , lights, racks, electric and pull start, paid off. I can load that baby up and they make a trailer hitch that bolts right up, need to get it for my trailer, and also make a winch to bolt right on. Its on the small size but I can drag it around by hand if its in a bad spot, probably cant move those 700's without a winch or 4 people. Ive even rolled it all the way over and it still was running and no damage, because its so light. Only goes around 45 mph though. |
I think many of those folks who lost their guns in Katrina didn't expect to get pulled over either and they weren't even on an illegal vehicle. Halffast nailed it. They have their place but its limited compared to other transport that is bigger, hauls more, goes faster, and is street legal. I own and use all of above, 4x4 truck, jeep, ATV, and dirt bike. I love the idea my vehicles have a potential survival aspect, however I will not recommend an ATV or dirtbike over a vehicle more likely to be used and more valuable in a crisis. Buy ATV over a truck/jeep makes about as much sense as buy an arsenal of weapons and not any food. Prepare for the most likely scenario first and least likely last. Tj |
|
Tj I will not recommend an ATV or dirtbike over a vehicle more likely to be used and more valuable in a crisis. Buy ATV over a truck/jeep makes about as much sense as buy an arsenal of weapons and not any food. Prepare for the most likely scenario first and least likely last. Tj Jacked your quate my bad. This is too true. If you have an ATV already for other reasons Fine. But I agree not the Primary BOV. Just something else to consider. +1 to tj |
You certainly can't equate gun confiscation to ATV confiscation! I too would take my RAM 2500 4x4 over my ATV or Rhino if possible. But if I really needed to get out, and the roads were clogged and not going anywhere, I'd have no problems hopping on the ATV. A big V6 or V8 vehicle going 1 MPH down the freeway is going to get worse MPG than an ATV actually moving towards your destination. My home/BI location is 50 miles from where I work. Unfortunately, there's only 2 roads to get from work to home, both major pathways in an evacuation situation. I've often thought about putting a dirt bike/ATV and snowmobile into storage near where I work that I could walk to then use to get home. I really have absolutely no concern about the po-po chasing me down for ditch banging in a crisis, I'm sure they'll have much better things to do. |
|
OH yes I can. Let's see now, who am I going to pull over? That guy there in the family SUV or that guy in the camo on the ATV with no tags and the rifle rack. I wonder which one poses the most threat to the public during this crisis? During Katrina many of the folks who were stopped and their guns taken were in family transport simply minding their own business. Its a grave mistake and exactly what we don't want, to assume law and order is going to disintegrate. Its the pipe dream of science fiction writers for there will always be some poor guy out there with a badge trying to do his job protecting the public. You guys seriously crack me up sometimes. If there is two people in this thread that take ATV use seriously in survival scenarios its Halffast and myself who both sponsor and travel hundreds of miles to practice using ATVs in this capacity. It gives you a very good idea of its strengths and weaknesses in such events. It has many of both but as the replacement for a truck in the majority of scenarios for the majority of people, forget it. Tj |
I've put a lot of miles in on quads over the years but I will stay with the original ATV..... Its not so 'original' anymore...but it has never let me down. I have to warn everyone though. These things are magnets for old men. You can't go anywhere without someone stopping and telling you....'hey! I think I drove that in the war!' *caution* I swear I didn't take a salvageable original 1942 Willys jeep and hack it all up and modify it. It was already almost gone when I found it. I just repaired, replaced, and slightly modified the existing modifications....I swear.... I've been thinking about building new 'old' jeeps from aftermarket parts, slightly updated overall, but keeping the core of the concept intact. These old jeeps never go out of style. They are still out there but they are hard to find and generally need a lot of TLC to get back to 99% reliable. You would have a VERY hard time building a new old jeep for what you can walk down to the corner and buy a quad or a side by side for. To each his own in the end... |
Who said there's going to be a rifle showing? Wouldn't that be pretty stupid irregardless of the circumstances? All ATVs in Minnesota must have registration tags. Class II ATVs (Rhinos, Rangers, Prowlers, etc) are already legal to ride on county, city, and township roads in Minnesota.
Good for them. Minnesota isn't a southern state. Our cops here don't have the corruption and abuse history of NOPD, a reputation they had long before Katrina.
Actually, you're kinda cracking me up as well. I normally have a lot of respect for what you say, but not sure why you think you're the last and only word/opinion on this subject. I too have put thousands of miles on ATV vehicles. My Rhino just turned 1000 miles on a camping trip last weekend, and I've only had it 7 months! I don't think anyone is really considering an ATV as their primary BOV. Most people who own ATVs also own 4x4 vehicles to pull them around with after all! I certainly wouldn't take my ATV if the roads were passable. However, if there ever truly should be a crisis of epic proportions (and I think Katrina is only a minor incident as compared to what truly could happen), good luck getting those full size vehicles anywhere. Just imagine the scads of those vehicles lying dead all over the roads because they broke down, are out of gas, or abandoned because they couldn't go any further. Think you'll bypass them via the ditch? Good luck, some other yahoo probably already tried it and got his Geo Metro broke or stuck doing it, so now you can't either. |