Quad question

[openspaceman]

Can anyone bring me up to speed on quads' use in woodland. A friend has a wood 4 miles from home so it needs to be fully road legal and pull a small trailer of tools.

 

Preferably petrol, automatic and with a roll cage.

 

I've never used one so want to know about costs, insurance, tax etc.

 

My guess is a compact tractor makes more sense but would welcome views.

[MattyF]

Compact would be a nightmare unless trailered on the roads .. quad lacks pto ... is pretty much crap at every thing but road work and getting places fast but you can take a quad almost any where.
I use a Honda trx 250 it’s great for getting tools or planting trees or collecting hedge laying stakes but not much good for anything else in the woods.

[gdh]

If it's for forestry you don't need to pay tax (but do need to register) or get an mot.

 

If it's mostly for transport and not heavy work I would get a quad. Something like a yamaha 450/550 will be fast, pull half a ton on the road and have on demand 4wd. Quads will also go places a tractor won't and can be, just about, lifted out if you get caught on something. 

 

Roll cages are great for safety but will probably get in the way under trees. Rough costs are 7k +vat for a 550 and obviously less for less power or second hand. A few hundred quid a year on servicing and I would think 20litres of petrol would last you a day of reasonable use. Tyres every couple of years. 

 

There's pretty much everything machine for quads now with trailers, cranes, winches toppers etc also they're great fun.

[spuddog0507]

hi if you are to be using this on a public highway going to and from home to woodland with trailer, it would need to be  road registered, and when you do register it (if not done all ready) make sure it is registered as  agriculteral this will make the quad MOT exempt and put it in a free of charge taxation class but you would still need to go through the process to taxing  it but there would be no charge, you would all so need to insure it as with all veichiecls used on public highways it must be insured ,the above seems a lot of arsing about to me and the best advise i could give you is buy quad and then either find a trailer that quad will fit in or make one to suit ,put quad in trailer tow to site unload quad put trailer on to quad put tools in trailer and of you go , 250 - 450 is as big as you want to go or you will need a petrol tanker to come to site if you go 500+ been using a old yamaha 350 for about the last ten years or so and taking saws tools fencing gear etc in a trailer or in a box fitted to rear load rack, and go and do a ATV course you will learn so much about how to use one and get out of trouble befor you get in it.

[skc101fc]

I've replaced my heavy 4wd tractor for a quad, with a flail topper, light trailer, chain harrows, and small roller for doing all my farm work here. The quad on its own or carrying small loads will go across every bog and into all the tightest steepest parts of my mountain farm. Put a loaded trailer behind or the flail mower (300kgs) and the whole dynamics and balance change completely. I then really have to think about how to get into many places and even more importantly how to get back out if the implement pushes me into a tight corner. A small trailed weight on a slope pushes and jackknifes incredibly easily. There just isn't the weight or traction to deal with these situations.
Slow though they may be I'd keep a very open mind to small / compact tractors

[Matthew Storrs]

Why not just go for an older ‘conventional’ 2wd tractor?

can actually do proper work, cheapish to buy and a nice cab to get home in when it’s peeing down...

Edited August 5, 2018 by Matthew Storrs

[drinksloe]

To be honest it really depends wot he's wanting to do with it at the other end?

 

Just ferry tools about and pull the odd load of firewood out? Or possibly a bit more where u might need a PTO/hydralics or more wieght/power.

 

Quads are great wee tools and can usually stand a lot of work/abuse.

I wouldn't bother with a roll cage, it will make quad more likely to roll as make it top heavy and as has been said will get caught on branches etc

also prob towing it to site might be a better option if possible (or even build a shed on site and leave it locked there if relatively out the way) I used to keep my old quafd hidden under some windblow, cut a track in so it fitted snuggly and covered with a tarp, u'd be doing well to find it.

Insuring a quad can be a problem sometimes as very few companis will do it ()adrain flux does) but likes of NFU etc often want ur car/house ins too and won't insure quad on its own.

 

Ur best bet is going into a quad showroom and getting the craic from them about it prices, road registeriing(can be a pain esp on  2nd hand bikes) and mibee try to get a demo bike or hire 1 off them see if it does wot it needs too

[peatff]

A little utility vehicle like the Kawasaki Mule might be the answer for you, I've seen them used on a few estates.

[drinksloe]

22 minutes ago, peatff said:

A little utility vehicle like the Kawasaki Mule might be the answer for you, I've seen them used on a few estates.

Must admit personally i really don't rate those utv things at all.

 

But it may well be the answer for the OP.

 

I reckon they really sit in a niche between a pick up and a quad but really not doing either thing very well. Most of the farms/estates/shoots i know with them still have quads for stoc work going over wet ground, and in many cases have done away with a workers pick up for them t buzz about feeding stock.

A lot of farms in my area have done away with them and went back to quads as just to deer to run and making too much mess in the wet fields

 

I think there too heavy for the tyre size, too easy to overload (making them heavier) quite numb things to drive on rough ground, throu trees etc, most brands have a few mechanical glitches and just generally deer to maintain/fix.

Also if u get 1 stuck its a proper winch/tractor job, wih a quad 9/10 times  can lift/digg/pull/push it out urself, which is a big thing.

 

Down south on drier ground i could see them being a better tool thou

[LeeGray]

I had a polaris side by side buggy, 550 petrol,  auto, hi and lo, diff lock, 2 or 4 wd, tipping back, road reg lights speedo etc a few years ago. Was cheaper than a new honda quad ( i think it was £4500 new) at the time and was a great bit of kit. Had an IBC with 600l water in the back and another 1000 IBC water tank on a trailer regularly, fully legal and never had any trouble. Very safe, quick and great articulation over stumps or logs only reason i sold it was lost the woods i used to rent for pigs so needn't need to take so much water and feed about on the road. It was only £160 fully comp insured through NFU where the quad is £350 assume due to theft claims being significantly higher. reg as ag so free tax and no mot, drive on car license (without helmet) as others have said. More old farmers seem to be going for them as very easy access to low bench seat and you can get windows/doors/heater depending on how much you want to spend. Stick a hydraulic power pack or genny in the back bed and you can power a splitter/saw etc.

 

My current honda quad is a lot easier to move sheep, pull out when stuck and uses less fuel etc but i wouldn't fancy it on the road much. The buggies are getting cheaper too and if you can find one that's been a groundsman's at a hotel or golf course or similar tend not to have had the hardest life like a hill shepherds old quad will have. Plenty of diesel ones about now but a lot of money if just occasional use.