I think this is the right section for this.
I am thinking about buying a quad. But I know nothing about them. I want it for off-roading (and maybe pulling carts and such), needs 4 wheel dive, I don’t care about speed (but don’t care if it is fast) and I don’t want to break the bank to buy it.
What brands are good? Anything I should look for when picking one out?
Any help would be great.
I don’t own one, but have used a few.
You want four wheel drive for sure. Do you want a side by side? many of the non side by sides are not really designed to carry two folks. At least the few I’ve ridden have stated that on the control panel.
Just the normal non side by side kind.
Get a helmet. Quad bikes can be dangerous to lethal.
One of these:
http://www.bikertails.com/noveltyhelmets/New%20German/german%20helmet%20with%20snap%20cover%206.jpg
I don’t know that 4wd is all that important. If you do get one with 4wd, it will be much heavier and slower, though.
Seeing that most ATVs are pretty lightweight, plus that they have very low ground pressure, they tend to not get bogged down. I’ve never gotten any of my 2wd ones stuck in snow, mud, water, sand, or anything else.
Unless you are planning on doing some serious towing, don’t overlook 2wd for being much less complex, lighter, smaller, and just as effective/useful. Take a look at the Honda 4trax recon for an example. And yes, 250cc is more than enough power 
The Honda sequential automatic transmission is great – no clutch, but you get to pick your gear. I’m not a fan of CVT or some of the other systems, nor have I ever found a use where an ATV with a PTO was handy - tractors do the same thing much easier.
If you just want to dink around and have a lot of fun as opposed to using it for some specific task, I’d go with a smaller, lighter ATV instead of one of the 4wd behemoths – they are just a lot more punchy and exciting. Go see if some plqce will let you test ride a recon next to, say, a Polaris 4wd and you’ll get a sense of what I am talking about.
Buy Polaris. We like the way the drive works. Make sure whatever you get is legal for the trails you want to take. Some things can only be used on your property. I can’t give better details, because I’ve only gone along to dealerships in the last couple years and haven’t been on rides where people discus their rides and you see what makes it through the trails. The bigger they are the less maneuverable they are, but they save you aches and wear on your body. Independent hydraulic suspension will really save you pain and help on getting over tough terrain.
I used to zip around on a 2 wheel drive that is currently a small sized one. It’s more exciting, but a lot harder on your body.
Actually, when looking for informed opinions, IMHO is best. Moved.
samclem Moderator, GQ
Seconded.
I have an older Polaris 325, 2-or-4 wheel drive with the flip of a switch, auto transmission. It gets through the snow up to about 18 inches deep, and it helps for hauling large, heavy things around the acreage.
It’s the most reliably starting machinery-type thing I’ve ever owned. My car or truck might not start, but the atv will–even after sitting for a month in cold weather.
Love it.
I used to have an '02 Honda 450 foreman, was a nice bike and plenty capable.Ii now have an 04 Arctic Cat 650 which is huge compared to most. and it is great until it gets stuck, then its a huge pain in the ass. I would definitely go with 4WD, there are lots of situations when you are stuck, that just hitting a switch and driving out are much better than winching or digging. The other problem that I have found with the 2WD is they a very light in the front end and tend to be a bit more tipsy and uncontrollable than having the extra weight of the 4WD. It would be helpful to know what type of terrain you plan on playing in. Don’t forget that there are different types of 2WD ATV’s the racing type and the utility type. Also, get a good helmet, don’t screw with safety.
Near where my cabin is you can’t drive a mile without seeing one in a yard with a For Sale sign on it, no matter what the state of the economy is. Pretty new ones.
This is just a guess but I suspect they’re nice to have if you really need one or have lots of property to ride on but once the reality of having to trailer them around and finding places to ride and whatnot sets in a lot of people bail on the enterprise.
That’s the beauty of where I live. I put my 8 year old daughter on the back of my Street and Trail bike and my ten year old son took his dirt bike, we left through our backyard and spent the next 5 hours driving trails. It was probably only the last mile that we were on the same trails and we were never more than 15 miles from home.
I prefer Yamaha. I’ve got a 2001 Yamaha Wolverine. It’s probably the lightest 4x4 made. It feels like a 2wd.
Note that an ATV makes the loudest, most annoying sound of any piece of outdoor or sporting equipment ever. Worse than a lawn mower, worse than a dirt bike and even worse than a leaf blower.
If you plan on riding yours up and down between your and your neighbors’ yard, particularly while your neighbor is in bed, or when your neighbor is trying to work from her home office, or is just trying to have a moment where her brain isn’t rattling around in her head…please don’t.
If you’re not going to ride it in a residential area, then rock on
I don’t know why, but my little neighborhood where everyone has a half acre and nobody but me has a fence is just rife with the buggers. It’s like ATV Rally here, every. goddamn. day.
I guess he can ride by at 7:00 AM when they use their gas leaf blowers.
He wants recommendations, not to debate if they make noise.
The one my neighbor has is not as loud as my diesel tractor. Of course he’s not racing it, just hauling feed and stuff in the rear basket, but it just putts along. I’m sure it would be different if he was climbing steep hills.
Four well drive will often get you unstuck, if you got stuck in 2 wheel drive. If you got stuck in 4 wheel drive it may be too late. The heavier 4 wheel drive machine may well be safer for carrying loads and pulling objects than a lighter 2 wheel drive.
How does an ATV make a sound worse than a dirtbike when they use the same engines?
I think because there’s just one kid with a dirtbike and six kids with ATVs
I didn’t mean to put a damper on your thread - I was just posting my reaction to “Tell me about ATVs” I actually think they’re great fun, and everyone I know who has a large property has one that is very useful to them.
I was just pointing out that racing up and down next to my bedroom is not a place for ATVs. And hopefully this was a blindingly obvious thing to say, as it seemed like racing between houses was the last thing anyone in this thread did with their ATV.
Gotcha, althought if that dirtbike is a 4-stroke and the ATVs are all 2-strokes, they might actually be more irritating.
It’s generally the other way around – mostly only the high end racing quads are 2 stroke.