Why aren't these machines sold with a rollbar. I really got hurt last weekend when my Honda Foreman flipped back on top of me. I think I could have walked away unhurt it this machine had a rollbar. I searched the web all day yesterday and all I found was a backseat ("backbuddy&quot attachment which may help a little. Check it out.

http://www.atvstuff.com/images/v1/eagsel16.html

But what I really want is a rollbar that can be attached to the rear rack. A do-it-yourself kit. Does anyone know where I can find a distributor for such a product?

 

Is this what you are looking for??

 

Good God Boner, how did you find that????

I would be embarressed as heck with that thing on my ride!!!!

 

Thanks for locating the rollbar. It does look a bit weird. I wonder if someone else has a product that is a little tamer in appearance. I like that it is removable. I can take it off when tooling about and put in on when I try the aggressive stuff.

 

These are my opinions only, so take them for what they are worth, nothing more. Rollbars in trucks, Jeeps, etc. where guys are doing serious 4-wheeling are a necessity, not an option. That, along with a good 5 point safety harness to strap you securely inside the vehicle. The bar does the rest to protect you during the rollover, however many you may go through on the way down. This is purely a safety device, not an "asthetic purpose" or eye piece like your flashy chrome bumpers and such. However, I see a rollbar on an atv as purely a death trap only. You have to consider that when a machine goes over, sometimes it may roll 10 times or more, easily down a steep drop off. Now, myself, I'd hate to be stuck inside some roll cage or bar while riding it out falling down the hill. If the bar attached to the racks, which are only rated to a max of 200 lbs. ('Cats have the highest rack capacity out there), for the rear, or 100 lbs. for the front, totalling 300 lbs. load carrying capability. Now, flip that machine upside down, resting on the rollbar only-something's got to give-that machine weighs 650 lbs. dry weight! 300 rack capacity - 650 lbs. quad = -350 lbs. to absorb somewhere, or give out in this case. Now, with you sitting on the seat inside this thing, just tipped upside down, I forsee that extra 350 lbs. coming down on you somewhere trapped inside the thing.

The seat belt is the other factor. In a Jeep, the safety harness keeps you "stuck" in your position, preventing you from falling out of the machine. This is the only way the rollbar will work. If you have the roll bar, but don't wear your safety harness, you'll easily be flipped out the side, possibly having the rollbar itself smash you to death on the way down, or pinning you underneath (rollbars on Jeeps are made out of thick 3" heavy guage steel or larger-very tough, very heavy). Now, for a roll cage on an atv to be truly protective, you'd need to somehow fashion a good safety harness for yourself, which on an atv would be purely unsafe, as it would be too restrictive, preventing you from moving around as needed. Most trails require a little "body english" to maneuver over obstacles. A safety harness would limit this ability, possibly causing a more unsafe action to occur.

The combination of the two would surely result in nothing more than a death trap for any individual attempting to "ride it out" as he fell or rolled down the side of a mountain. Sure, you may get hurt with a few bumps and bruises here and there or scrapes, possibly even broken bones if severe enough from being thrown from an atv, but as long as you have your helmet on, chances are you'll live. Being trapped on the atv while it goes over, with a rollbar hooked onto the racks which are only designed to carry 300 pounds at top rated capacity, flipping underneath any machine greater than this 300 pounds and something will give. I myself would definately NOT want to be trapped inside that contraption, as you would definately receive severe wounds, if not facing death itself if the rollover was bad enough, or long enough.

My Dad rolled his 'Cat the second week after we bought them. A cage or rollbar on his machine would have surely killed him. His helmet was the only thing that saved his life when he hit the tree head-on. I just rolled my 'Cat for the first time myself over the weekend, and had I have had a cage, I too would have been injured far worse than I already am. In conclusion, rollbars and safety cages when used properly with 5-point safety harness's are a necessity on a jeep or true off-road full sized rig, yet are nothing more than a death trap in my opinion on an atv. The decision is up to you, but I personally think you'd put yourself in more danger actually using one, than being thrown from the rig the first or second time it went over.

Again, these are only my OPINIONS, so take them for what they are worth. Best of luck with your options here, and above all, ride hard, but RIDE SAFE!

Mike

 

Roll bars huh? I think I've noticed this thread in about six differnent forums now. Since you CANNOT read instructions(already proven by ignoring this forums rules.) Lets see about my take on it. One learn to ride, that doesn't always mean starting with big bad *** vehicles (Almost all major racing diciplines have grduated systems.) Two, a perfectly designed roll bar and restraint system may work fine for ten flips down a mountainside ( BTW that were caused by the imbalance of the roll cage[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img].) Three, It seems to me that ATV and water just go together, we really need a restraints in submarines and boats that don't float. You did read you manual right-cough-, did you know you are supposed to be able to move to maintain balance?

BTW, Boner That's positively the worst designed piece of 'safety equipment' I've ever seen. It's garrenteed to bend the rack in the event of it's use pinning the person in place against the quad, if one was still consious and the had the strenth of godzilla they may be able to force that ROPS out of the way.-------- Seems like A PERFECT idea, Go for it Pancaked.

"Coastal folks" muttered the ranch owner.

 

that thing is crazy looking, and obviously not for something with plastic racks if its mounted to the rack. I can see me with one of those going under a low limb and just clotheslining the thing. As crazy as it looks, I guess it does have a good use. Only problem would be hanging on, seeing as there are no seat belts on a quad. But if you start thinking that in depth, then it really doesn't matter. Too many what ifs I guess.

 

Elrancho,

Who pissed in your wheaties?? OR is it that you have just got a job as a postal worker?? What every it is, you might want to consider calming down or atleast keeping your bad attitude to yourself.

 

"My name is Pancho! I live on (el)Rancho! I make 25 pesos a day!" What was that all about? Who cares if it was a poor design or wierd or what? I thought it was a cool thing to see. Never seen anything like it before.

 

Interesting Andy, you live in such a fine area, Between wally execs making millions, and illeagals flooding around Fayeteville to work at chicken grinding houses. I'll bet you'll have a real melting pot in your back yard shortly. Along with some tensions you may have brought here, they're not needed. So what do you do for your "25 pesos" pumping gas at JB's cause there sure isn't any wally execs living in Mountainburg...perhaps scraping chicken guts out? I shouldn't be thin skinned, but I've been lurking around for about a year here, and noticed your not the sunshine that lights the sky either, live with it.