Hey -
I'm looking for an ATV that I can use to haul a small sailboat (<500 lbs) on and off the beach. Obviously needs to be good in sand. Any suggestions? I have no experience with these critters.
Thanks
SSB

 

Prolly any ute with a hitch on it. >500 is not much for a quad. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Normally in sand, you want a very light machine that floats along on the top (look at how minimalist sand rails are!). One would not normally deliberately choose a heavy utility quad for the sand. But in your case, you are hauling a load and you need a trailer hitch and solid rear axle. And, sand provides a lot of drag, so you are going to need some big horsepower. I think my Honda Rancher 350 would do the job, but a Honda Foreman 500 would be even better. These are no frills basic manual transmission 4wd machines.

Tires will be more important than anything in the sand! Some quads come with balooney stock tires that are terrible out on the trail, but do well in sand when aired down. Choice of trailer tires (something fat that you can air down) will be important too!

 

This is one area where I can somewhat agree with ReconRanger. Light quads are good in the sand and the sport bikes rule. But since you are using it to work, I'd stay with either a small to midsize utility or a hybrid quad (hybrids being a crossover between sport and utility such as a Yamaha Wolverine). As far as qualified utilities go for your specific application, I'd look at the following

Suzuki Eiger
Honda Rancher
Yamaha Wolverine

 

I know AC is heavy and the like, but that can hall in the sand....my dad's hauled him (270) another kid prob 'bout 180 and the kids 250 dirtbike all the way back to camp in the sand dunes one time going up and down dunes.... never got stuck once....and with low gear on the AC you can't beat it....also it was a 400 AC IRS and manual....you could mayb bump up to a 500 who knows....ooo he did use the 4x4 as well

 

Thanks for the input guys - at least I have some place to start now
SSB[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Is the beach steep? Is the sand wet and solid or real soft?

Do you plan to do any other kind of riding with the quad???? (Once you get started, you may get hooked!)

 

I have a Yamaha Timberwolf..ran it on the beach for a few years worth of vacations....with the right set of rear tires it skated over sand great......light enough too....plenty of power...and SHAFT DRIVE....sand KILLS chains.

 

Sand kills chains???? Where in the world did you come up with that one??? Here in the southwest we ride year after year after year in the dunes, and it's no big deal!

The quad of choice for the dunes is a chain driven 2wd sport quad! If you are misguided enough to use a wet lube on your chain (instead of chain wax), well then sand WILL kill your chain, and it would absolutely be your own fault.

Still, SSB needs a trailer hitch, and that is going to mean a shaft drive utility. Solid axles are best for towing.

 

I have both a timberwolf (shaft drive) and a TRX250X and have had them both on the beaches....I know plenty of folks ride ATVs on sand.........dirt too... LOL.......but sand wears chains/sprockets faster than dirt.....

Maybe "sand kills chains" isnt the right way to say it....it certainly doesnt help wear though and it adds to the maintenance, in my experience.....Shaft drive is sealed so sand cant get into the gears and wear stuff.....it means less maintenance...and if this guy ius using the ATV to haul a BOAT out of the water then he wont want to worry about MORE maintenance.....boats are enough work! LOL

Its just my opinion......your mileage may vary.

Also, I have a trailer hitch on my 250X (chain drive)........never had an issue hauling around small trailers etc......although the timberwolf, even with less power) is easier because its an automatic....