One of my rolls was on the previous Polaris Sportsman X2 500 I owned. My son and I got on a side hill with a turn making kind of a C shape. The upper track was higher than the lower track. (We later found it was a motocross trail that didn't have good signage.) I was standing in the right footwell on the uphill side. Got to the bottom and started up the second half of the C. Hit a small rock that was protruding about 2" above the surface of the track. Was just enough to roll the quad. I got shot over the quad towards the swamp that was at the bottom of the hill. I literally turned around in flight and was expecting to see the quad come tumbling down the hill towards me. A tree caught the dumpbox/rack on the rear. $400 damage but not hurt. Could have been much worse. We got it upright and with 2 of us holding on to the quads we got them through. Then it started to pour out and a lightening bolt hit the trail about 100 yards from me. Couldn't hear much for a few minutes.... Scary day.

 

Geez Moose, thanks for sharing your near miss with us. That's the kind of situation I want to avoid. You are a very experienced rider, and with that experience comes confidence in your skills and the machine itself. What do they say: There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots. I won't fly into bad weather, and I won't ride into bad situations.

Good fortune was with you on that scary day, thank God.

I'm just trying to find the limits of the machine.

David

 

I knew I was close to rolling. We had been through 5 miles of awful trail and only had about 4 left so we kept going. Shortly after the lightning bolt hit we had to cross a deep creek on a suspension bridge where they strung rope through holes in 4x4 wood and anchored it on each end. That didn't feel too confidence inspiring either.

When I went flying just the tip of my boot was in the swamp. God is good.

 

You can't set an angle and say it will tip at it. To many factors involved. No atv has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution between either side, factor in things like tire pressures being slightly different and how you sit on it. You would never be able to say when it is safe.

 

Hi 2004pred: Yes, there are many factors to a rollover accident. I might suggest there is almost zero rollover threat on level ground at 15 mph. And slightly more threat at a 10 degree slope angle. I was just looking for input from experienced riders when they felt unsafe, and about what degree of slope was that on. I know I will be traversing side hills here in Colorado. I have experience with my Kubota tractor (now sold) and believe I will use that experience when riding.

By the way, when I felt uneasy about the slope I was on with the tractor, I would "bail out" by steering downhill. I assume the same would be true on an ATV.

David

 

1 scenario that I'd never given much thought to, before happened to me this year: If you are driving in tall grass and can't see whats in front, slow down, way down. I hit a large hidden rock with my left front tire at about 15 mph, maybe 20 on my Arctic Cat 400. It stopped instantly, slammed the handlebar into my ribs hard enough to knock the wind out of me, made a hell of a crash, almost flipped fwd, but landed on it's right side on top of me. A buddy saw it all, came running and pulled the ATV off me. My ribs were sore as hell for a couple months. Actually couldn't believe nothing was out of whack with the AC, checked front alignment, still perfect. So even if you hit something at 10 or 15 mph blind, it can hurt you. Can't imagine what would have happened if I'd been blasting along at 25-30 mph. When in doubt, slow down.

 

Others have given great advice on this topic. My experience just confirms what the others have posted. My fist atv I had, (Polaris 300 Hawkeye 4x4) I could stay on the trail I like to ride all the way through. There are 2 off camber sections one at about 10 degrees the other might be closer to 15-20 degrees. With my new 570 I haven't been able to cross the 2nd section without chickening out and turning to go straight down hill to go around. Maybe I'm just not experienced enough to trust the bigger atv, or possibly the new atv isn't as stable on side hill trails. Time will tell. However I can say....I won't find out its limits by rolling off a side hill trail. If I'm not 100% sure, I turn out and go down the hill or I'll go around. Too old to find out the hard way what the limits are for my atv or my riding skills.

 

HawkeyeRider: Thanks for your post. You're experienced and safety minded. I'm of a similar mindset. It seems logical that the bigger machines may like side hills less than the smaller ones.

I see some folks install 30mm wheel spacers on their ATVs to give a wider stance, or track. This may help side hill stability some.

David

 

I'd venture to say that the hill must be more that 20 degrees. Only because 20 degrees is nothing and you probably wouldn't think twice about it if you saw and knew it was 20. Probably closer to 30. The bug atvs you do sit up higher so it may make you feel like a 20 is more but no atv would flip at 20.

 

Definitely a possibility, not going to hire a surveyor to measure it!