Just wondering what the local trail widths are in your area. In West Virginia's Hatfield McCoy, they have opened their trail systems for SxS's to any commercially manufactured SxS NOT essentially designed as an on highway vehicle to use their trails. Which means the Viking and Can-Ams are welcome. Although Can-Am now has models at or below 60 inches, the majority of their machines were over 60 inches. The Viking is way over. Just wondering if there is a push to expand the width requirements in your areas.

 

I know there's talk of it in New Hampshire. Most places that actually have gates are 50" and below in NH. See lots of the 50" RZR's these days. Maine is more open. Their gates are around 60" or so. See a mix of all the makers' rigs. There are some tight trails where it would be tough to navigate a bigger side by side.

 

That is about what I was thinking too. There is a resistance to going wider, but the reality is, they will have to do it eventually. Might as well pick a new battle because this one is going to go the way of wider is better.

 

To do that up here in the New England area would require widening the trails (obviously) for the bigger rigs. Almost all the ATV trails up here are on private property either owned by individual land owners or by paper companies. The paper companies have been really good about opening the roads for ATVer's. It's much harder dealing with individual landowners that you have to renew permissions with each year. A lot of them are already on the edge about the trails that go through their properties due to erosion, riders going off-trail, noisy machines, and the general lack of respect that a handful of riders show to them. I'm willing to bet more trails will get closed down if the various clubs who take care of the trails ask the land owners to let them widen the trails. It's not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination up here.

 

Yeah I hear ya... Private owners have been the backbone of our sport for years and you are correct, they don't have much to show for it. But... in the cases of the big riding setups like Hatfield-McCoy, Paute etc. where the local economy hinges on the availability of trails, And places where government $ is used to build and maintain them, it appears the writing is on the wall. Yamaha, Polaris and CanAm All knew what they were doing when they designed wider machines because they were listening to the guys that buy them. And the rider associations and groups that support them are going to have to fall in line. I mean look at it this way, if they widen the trails, it is a win win for everyone. It attracts newer riders, And they spend money. That money is turned over 3 or 4 times in the local economy. the only way they lose is if they don't play the game. As for local land owners not playing ball... well that income the riding generates has to be made up somewhere... and that will come in the form of increased taxes on the landowners. It is a vicious circle. One way or another, they are going to be forced to drink the coolaid.

 

In Utah they have several ATV trail systems, and the width restrictions vary depending on where you are. The Paiute Trail System has some trails that have a 60" restriction, and some trails that have a 50" restriction. Of course, the 50" trails are the fun trails, that's always the way it goes. They are real strict about enforcing their width restrictions as well.

The Paunsagunt Trail System has 50" restrictions noted on their map, but the gates have been removed from the trails and there are no signs on the trails that say 50" restriction anymore. I get the impression that my map is outdated. I have done all of their trails with a 64" wide Rzr XP 1000.

The Markagunt Trail System is restricted to side by sides and ATVs and motorcycles. You cannot take a Jeep or a truck on the trails, and the gates are just barely over 64" wide. I've been through their gates and done their trails with an Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000.

The Freemont Trail System has a few trails with a 50" restriction.

The Arapeen Trail System has a number of trails with a 50" restriction

The widest machine we have is my Rzr 900 EPS Trail, and it measures 51 1/4" wide from outside of tire to outside of tire. It barely squeaks through all of the 50" gates I've come across so far.

 

I just wish they would agree to a standard and start working towards a common goal. Let's make it 65 and be done with it, as long as the vehicle didn't start out as a road legal vehicle. Of course buggies would jump in, but I can't remember a time when anyone complained about one. Jeeps and trucks seem the most logical sources of problems, but the reality is out East at least, they are sharing some of the trails now with SxSs with no big problem. Now when you share with an ATV, then there are noted issues. The problem is and will always be with the manufacturers who keep going bigger, wider, faster, bigger motors etc. At some point, they need to be reined in.

 

With Polaris's latest addition to it's military line, the Dagor, I wonder how long before they introduce a civilian model? Size on this makes it (IMO) a jeep more than an atv/utv/sxs.

Also my opinion, if it holds 4 to 6 people, it's not a side by side anymore. It's a beside and behind. I guess the hospitality industries already got dibs on B&B.

 

I agree. The Paiute Trail with its mix of 50", 60", and unrestricted trails is just stupid. Figure it out people, choose a width and go with it. Better yet, do away with the width restrictions altogether.

 

It's easy to say, "Do away with the width restrictions", but to actually do the physical work involved is far from easy. Gates need to be changed, fences in grazing areas, cattle guards that keep cattle from leaving, chiseling into solid granite, cutting down and removing trees, bridges need to be torn down and wider ones put in, etc. The logistics are staggering. Speaking from the viewpoint of helping out on an 80 mile trail system in New Hampshire I can tell you it's tough to find the manpower to do the big projects. I don't mind the idea of it happening but realism tells me it would take decades to carry it out.