well said! And in regards to the spacers. I am interested in picking some up. Can anyone tell me where to find them for the little quads? Thanks in advance.

 

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Knowing what I know today, I would NOT get a mini-quad for a kid under 8. Especially for a kid who only does "around the house" and trail riding. They really are dangerious. For a kid under 6, they are even more dangerious. If we had the dollars and had the apportunity to do it again, I'd get a less then 8 year old a mini bush-buddy / Go-Kart type unit. Low to the ground, wider wheel base, seat belts, roll cage. When they've master the art of ground speed, braking, hills, steering and if quading was still "deep in their hearts", I'd probably upgrade them to a mini-quad - after there 10 birthday (pending the kids maturity level). If your kid isn't into racing and only does trail riding, there's nothing wrong with a mini bush-buggy / Go-Kart as a learning tool.

As I reflect back, I'm not too sure if I'd buy another adult size ATV again. Since we have ours and we'd never get our dollars back out of it, I'll probably keep my AC-500i until I turn age 80. Next time around, I'd get an RUV. 2-Seater (side by side), 4x4, front and rear hitches, etc. The little ones sit beside me and I can still do trail riding, and backyard construction activities.

On the trails, it would be my wife or I in our RUV (re: Prowler, Mule, etc.) and my kid on their "with roll cage, seat belts, more stable on the corners" mini Bush Buggy / Go-Kart. Now that would be really cool....

Perhaps this slightly different type of vehicle might work for you too???


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That's too bad that you don't get much out of your adult atv. That's not the case though for many families today. Our family rides about 2-3 times a month and takes several trips out of state for great trail riding. We mostly camp on the trail heads and spend several days on the trails. We have an atv coach that is fully enclosed that the kids ride in for now and we are joined by our friends and neighbors that do the same kind of riding. In the summer we mix riding with boating. We boat on the ohio river and tennessee river quite often and many times there are atv trails near the camprounds so that we can take the boat AND the quads. (not behind one vehicle of course) I guess every family is different and people usually gravitate towards other couples with shared interest. One thing is certain, I wouldn't give up all of the family time that atving and boating have given my family. It's a shame that more parents don't get involved with their kids as much. Remember....play responsibly! And have fun!

 

I am with you on the RUV's... I can still hear that Rhino calling me in my sleep... but there are some negative aspects as well. First, unless you have a really tall enclosed trailer with a tall ramp door, you are going to have problems getting it through the opening. Some resort to letting the air out of the tires and that may work.. but if you go to an aftermarket tire that is taller, or put on a lift kit.. you are pretty much screwed. Which leaves you with the open trailer option, which is isn't a big deal, just that some perfer enclosed. Those with toy haulers are acutely aware of the issue, as that big box represents a significant expenditure sitting in their driveway, and changing over to a motorhome and open trailer can get costly.

The other issue, and much more significant for us riders in the lower 48, is that most states do NOT consider RUV's like a rhino etc to be an ATV. They are over weight and too wide to fall within their definition. That places them in the Jeep and off road vehicle category.. which severly limits the number of trails you can legally ride.

It appears also that 48 inches has become the standard trail width for ATV trails out in the woods... (Which is meaningless since my Rubicon is wider than that). I would like to see some changes in definition etc, but right now, there is not enough of a groundswell of complaints to make a difference.

Even with all the negatives, I still want one so bad I can taste it. Since I am not as energetic as I once was when I was younger.. even the Kubota RTV has put a gleam in my eye... I especially like the diesel engine and the full cab and the orange color. But then again, we are moving to GA soon, and cold weather will not be as big of an issue. They are slugs though... which is a bummer.

I need a tractor more than I need an RUV... but it sure would be nice to strap the grand kids and wife into one of those Rhinos and hit the trails smiling. Grandpas are supposed to be fun right?

 

We had an old argo 6 wheeler for a while and that thing was also a blast to ride in. Just didn't have room for it anymore and it took up the whole trailer so that limited what else you were able to bring. It was faster than the max's that you can buy today. It was also cool driving it right into the lake....was great for freaking your friends out that didn't know they floated! LOL had some fun doing that for sure!

 

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When the weather is permitting, we do to ATVing. Once and sometimes up to 3 times a month. There's over 2,000 acres of bush & ATV trails only 10 minute trailer ride from my house. We also go camping as well. We have a 19ft trailer that we do long weekend trips with. Lots of other sports in our family as well. At times, we need a computer system to manage our over lapping schedules. LOL!!!!

Yes, widening the front of a mini-ATV is a dramatic safety improvement. For minor trails, wheel spacers will work. Depending on the brand, the front tires can be turned around as well. For best results, wider A-Arms are the best solution. Wider A-Arms (re: 3" longer) put less stress on its factory bushings / bearings. If wondering, my son hasn't tipped his Pred-90 since we installed 1.5" spacers on the front. 3" wider A-Arms would make our Pred-90 even better!!!!!

In addition to this safety upgrade, see the many other safety upgrades I applied to our Pred-90 within: - Press Here for the List -

For some reason, many of our factories are "very slow" in building these safety upgrades into their minis. Some may argue about additional selling cost. To me, there's very little additional cost to include a 1" outer lip on their running boards, installing DRL (Daytime Running Lights), whip flags, foot brake, etc. "at the factory". When a company pups out 10,000+ units "at the source", the cost to the end user would be $10.00 more - especially since these things are made down low paid assembly lines.

Many people focus "on the rider's maturity and skills level" to improve safety stats. This does make a difference. No debate here. What also improves injury stats is "how the machine is made". Many people over-look the safety features of any ATV. Make them wider, make them more visible (especially in a dark bush environment) and make them have better controls. To my, hydro disc brakes via foot control should be mandatory. Making their fronts wider "at the factory" should be mandatory as well. Perhaps one day, the factories will realize the many safety features "they" seem to ignore.

To me, an ATV (big or small) will still be dangerious with these many included safety features. Roll-Overs are common. Too common. So, why don't "we" re-visit the entire construction of an ATV???? Perhaps we should stop their construction and go with buggies that have roll cages. On another forum, I had an opportunity to do lots of PMs with another. They have a Mule and just love it. With a custom made door, they can roll-it, they can slide it and they can pound the heck of of it (within reason) and they walk-away each and every time. Try rolling an ATV and they'd be lucky to walk away.

In my area, attitudes about ATVs have changed as well. Approx 4 years ago, you could drive your ATV down the road (put put speeds) and people would wave at you. Nice friendly neighbor wave. Today, drive down the road the same speed and the cops come knocking on our door 10 minutes later. Yet, a mini-tractor (4x4, same size tires, etc.) puts - puts down our road and people wave at you. If going the same speed and pulling a little 4x6 trailer, what's the difference? It's people's attitude towards ATVs. Put a kid on a mini-ATV and "the ladies in my area really get their nylons in the knock". Put the same kid in a mini-buggy and these same people wave high at them. Roll cage, closer to the ground, wider wheel base, etc. makes these same folks more comfortable. And I would agree. The mini buggies / Go-Karts that are build for deep mud trails really are much safer then ATVs. Like night and day comparison - from a safety perspective.

Being a parent, one can pick either a mini-ATV for a much safer designed mini-buggy / Go-Kart for their young rider. The choice is theres. But knowing what I know today and seeing 1st hand many roll-overs, we should have bought a mini-buggy / Go-Kart type unit instead. Much safer, accepted in my "new attitude" community and in my heart, I know their construction is much safer as well. The choice is the parents. Ensure you do your homework well - especially when the kid is under age 8 before laying down your Visa card (sort of speaking).

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You would need to buy more than one Spike.. I imagine your daughter could give the boys a run for their money around the home track...

As for the template used by factories, it actually has it's roots back in the CPSC guidelines for the mini machines. They dictate no headlights, and the restrictive widths.... The only reason you see some of the other manufacturers putting them on is because they are not voluntarily abiding by the safety guidelines.

You are now seeing them offered as options by some of the major manufacturers, but the dealers typically will not install them in the initial sales contract so they can still remain within the letter of the law.. if not technically.

 

My kids went from Power Wheels to Go-carts, to bigger go-carts, to ATVs. I looked at the Sandrail type of carts for the kids, but that doesn't give them any skills, nor is it good for my garage and wallet. I keep an eye on them, and always ride the trails in front of them, with the oldest in back. Never had a roll over or any other problem.

On the other hand, my know it all neighbor, who says ATVs are dangerous, just took his kid to the hospital for a broken arm. He got it while jumping out of a pick-up bed that was parked in the driveway. Now, I tell him its dangerous for his kid to be more than 2 feet in the air.

 

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My oldest son was on his swing and its chain snapped. Down he came. 3 broken bones and 1 cracked bone in his foot. Also has a cracked ankle. It's been 5 weeks (3 casts later) and if he is lucky, he might get his final cast off in another 2 weeks. Accidents can happen anywhere and at anytime. In life, its about "risk management". Lower the risk (re: skills improvement, machine improvement, experience, proper body fit, etc. etc.) and it will lower the odds of getting hurt. Regardless of what one does or doesn't do.

With this in mind, do widen the front end of a mini, do turn down its throttle down (until the young rider is ready), do keep the young rider away from hills, etc. etc. Every little bit does lower the risk.

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Now THAT is funny.