ok heres my 2 cents on this....here in maine we ride one main trail and have side trails and 75%of them are shut down due to land owners or swamps but int eh summer we ride atvs on what side trails we can use and get to on the main trail they really dont say to much about atvs being on the trail in the winter but only a handful of us do it for the fact that we either have sleds or the snow is to deep but i think they should either widen the trails out and give us almost a 4 lane trail or just let us ride the trail in the winter cause from the atvs on the trails they dont do half as much damage as sleds because if some ones stoped and then take off and are around a group of people there going to show off i know i have dun it not think

 

I actually ride frozen snowmobile trails alot( sorry sledders!). But i dont spin around, rutting thing up, or travel off the trail. I just enjoy the scenic ride across the county. I would be in favor of sharing trails in winter, unless some moron atv riders tear it up on purpose.

 

Thats where your wrong. On really cold days you stay ontop of the crust which is OK, but on mild days (even not spinning tires) the ruts get very deep and damage the trails making it difficult to ride our snowmobiles. Plus in my neak of the woods a trail permit is $230 and ATV's are trespassing on our trail that an ATV has NOT paid for.

But summer time, knock yourselfs out and use the trails as much as you want!

 

well the way i see it ,quad all year or sled in the winter only thats if you have any snow, i live in iowa and if i had to wait to ride a sled based on the snow i mighta rode 6 times last year we have had below average snow for the last several years ! even in a good year here the winter is only @ 4 months long the speed is nice on the sled but its a no brainer for me, i can quad in any condition all year long and still want more

 

i used to be the avidd snowmobile myself there was nothing better for me. but as im getting older and am driving all day in this crap i decided it isnt as good as it used to be. besides lately there isnt much snow as it used to be. wheeling is to me also alot cheaper all around to have. better on the pocket book when filling up and alot less chances of break downs for me anyways. to clarifie in maine its agaist the law to operate any atv on a state funded (ie:ITS numbered) trails. once there groomed there off limits.

 

How mild are you talkin about, cause i've had my F-150 on the trails rescuing a sunken last winter and it was just above freezing and i hardly did any damage at all maybe 2 inches into the base. i've rode sleds all of my life untill a few years ago when i traded my sled for a four wheeler, yes i ride snowmobile trails in the winter, but only during the week (less traffic) and only when its cold (keeps your beer colder in your pocket) and i hardly even leave tracks till you get off of the groomed trail. i definitly feel snowmobiling is a dying breed with insurance costs and $230 trail permits

 

Seems like we have a lot of sledders who have given up that sport and just opted for the quad due to poor winters & the cost of snowmobiling. Now some feel that sleds damage groomed trails more than ATVs & vice-versa. Well snowmobiling is an expensive sport and generally winters are not what they used to be but where I live we always have abundant snow, no mandatory insurance requirements and no groomed trail system so therefore no trail fees. ATVs & sleds share the same routes and nobody complains about anyone else. Heck if you see a quad stuck in the snow a sledder will stop to help get them unstuck. Weather goes in trends & Environment Canada seems to feel that the trend will be for snowier, colder winters will soon be upon us. While snowmobiles are more fun the economic reality is that you get more bang for your buck with a quad. Whatever your preference, enjoy to the fullest your choice and always ride sober and tread lightly on the environment. As for me I will always have both...

 

Recently in Maine the state cracked down on ATV's using sled trails and other trails without landowner written permission. It makes it tough to go anywhere because you have to sneak around and hope you don't meet a warden. As far as the sled owners go in my opinion many are hypocrites. They bi%&h about atv's but have no problem riding 100mph on the trails or digging up the snow w/drag races. Sleds had the same rap as atv's 30yrs ago but came together to get support for trails. We need to to the same.

 

I ride both. In Michigan some of the trails are dual use. Also the ATV trails are open all year round (except during deer season). So it seems to me, that as long as you follow the laws, you are good to go. Very few sledders like to go out when the trails are poor. That means good base and all water frozen. When the spring comes, you don't see damage from the sleds. On the other hand, we enjoy hitting the quad trails after it has rained or when it is muddy. Seems to me that quads are a bit harder on the environment than sleds. But I think as long as there is good trail management, this is not a serious problem.
Bryce

 

i'm a sledder since '88,i have had a few models through the years,i end up with a 2000 xcr 800,now
it is race ported and piped and all that thing,it is very fast,but when the spring come i always prefer the
fun of a scrammy 400,sled are all about speed,quads are all about fun!