Has anyone rolled a sportsman 500 yet? Well, I did last month. Seems as though the almighty sportsman won't stay on all fours if you're traversing some steep hills.
It was getting late that day when me and some pals were riding in the Withlacoochee State Forest on some phosferous mines when I decided to tackle the "Widowmaker." Earlier I had successfully negotiated several of the steep hills without trouble but stayed clear from that fearful looking hill.
I started the ascent to the top of the mines while my friends were riding nearby. I reached the top and headed toward that fateful drop! As I lined up on the chute, my mind was only on getting to the bottom... not the fact that this 700+ lb. quad could flip end over end with me stuck underneath! Well that's exactly what happened and I was nearly crushed. As soon as I started the descent I was quickly reminded of several reasons not to go down such a steep grade on such a behemoth. It rolled 4 times and landed facing the top of the hill with me underneath. I suffered only a broken leg and some bruises on various parts of my body. My back felt like it had been body-slammed off of a rooftop.
When my friends arrived 15 minutes later they couldn't believe their eyes! They said they had never seen such damage caused by one drop! It took four guys to upright the machine and back it down the rest of the hill.
As for the quad with only 8 hrs total time...
the dealer would surely have charged in excess of $2000. I ordered the parts and paid $698. With my cast up to my crotch, and nothing else to do, I slowly put my friend back together. Today she is as good as new and included are some new tube bumpers to help get me through the thick brush.

Moral of this story...Its a big heavy machine. probably intended for heavy work and trail riding! keep it on flat ground!

Bob '00 sportsman 500, sport 400

 

Bob,

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, but glad your injuries weren't any worse than they were.

I hope this isn't too much of a bother, but could you elaborate a little more on the details of the hill, or the conditions that caused the roll over? Do you know the grade? Was there any bumps that you hit, that might have helped to unsteady the ATV? Braking? Had you traversed this hill before, on another ATV? Is this a hill that most ATVs traverse with no problem?


Thanks,
Mike

 

well, I have a 1999 SP500....haven't flipped it...and DONT PLAN TO! Here's what I do. If I get into a situation where I start getting afraid, I jump off! The hell with the ATV. I've rolled it over on one side once....took 3 guys to right it. Went down a VERY steep hill like you say to the point where the rear end started to feel light and come up a bit...that IS scary...the way I ride is this: If I have to look at a hill more than one time, as in whether I can do it, I simply don't do it. It's not worth it. The best bet is to stay on level ground with these beasts. You'll have just as much fun. Just watch out for those low hanging branches...let's face it---there is danger out there. It's just a matter of which one has the most odds of hurting you. Sorry about your leg dude...hope it gets better soon.

Bob

 

Been there, done that....
I've been up Hospital Hill on my Scrambler forwards, backwards, went half way down stopped shifted to reverse and backed back up.... Probably 100 times. Got my new Magnum 500 with 27" tires and forgot that is IS 650+lbs. and those 27" tires and lift kit really do move the center of gravity.
Needless to say, I made about half way up and over she came.... Broke the front rack (with my face), bent handlebars, heavily bruised my pride.
Think i'll leave that hill alone for awhile...

 

Man are you ever lucky,it sure could have been worse.When you have time to think about it,see if you can find out why they name these hills things like WIDOWMAKER&HOSPITAL HILL.Just what you need some smart *** making fun huh.Seems like we all have to push that limit before we learn there is one,been there done that myself,only was luckier than you.Know what your saying about dealer and repairs.Had lost one off of trailer dealer wanted $3400 I bought parts at $800 and was good as new.Good luck on the mend hope maybe you have saved someone else the same fate.LATER CM

 

I too have been in this situation, although I wasn't the one that rolled the ATV, I was the one who put it back together. You guys are correct when implying it's better to buy the parts and fix the ATV yourself. They are as easy to work on as a lawnmower! My dealer said it would cost around 3k to fix our SP 500 after it was rolled. I've put in about $600 in parts and it looks almost new.
One thing I found that helps when I'm going up a hill and I get scared on my SP 500. I lay my chest over the headlight pod and grab the front tube bumper with my left hand while my right hand stays on the throttle. This puts more of my 200lbs over the front two wheels helping to keep them on the ground. It's tricky, but it works in extreme situations. It also puts you in a good position to jump off if needed.

 

We have to understand that we are not dealing with a 500lb machine here.The Sportsman is a tank.While it performs some tasks better than some of the other 4x4 quads,it to has it's limitations.The weight can hamper you in certain situations.The weight helps in other catagories.I have to admit,I to have climbed some hills I probably should not have challenged.But man,is it a rush.I get a little nervous thinking about what could of happened if I were to fail at making it to the top,but not usually until im allready to the top.Thank God,I have no horror stories to share with you guys with my Sportsman.I hope to keep it that way.====BILL

 

Its called widowmaker because if a guy is married and he tries to climb it and he flips and dies his wife becomes a widow and tha6ts why it is called widowmaker!!!!

Ryan

 

I have flipped my '98 Arctic Cat 454 , 3 times... 2 of which did some pretty mean damage...fortunately i wasnt hurt

 

THANKS TRAIL: for clearing that up for me now I understand,thats whats good about this site someone always has the answer. LATER CM