I see AC makes a turbo Diesel

Around here diesel cost more than Premium high octane gas now. They could not of time the introduction of this ATV at a worst time.

 

The make a excellent work horse but they are also very slowwwwwwwwww this from a diesel fan!

 

Gas is getting Nasty expensive too!!! $4 a gallon I mean come on...

Anyhow... Dodge is right - it would be a great Work-horse, but Play / Fun? Nah... unless you simply just "cruise" on the fire-road trails...

Diesel in a ATV .... not a horrible Idea.. but Diesels are best known for there Gobbs of Low-end Torque - So if you are towing alot with your ATV then sure... or if you a stritcly a Rock-Crawler going no faster than 40mph.. not bad...


But one HUGE disadvantage of that AC Diesel is the 809LBs of DRY Weight!!! You think $5 a gallon for a Diesel is alot... what about that Heavy A$$ quad!!! OMG !!

 

A guy I used to work with had a Polaris Diesel Sportsman and it was great for working on the farm. I don't think he ever did anything else with it. Somewhere else in the forum a guy says it will only go 40 mph but will tow your house behind it. It has TONS of torque. I just can't figure out why AC would come out with a diesel now, when when diesel fuel is $5 a gallon, and hardly anybody would buy diesel quads when it was even cheaper than gas.

 

Actualy the A/C diesel has been out for about a year (not that it matters). I remember reading a artical in one of the mags that shows them pulling a Dodge 1 ton 3500 (not running) up a steep incline. Pretty impresive if you ask me! I also remember reading theat this quad is capable of running on multiple fuels (bio diesel), to find out more click on the link the click on the engine bullit!

http://www.arctic-cat.com/atv/vehicle.asp?id=859

 

My take on diesel quads is the same as it has always been...

They are torque monsters, but slow. If you are a farmer who has thousands of gallons of non-highway taxed diesel for tractors on hand anyway, and you need a machine for servicing wheel line movers, running back and forth to the tractor or grain bins, building fences, or whatever they could be just the ticket. From what I've read they are also very good on fuel, and having long range between fill ups would be handy.

As much as I like diesels, I don't think I'll be buying a diesel ATV because I ride recreationally. I could see where it would be perfect for a lot of farmers, orchardists and ranchers, though.

 

Those who could really use the power of a diesel ATV will put so few miles on it that fuel costs will be minimal.

 

I don't think many people that are looking to purchase an ATV think about MPG or fuel prices. I wouldn't buy one, but for work it would be awesome.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: subyman

I don't think many people that are looking to purchase an ATV think about MPG or fuel prices. </end quote></div>

It's becoming more of an issue than you might think. People who use them every day and put lots of miles on them are certainly thinking about MPG given the astronomical price of fuel right now and given the very real prospect of 10-15 dollar a gallon gasoline in the near future.

Personally I've almost decided to go with A Polaris Sportsman 500 over and 800. do i want the power of an 800? You bet I do but I have to consider the real difference in MPG between the two. A tank full of gas isn't costing 5 or 6 bucks now. It's costing about 16. If gas gets to the hideous heights that it may very well get to you're looking at 60 bucks to fill the tank.

When you're talking about the difference between an 800 Polaris and a 500 you're talking an 8 to 10 MPG difference between the two. based on 4 gallon tanks you could drive approximately 100 miles on the 500 before a a fill up but only 60 on the 800. That adds up to real money when you ride a lot.

I never considered mpg before but I sure do now and it is definitely affecting my choice in an ATV. For many of us it isn't a matter of it just costing too much or having to spend an extra 100 bucks in fuel for a riding excursion. For us it is about being able to do chores or not.

 

Back in the day when I did farm work, ATV's got run hard, constantly. If the ones we had back then had a meter, I'd bet they rack up close to a thousand hours in a season.

As far as fuel costs go, diesel may cost more, but they are typically 30-50% more fuel efficient.

If you combine that with the price of farm-diesel (the red dyed stuff) that isn't taxed, and is bought in bulk, I think the fuel cost for operating diesel ATV's on a farm would be quite a bit cheaper.

When you are burning hundreds of gallons of fuel among various tractors, and paying maybe $1500/month for power for just one electric well, I don't think the cost of operation plays into the decision of what ATV to buy for most farmers.

I think most farmes would be looking for reliability/durability first and foremost, and being able to run on the diesel that they already have on hand would be hugely handy.