Zoinks,

When I visited the various dealerships with my son in tow to do "test sits", I was primarily interested in the ergonomics of each unit, so I took a tape measure with me.

The three measurements that I thought were critical were:

(1) The "inside" width of the handle bars. By which I mean the distance from the inside lip of the right handgrip to the inside lip of the left handgrip. This measurement determines how wide he must spread his arms to put his hands on the handle bars. On the LT80 it was 18-inches. On the Badger it was 19-inches. On the TRX90 it was 20-inches. As a comparison benchmark on my Bayou 300 it is 22-inches, and on my Bayou 400 it is 23-inches.

(2) The width of the seat directly over the footpegs. This measurement determines how far he would have to spread his legs in order to straddle the seat. On the LT80 it is 6-1/2 inches. On the Badger it is 7-inches. On the TRX90 and the E-Ton 90 it is nearly 9-inches. As a comparison benchmark on my Bayou 300 & 400 it is 11-inches.

(3) The "combined inseam distance". By which I mean the distance from the top of the left footpeg up over the seat and down to the top of the right footpeg. This measurement determines how well he will be able to move around on the quad as the terrain varies and still keep both feet on the footpegs. On the LT80 it is 41-inches. On the Badger it is 42-inches. On the TRX90 and E-Ton 90 it is 44-inches. As a comparison benchmark, on my Bayou 300 & 400 it is 48-inches.

I did put my son on both the E-Ton 40 (Rascal) and E-Ton 50. The Rascal was nearly the same size as the battery powered Peg Perego quad he rides now. There was simply no point in considering it, he would out grow it too quickly.

The other problem with all three E-Ton quads was the shape of the seat. To my mind it is tapered the wrong way. It is narrow at the back, and wide at the front. This allows the child precious little leg room in which to manuever. The LT80 is just the opposite. The seat is very wide at the back and middle so the child has a nice place to sit, and then it tapers quickly from the middle to the front to allow the child room to stand on the pegs naturally instead of with a bow-legged stance.

Ergonomically the LT80 offers the best immediate fit for my son. It is one he will not have to grow into, and it is one that he will not grow out of too soon (especially considering that Big Brother and the Nanny State would have me restrict him to nothing larger until he is sixteen anyway).

My property is graded such that there is a fairly steep hill in back of the house, and a gentle slope from the end of the driveway, down the property line to the neighbors yard, and thence to my back yard. My son quickly discovered that he couldn't climb the steep hill directly because the plastic wheels lacked traction on the grass. But he soon discovered that if he followed the gentle slope all the way around the yard, he would then be at the top of the hill. From there he comes roaring down through my wife's flower beds, onto the driveway, around the Jet Ski, between the cars, and back up to do it again. The very first thing I plan on teaching him is how to use the brakes!

Army Man

 

This is a great thread to read.