Quad too small???

tilting tim

Hi all,
Was looking at buying a quad. Came across a nice fresh Honda fourtrax 2wd 250cc quad but just wondering if lads who have quads would think this is too small. I have a hilly dairy farm. Have it in mind for general running around, going spraying, fencing. What do ye think??

Bodacious

tilting tim wrote: »

Hi all,
Was looking at buying a quad. Came across a nice fresh Honda fourtrax 2wd 250cc quad but just wondering if lads who have quads would think this is too small. I have a hilly dairy farm. Have it in mind for general running around, going spraying, fencing. What do ye think??

If not 4wd don't touch it you'll only be trading it in against a bigger 4wd one in six months .. Best advice I got was to buy it right the first time, a good sized 4wd 400cc minimum

supersean1999

funny i was thinking of asking the same question too, think ill get one before spring, not sure on the prices of the second hand hondas.i know they have a good name, but from what i hear yamaha and one or two other makes are not far behind if not equal,

iverjohnston

Hi, I have had a 2wd Honda Fourtrax for the last 6 years, not bought new, but in very good condition. I have been very disapointed to be honest, its cost a good bit in repairs, for all the use it gets. Had a new starter/dynamo, brake shoes all round, and rose joints in the steering. Then needed a new battery and silencer and various electrical bits fixing up. Now its away again, the splines in one rear hub have worn away, and you have to get the entire axle shaft and hubs. Quoted €300 for the axle alone, plus a hub, and the mechanic tells me that one front wishbones bushings are knackered, and you have to buy the entire wishbone, up in the 100's again. So I would be reluctant to buy another one. Had a little Suzuki LT160 before that, and it never give any trouble, untill the frame fell apart with rust.The downside with it was, it was chain drive, and I thought a shaft drive Honda would be a winner........... Mack in Cavan

Insp. Harry Callahan

Think carefully before you buy a large quad, we have a 450cc yamaha, a fine bike, gives no bother but it is a real petrol guzzler, would nearly put you off using it sometimes. Used to have a 300cc kawasachi, was so much easier on fuel

poor farmer

Bodacious wrote: »

If not 4wd don't touch it you'll only be trading it in against a bigger 4wd one in six months .. Best advice I got was to buy it right the first time, a good sized 4wd 400cc minimum

I beg to differ. I have a honda 250 2wd it has given great service an is easy on juice .I use it on 70 cow dairy herd Its nimble and quick .I would buy another.
Its only suited to very light trailer work and a small sprayer.

Farmer Pudsey

It all depends on your land type even if on hill land that is dry then for the jobs you outlined it will work away. Another disadvanyage of big 4WD quads is if you get really stuck it is beyond a one man job to get out. A little 2WD quad can often be manovered out of a skid/hole by one person however it may mean unloading.

Remember it is horses for courses, I wsa able to take a van accross fields until mid september this year.

MrFoxman360

Engine size is not as big of a deal as most people make it out to be, unless you're going to be towing something very heavy (which they aren't really designed for anyway)

Range of gears and good traction is what I think is important in a quad. I use mine for work around the farm ,towing a small trailer etc and also for fun on weekends.

Mine is a suzuki kingquad, which is just 300cc but has 15 forward gears including a low and super low range, has 4wd with locking differentials, and agressive mud tyres. It is actually better than many of the bigger bikes that a few of the other guys have, as it is much lighter, has a better climbing abiltiy and is morew capable in wet and mucky ground.

More power will mean it will go faster, my one struggles to do more than 35mph, but I never need it for that anyway.

Also, quad bikes by their very nature tend to have a rough life, they don't last too long either compared to other machines like a tractor for instance. Even a 10 year old bike will be worse for wear, and if you can't do repairs yourself they can get costly, even trying to get someone to take on repari work on a quad can be difficult

2wd can be a disadvantage on hilly ground though, thats what would put me off, more so than the engine size

iverjohnston

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

.

Remember it is horses for courses, I wsa able to take a van accross fields until mid september this year.

I was able to get the van about 15 feet into the field, then it was walk home for the tractor and a chain...............

I managed to get the quad stuck while going DOWNHILL on one occasion this summer..
Mack in Cavan

Timmaay

Plus 2wd is more fun for doing donuts around the fields :P