Advice on buying a quad

nihicib2

So we keep a few cattle, pigs for our table and have two horses as well, want to buy a quad that can do the usual things around the place.

The question I have though is I want a quad that can move a round bale of hay for me. We dont have a tractor as its just a smallholding we have and before this we'd get silage baled and Id have to rely on a friend to move the silage for me when he was feeding his own sheep. It was fine but hated putting in on someone and having to rely on them as well.

So we're going to get hay in from now on and Im wondering have any of ye advice on what type of quad would be suitable for this, never had a quad before, not in any hurry as it'll be about October before we'd be needing it.

People I've spoken to have said Honda only, stay away from Yamaha, or Yamaha only, stay away from Honda (well more specifically post 2014 Honda) :rolleyes:

I could be pushed to buy new, if I get a good deal, but if I were to go second hand, what pitfalls should I be looking out for ?

Thanks in advance

Bríd

Millionaire only not

nihicib2 wrote: »

So we keep a few cattle, pigs for our table and have two horses as well, want to buy a quad that can do the usual things around the place.

The question I have though is I want a quad that can move a round bale of hay for me. We dont have a tractor as its just a smallholding we have and before this we'd get silage baled and Id have to rely on a friend to move the silage for me when he was feeding his own sheep. It was fine but hated putting in on someone and having to rely on them as well.

So we're going to get hay in from now on and Im wondering have any of ye advice on what type of quad would be suitable for this, never had a quad before, not in any hurry as it'll be about October before we'd be needing it.

People I've spoken to have said Honda only, stay away from Yamaha, or Yamaha only, stay away from Honda (well more specifically post 2014 Honda) :rolleyes:

I could be pushed to buy new, if I get a good deal, but if I were to go second hand, what pitfalls should I be looking out for ?

Thanks in advance

Bríd

There buying quads , keeping them 3/4 years old no service nothing driving the crap out of them .
That’s what ur buying secondhand bar ur extremely lucky with a good first owner .

Timmaay

https://quadbikeparts.ie/atv-bale-trailer.html like of this should work well for you. Is the land flat, how mucky does wherever you are transporting the bale to get? If your on flat dry ground and only moving across a yard from a shed then literally a 250 2wd will pull that trailer and a bale of hay no problem. If it's a wet hilly field into a mucky stand off corner then expect hardship even if you have a 500 lol. You'll still need to throw the ring feeder over the bale thought.

nihicib2

Timmaay wrote: »

https://quadbikeparts.ie/atv-bale-trailer.html like of this should work well for you. Is the land flat, how mucky does wherever you are transporting the bale to get? If your on flat dry ground and only moving across a yard from a shed then literally a 250 2wd will pull that trailer and a bale of hay no problem. If it's a wet hilly field into a mucky stand off corner then expect hardship even if you have a 500 lol. You'll still need to throw the ring feeder over the bale thought.

Our land isn't great, would be mucky in winter, not hilly but we'd have to pull the bale up our lane which is a concreted hill type road and it would only be driving into the field about 30 yards to where we'd drop the bale.


We have a hay bell to cover the hay from rain so no problem there, it would be mostly moving the hay from outside yard to enclosed yard and up the road to a field, so I guess the stronger quad would be better, and yeah, those bale trailers are exactly what we'd need, that and a wee tipping tailer for now, thanks a mill.

Eddies farm

Nihicib2,I have a 2018 yamaha 450,find it a very good bike,it automatic with very little electrics,has plenty of power for spreading fertiliser,towing trailers well anything.it never off the beat,it’s used mostly on the hill so it’s being well tested with the rough ground,this is the fourth one I have now and every one was great.
The only thing it wouldn’t have as good a resale as a Honda but the Honda wouldn’t take the same abuse as the yamaha

nihicib2

Eddies farm wrote: »

Nihicib2,I have a 2018 yamaha 450,find it a very good bike,it automatic with very little electrics,has plenty of power for spreading fertiliser,towing trailers well anything.it never off the beat,it’s used mostly on the hill so it’s being well tested with the rough ground,this is the fourth one I have now and every one was great.
The only thing it wouldn’t have as good a resale as a Honda but the Honda wouldn’t take the same abuse as the yamaha

Thanks for that, we spoke to a dealer selling both Honda and Yahama and he more or less said the same thing, that the yamaha was a better machine, in his opinion. If I were to buy new I wouldn't be thinking of reselling anyway as I'd be thinking of keeping it until it, or I retired

Would you be better off with a small tractor? Something like a Mf 135 or similar.

Bass Reeves

Cannot see how you will manage to carry a bake into a field with a quad after cattle/sheep are there a month. Not only will you have to get it through muck around feeder, cattle have a habit of congregating around gaps where feed comes in.

Years back I used to feed in a dry gap but I had half a round feeder stuck in he gap and positioned with stakes holding it . I used to drop bale and roll it into feeder from other side of gap. I think that is the only way it will work for you with a quad. Quads can struggle pulling loads on mucky ground

nihicib2

Kairi Kind Hog wrote: »

Would you be better off with a small tractor? Something like a Mf 135 or similar.

We thought of that alright but I think a quad would be better suited to our land its quite rocky and uneven and the quad would manage it better

nihicib2

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Cannot see how you will manage to carry a bake into a field with a quad after cattle/sheep are there a month. Not only will you have to get it through muck around feeder, cattle have a habit of congregating around gaps where feed comes in.

Years back I used to feed in a dry gap but I had half a round feeder stuck in he gap and positioned with stakes holding it . I used to drop bale and roll it into feeder from other side of gap. I think that is the only way it will work for you with a quad. Quads can struggle pulling loads on mucky ground

Sorry should've explained better, the cattle we have are dexters and they live out all year, they've never really had to have much fodder, the odd small bale of hay if there's snow, we would only keep about three at at time anyway. It's more for the horses, to move hay for them in the winter, plus doing the usual jobs of fencing, moving manure etc. Its what kind of quad, size, make, power as well would be suited to all those jobs.

lab man

nihicib2 wrote: »

Sorry should've explained better, the cattle we have are dexters and they live out all year, they've never really had to have much fodder, the odd small bale of hay if there's snow, we would only keep about three at at time anyway. It's more for the horses, to move hay for them in the winter, plus doing the usual jobs of fencing, moving manure etc. Its what kind of quad, size, make, power as well would be suited to all those jobs.

go away and buy a tractor most ppl I see that have quads round here don't use them much as their backs are skrewed from them

nihicib2

lab man wrote: »

go away and buy a tractor most ppl I see that have quads round here don't use them much as their backs are skrewed from them

Tractor wouldn't suit our land unfortunately, it would be better suited to a quad

pingg10

Have used one of those bale trailers with honda 420 last few year to feed hay bales
Great job once you get used to them . No problem even in wet ground . Wouldn't be without quad as land is wet most of the year

Keepgrowing

nihicib2 wrote: »

So we keep a few cattle, pigs for our table and have two horses as well, want to buy a quad that can do the usual things around the place.

The question I have though is I want a quad that can move a round bale of hay for me. We dont have a tractor as its just a smallholding we have and before this we'd get silage baled and Id have to rely on a friend to move the silage for me when he was feeding his own sheep. It was fine but hated putting in on someone and having to rely on them as well.

So we're going to get hay in from now on and Im wondering have any of ye advice on what type of quad would be suitable for this, never had a quad before, not in any hurry as it'll be about October before we'd be needing it.

People I've spoken to have said Honda only, stay away from Yamaha, or Yamaha only, stay away from Honda (well more specifically post 2014 Honda) :rolleyes:

I could be pushed to buy new, if I get a good deal, but if I were to go second hand, what pitfalls should I be looking out for ?

Thanks in advance

Bríd

Always had Honda here but they became very poor wearing over the past few years. We now use Suzuki, absolutely super machines and built like the old Honda Foreman. Great job is they have a low box for towing which might suit you. Ours pulls 2*500 liter calf feeders to paddocks every day from March to May and not a bother