Question on Quads

reilig

I'm thinking about buying a quad. Running after cattle in the pi$$ing rain for 3 hours last night really got me thinking. For those of you with a quad, what's the story with road tax and insurance?? Is your quad registered as an agricultural vehicle?? Can any farm quad be registered as one?? There are a few people around here with quads, but nobody has them taxed and insured. I'd like to be able to bring mine out on the road as the farm is a little bit fragmented, so I'd need to be having tax and insurance on it.

vanderbadger

mine is in the non taxed and insured category
I believe you might have to put a roll bar on them to tax them etc, I could be wrong

mayo_lad

I don't have a quad personally but from talking to a few lads around home with them they say you can insure it on the farm insurance for driving SHORT distances on the road , i don't think any of them have there quads insured and taxed like a tractor though

haybob

I was going to get a quad but the auld fella convinced me to gat a mf35 it was the best thing I ever did

reilig wrote: »

I'm thinking about buying a quad. Running after cattle in the pi$$ing rain for 3 hours last night really got me thinking. For those of you with a quad, what's the story with road tax and insurance?? Is your quad registered as an agricultural vehicle?? Can any farm quad be registered as one?? There are a few people around here with quads, but nobody has them taxed and insured. I'd like to be able to bring mine out on the road as the farm is a little bit fragmented, so I'd need to be having tax and insurance on it.

reilig

haybob wrote: »

I was going to get a quad but the auld fella convinced me to gat a mf35 it was the best thing I ever did

I have one of them, but its useless for herding - especially on hilly land.

Ashill5

Hi relig. i bought a road regd quad 2yrs ago. You can insure them with Fbd( as far i know they are the only one who insure them).you will be insured up to 8miles from the house. you will have to buy new to vrt it and it's hard enough to do that as it took the bother-in law nearly to get his sorted as the customs are slow doing it in the last couple of years as a lot of Sport Quads were regd prior to that. just ask who ever you are buying it from, but you should be as you will be using it for farming. As for the roll bar, i don't have one and was stopped by the guards for tax and insurance anh he didn't say any thing about one. they are a mighty job for herding cattle:D.

vanderbadger

i did work experience for the esb many moons ago when in transition year and i think their quad had a roll bar but maybe im dreaming..if you look at some of the UK quads some have "road kit" which seems to consist of better lights and maybe indicators..they are a handy old bit of kit anyway, mine never outside farm though so wouldnt bother trying to tax, insurance might be a good idea alright though

whelan1

reilig from what i remember you are an expectant dad i was very keen to get a quad a few years ago but instead bought a 1990 land rover jeep , it will go anywhere with the kids in tow , no its not roadworthy now but i can just throw the kids in and fly up the fields no problem

JohnBoy

Has to be said though for rounding up cattle they're pretty awesome.

takes some practice/skill to use one without driving the cattle mad, I'd imagine moreso with beef cattle. I used help out a friend who was milking 120 cows and it was the bees knees with the cows.

If you didnt go too close to them you could hoon around the place* but still only have the cows walking.


*uncle johnboy does not condone hooning around, quads are dangerous. however, on smooth wet grass a rwd quad is as driftable as any mk2 escort, and if driven right the cows will hardly look at you.

Oh and go on a training course, even a fun type quadbike experience, they're not hard to ride, but they can be a bit counterintuitive, a quick bit of training in weight transfer would be good.

pakalasa

Quads can be dangerous too. Remember what happened to John Dillon, the IFA guy. He hroke his leg when one capsized on him.

A few people killed too;
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/quad-bike-controls-urged-after-toddler-3-is-killed-1443747.html

irishh_bob

haybob wrote: »

I was going to get a quad but the auld fella convinced me to gat a mf35 it was the best thing I ever did

you,d be quicker and more agile on crutches herding cattle than on a MF 35

regarding quads OP , thier a great yoke , hard on juice though , you will most definatley need to insure it as thier a machine which is much more prone to accidents than a tractor , if you work on wet land , you would be better get a 4WD and if you plan to do any toeing worth talking about , you definatley need a 4WD

haybob

Yeara running after cattle is great for the fitness, I'm just not a fan of quad bikes find the 35 very handy machine altogether, putting out turf, spreading manures in small paddocks etc etc. I don't envy anyone with too much road work to do but I'd suggest plenty of help is you best option

irishh_bob wrote: »

you,d be quicker and more agile on crutches herding cattle than on a MF 35

regarding quads OP , thier a great yoke , hard on juice though , you will most definatley need to insure it as thier a machine which is much more prone to accidents than a tractor , if you work on wet land , you would be better get a 4WD and if you plan to do any toeing worth talking about , you definatley need a 4WD

haybob

The yoke I have would go most places in all fairness to it

reilig wrote: »

I have one of them, but its useless for herding - especially on hilly land.

knotknowbody

The quad is handy for rounding up milking cows, but I find it not that great for anything else, a good dog is quicker can be easier on the man and animals as they know the dog is the boss and they don't try messing with it and the dog is a lot easier on juice.

If you have sucklers though you need a very brave dog to control them until they get used to him, then they are grand.

Shauny2010

reilig wrote: »

Running after cattle in the pi$$ing rain for 3 hours last night

I know the feeling Relig I spent the evening running after a Bull that keeps breaking out,but it wasn't a Quad I was thinking of getting but the double barrel shotgun and letting him have it square into the forehead:mad:

ADDON

haybob wrote: »

I was going to get a quad but the auld fella convinced me to gat a mf35 it was the best thing I ever did

Auld fellas are great for good advice!!! I'd prefer a MF to a quad too. I don't think riding a quad in the spilling rain would be much fun either :eek:

reilig

ADDON wrote: »

I don't think riding a quad in the spilling rain would be much fun either :eek:

Riding a quad in the rain and you wrapped in your waterproofs would be better than running after cattle in the pouring rain and you up to your oxters in muck :D:D

A quad will go where your tractor won't - up and down hills, through wet ground, through small gaps.

vanderbadger

ADDON wrote: »

Auld fellas are great for good advice!!! I'd prefer a MF to a quad too. I don't think riding a quad in the spilling rain would be much fun either :eek:

ya true enough if its raining you get a terrible soaking on a quad, i dont really use mine for herding or rounding up cattle as land is all beside yard, i do find though that similar to a atractor cattle dont really get frightened by quad and you can drive up to them

vanderbadger

reilig wrote: »

Riding a quad in the rain and you wrapped in your waterproofs would be better than running after cattle in the pouring rain and you up to your oxters in muck :D:D

A quad will go where your tractor won't - up and down hills, through wet ground, through small gaps.

have you done any looking yet reilig?
this doesnt seem like bad value
http://www.clarkemachinery.ie/clarkemachinery/Main/Honda_TRX450_Quad_21017598.htm
i think the honda 450 were suppose to be good, have a yamaha myself

reilig

vanderbadger wrote: »

have you done any looking yet reilig?
this doesnt seem like bad value
http://www.clarkemachinery.ie/clarkemachinery/Main/Honda_TRX450_Quad_21017598.htm
i think the honda 450 were suppose to be good, have a yamaha myself

I was thinking a Kawasaki or a Yamaha as I have a friend who is a bike mechanic and recommends both. He will be able to service and repair for me too.


here's a few on donedeal that I might look at:

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1552551

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1543660

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1528129

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1534801

vanderbadger

reilig wrote: »

I was thinking a Kawasaki or a Yamaha as I have a friend who is a bike mechanic and recommends both. He will be able to service and repair for me too.


here's a few on donedeal that I might look at:

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1552551

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1543660

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1528129

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/quads/1534801

have no personal experience of them but dont like the look of the kawasaki bikes, tatty looking. id stick to yamaha or honda and you know what you have..have a 450 kodiak , think they might be called 450 grizzly now and love it, fully automatic, just put her into forward and off she goes, also selectable 2 and 4 wheel drive which is important, much easier to turn etc when in 2 wheel mode, its 06 year I believe and took a chance and bought on ebay from welsh dealer for 2500 sterling, it arrived over on pallet, was lucky enough with it i think or so far anyway and have it about 2 years nows

JohnBoy

From what I know of em it really is hard to beat the honda's as a farm quad.

selectable 2/4wd is important as when you dont need 4wd the bike is far easier to ride.

if you're using it in the winter then get the handlebar glove yokes.

reilig

I personally think that honda's are too expensive for what you get. There is much more value to be got from a second hand Yamaha, Kawasaki or suzuki farm quad than from a second hand Honda. If I was buying new, I would consider a honda for the resale value alone. But unfortunately my piggy bank won't go that far (nor will the bank manager for that matter - I still owe him money for the last slatted shed that I put up)

greenpeter

I cant understand why more farmers don't have the john Deere or equivalent in Yamaha or Kawasaki etc.
The john Deere hpx have a small diesel engine (Yamaha) which goes on a sniff and will last forever and they will withstand anything that be thrown at them and go anywhere with half a ton on the back.
they can be tax and insured for the road,
Have five of them where i work and we put about 600 700 hrs a years on them.
We have one with 4500hrs and its as a good as new.
Parts are cheap and easy got and they are a doddle to fix.
There are a good few in various auction at the minute mite be worth considering

irishh_bob

might have something to do with the fact that gators are at least double the price of a quad

danielq1007

Bought a Honda foreman about 5 years ago, could,t be without it. Not taxed but insured with hibernian for 350 third Party fire and theft. I have a large spreader holds 500kg and found you definitely need a 500cc bike for this. Friend borrowed the spreader for his yamaha 350cc and wasn't strong enough on hillier ground.

oooge1

i've an old zetor and its working days here, are coming to an end..i'm just wondering could it be possible to trade it in against a quad? a quad i feel would be of more value to me than another tractor. just a thought, any advice appreciated.

enricoh

i bought a john deere gator diesel a couple of years ago - great yoke, runs on a spit n has a tipping box on the back of it. way too pricey new, but keep an eye on english ebay

EastTyrone

I know a man who lost his licence drink driving and he bout himself a jd gator, got insured and taxed in it which left him road legal, drives everywere in it and when hes stopped by the cops they cant do anything about it lol