Favorite Quad for Tree Work?

[Woody Stover]

What's your favorite Quad for tree work?
I use an old 2002 Arctic Cat 300 4x4 and a trailer. This small engined quad has a super low gear range which makes for a lightweight, but torquey machine.
What do you use?

I only have a Rancher 420 FourTrax ES, so it's my favorite. 😏
Yep, I wish I had a creeper gear for rough, sloping ground with the Polar trailer heaped to the sky with wood--gets a bit tippy! 🫣

'90 Polaris Big Boss 4x6 with a trailer. Not a quad, but effective. Tight turns rip up the trail by sliding one set of the rear tires...

Crap, my little quad shreds the lawn with the inner tire if I try to turn sharp. 😖 It's due for tires and I wonder if a less agressive tread would help, yet still give me decent traction for climbing. I don't really know anything about quads, but I'm guessing not...

 

[StoveInNH]

I only have a Rancher 420 FourTrax ES, so it's my favorite. 😏
Yep, I wish I had a creeper gear for rough, sloping ground with the Polar trailer heaped to the sky with wood--gets a bit tippy! 🫣

Crap, my little quad shreds the lawn with the inner tire if I try to turn sharp. 😖 It's due for tires and I wonder if a less agressive tread would help, yet still give me decent traction for climbing. I don't really know anything about quads, but I'm guessing not...

W i d e turns on the lawn when it's not .us season. That's the only way.

 

[salecker]

A friend of mine prefers his tires wore out as they don't tear up the ground then.
We call him Tracx as he can track a mosquito across a mirror.
He claims that with his bald tires nobody can track him if he wants to dissapear.
Helps him keep his secret hunting spots.
I belive him as i had my wood stash cleaned out one summer,they followed my tracks to my wood lot.New tires on a quad it was easy for them.Lost about 3 cords over the summer.

 

[StoveInNH]

A friend of mine prefers his tires wore out as they don't tear up the ground then.
We call him Tracx as he can track a mosquito across a mirror.
He claims that with his bald tires nobody can track him if he wants to dissapear.
Helps him keep his secret hunting spots.
I belive him as i had my wood stash cleaned out one summer,they followed my tracks to my wood lot.New tires on a quad it was easy for them.Lost about 3 cords over the summer.

I had no idea that cordwood theft was a thing.

 

[Woody Stover]

A friend of mine prefers his tires wore out as they don't tear up the ground then.
....i had my wood stash cleaned out one summer,they followed my tracks to my wood lot.New tires on a quad it was easy for them.Lost about 3 cords over the summer.

My tires are pretty worn but they'll still leave tracks. I'd keep using them, but they're dry-rotted, and unless I happen to get lucky and park with each tire in the correct position, I'll have to air two or three of 'em up the next day if I use the quad. 😖 I have a portable air tank right next to where I park.
Stinks that they snatched your wood, the bass turds. 🤬 Guy probably said, "I only stacked this two months ago, and look, it's burning great!" 😆

 

[Woody Stover]

I had no idea that cordwood theft was a thing.

Yeah, with the lightweight wood they probably have up there (Aspen?) you'd think it wouldn't be hard to get it dry in short order. It's still a good amount of work to steal it...just get your own wood, slimeball. 😒 Now if salecker had some primo wood stacked, I guess it might be more tempting..

 

[xman23]

I get by with a 300 cc Kawasaki. I built a 2" ball hitch for it. Solid rear axle type. I pull a Ohio steel trailer (plastic dump body) with balloon tires. In first gear I can pull a fully loaded trailer, 6 or more 18' rounds. And that's thru the woods. No big hill's with the load, but it handles it well.

I didn't do this as it wasn't needed with my setup. With a small ATV you can increase the size if the rear sprocket. It will have a lot more low speed power.

 

[salecker]

My tires are pretty worn but they'll still leave tracks. I'd keep using them, but they're dry-rotted, and unless I happen to get lucky and park with each tire in the correct position, I'll have to air two or three of 'em up the next day if I use the quad. 😖 I have a portable air tank right next to where I park.
Stinks that they snatched your wood, the bass turds. 🤬 Guy probably said, "I only stacked this two months ago, and look, it's burning great!" 😆

get a can of Slime for tires that will solve the slow leaks.

 

[salecker]

Yeah, with the lightweight wood they probably have up there (Aspen?) you'd think it wouldn't be hard to get it dry in short order. It's still a good amount of work to steal it...just get your own wood, slimeball. 😒 Now if salecker had some primo wood stacked, I guess it might be more tempting..

We only have one choice for wood here
Spruce
There is aspen that only gets used for wood fired pizza ovens
I cut dead spruce so it's ready as soon as you cut it.Standing dead is at 17% on the MM

 

[Woody Stover]

get a can of Slime for tires that will solve the slow leaks.

I may have a can around here somewhere.. but I might just get some tires. I got a Harbor Fright manual tire changer a couple years back--why didn't I do that years ago?? 😣

We only have one choice for wood here
I cut dead spruce so it's ready as soon as you cut it.Standing dead is at 17% on the MM

In that case I'd think it'd be only a little more work for the thieves to cut dry Spruce close to where they stack...unless it's hard to split?

 

[Woody Stover]

Whaddya think they did, haul with quads to a pickup truck? But three cords...maybe they loaded up a flatbed truck? 😏

 

[salecker]

Whaddya think they did, haul with quads to a pickup truck? But three cords...maybe they loaded up a flatbed truck? 😏

Quad, the trail is to skinny for a truck
they did it over about 2 months while was to busy for wood hauling,plus i figured it was safe.

 

[ArtBaldoni]

Elvis, the "King" Quad doing its fair share.

 

[salecker]

My Dad bought this quad new
i got it in 06 after he passed still runs great

 

[StoveInNH]

My Dad bought this quad new
i got it in 06 after he passed still runs greatView attachment 311729

That rear end is pleading for mercy!

 

[salecker]

Independent rear suspension...
Just shows it working.
I found out that if i loaded the back of the trailer heavier it handled better.I had the trailer tip a couple times when it was too heavy in the front. 24 loads like that one will fill the 6 rows of wood for the winter.