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NitroX
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes
#120735 - 09/12/08 06:56 PM

I'm about to buy a new Quad bike for the farm, and hopefully occasional hunting use.

Looking at the Honda range. Anyone got any experience with them or alternative brands? The brand I go for must be reliable and in the end be able to be serviced locally, but no excluding anything at the moment.

Models from the catalogue are:

Honda foreman Hydrostatic TRX500FA
Honda Fourtrax TRX400FA
Honda TRX500FE/FM
Honda Fourtrax TRX420FM/TM

Mine is generally used for farm work, carries about a 100 litres of herbicide, or tows 420 litres etc.

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gryphon
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Reged: 01/01/03
Posts: 5487
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: NitroX]
#120791 - 10/12/08 07:10 AM

John we have three here,mine is a trx 350 and has done 10,000 HARD HOURS it tows trailers,carries an 80 litre spray tank for doing the under vine spraying here and assorted spraying of b/berries,thistles etc down the creek.

If you want to tow you are better off with 4wd mate,as the local spray contractor only gets a few years as the juice sloshes and surges and strains the running gear,though they get hammered by the clowns that masquerade as employees of course.

There is an older mod Kwacka here also ...forget it!

And I only picked up a brand spanking Honda FOUR wheel drive model a month ago for the boss`s own personal bike when he comes up to the property,now thats what i want haha.

You know only last night a mate from Melb thought i was bull shitting him when i told him that my bike was only two wheel drive after I had taken him up and over the hills here one time whilst showing him around...he still reckons i am kidding him and cant believe the traction.

John I am on my Honda quad for prob a min of 3 hours every day doing cattle work,fencing,boundary riding,spraying or just getting about,some days can be "all days"

I cant praise the bike enough and take it from me mate that I have put it through just about every test one can do,i even tipped her over last week on a very steep side slope,I put her back on her feet let the oil drain back down and kept going.
The pic shows her towing a sambar spikey in velvet,I towed it across a kilometre of flats and through the creek to make a drag for my pups,the bike did it standing on its head mate,thumbs up! Say no more.

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Get off the chair away from the desk and get out in the bush and enjoy life.

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500grains
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Reged: 16/02/04
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Loc: Salt Lake City, Utah USA

Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: gryphon]
#120793 - 10/12/08 07:51 AM

Get the one WITHOUT independent rear suspension. Our local Honda dealer claims indpendent rear suspension is a maintenance problem when used hard. The one with a solid rear axle never breaks.

As for the hydrostatic transmission, no comment here because I have not used one. I have used the ones with the regular 4 spd. transmission (no clutch) and they last forever and never overheat.

Also, consider that a 2wd model will do 99% of what you need done. Would it be better to get two 2wd models instead of one 4wd model?

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NitroX
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Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39264
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: 500grains]
#136652 - 04/06/09 01:34 AM

Some photos of the new (working) toy.

New and shiny for a change.

Scenic view.

Co-driver.

A GSP co-driver is an optional extra.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

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"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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NitroX
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: NitroX]
#136660 - 04/06/09 02:24 AM

BTW if anyone is interested, the model was the Honda TRX500FM.

I went for a manual foot gear change as it will have a lot of work to do and also I often have one hand working in use when working with the bike.

"Blitzen" is wearing an electric collar, as a precaution, as during my first ride with the bike, when surprising some kangaroos he decided they were worth chasing, and led me in chasing HIM for several kilometres into the hills. I didn't want him catching any of them, for his own health!

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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gryphon
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: NitroX]
#136664 - 04/06/09 03:44 AM

the collars are excellent,like the bike is also.

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9.3x57
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: gryphon]
#136670 - 04/06/09 05:28 AM

Funny, I just got in from mowing trails...with my Arctic Cat 500, and I'm heading out again after lunch here for the rest of the day on the back of same.

I've heard good things about the Honda but never owned one.

I've owned Yamaha's, Polaris's and my current Arctic Cat 500.

The independent rear suspension may have a theoretical weakness vis a vis the straight axle, but if you are in the mountains and running over lots of bumps, ditches, logs, kelly humps, tank traps and the like, forget it, the independent suspension beats the axle hands down IMO. Comparing the two, a 2 hour ride on a straight axle feels as fatiguing as a 6 hour ride on I.S..

We use ours for all the stuff noted here, spraying and the like and in addition skidding logs and a lot of snow plowing which heats up a 4-wheeler fast.

I have had 2WD and 4WD 4whlrs and will never go back to 2WD unless the thing is going to be used exclusively for roads and flatland.

My current Arcticat has automatic clutch and it is a life saver. No worry about screwing with gear changes when the thing is on two wheels and you are hiked out as far as you can be with a spray rig begging to roll the thing and the rifle muzzle the first thing to hit the dirt if it goes.

A friend of mine has a Honda and he likes it. I have no experience with them. They aren't sold nearby so that has a lot to do with it.

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peter
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Reged: 11/04/07
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: 9.3x57]
#136678 - 04/06/09 07:00 AM

damn john

he has turned into a hansome dog, i would love to see him and sako working together on a field with wild partrigde, the sport of kings and us lower subjects as well.

peter

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NitroX
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Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: 9.3x57]
#136695 - 04/06/09 02:26 PM

Quote:

Funny, I just got in from mowing trails...with my Arctic Cat 500, ...

What do you use to mow with your quad bike? Any pictures. I need a solution for mowing under vines.

Quote:

A friend of mine has a Honda and he likes it. I have no experience with them. They aren't sold nearby so that has a lot to do with it.

Part of a decision is what dealers are nearby and future servicing and repairs.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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9.3x57
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: NitroX]
#136710 - 04/06/09 10:38 PM

John:

I have a Swisher brush mower.

http://www.swisherinc.com/

They make a variety of models, some for finish mowing, some for rough cutting and brush cutting.

This is the one I have:

http://www.swisherinc.com/44_trailcutter.asp

I have beat mine up, but it keeps going. If you look at the ad, you can see they have a tongue that allows adjustment to offset the cut. I never used it, and since the only part that broke was the tongue, I made a straight one that is much tougher than the otiginal. I am not disparaging the machine. It is awesome. I have cut brush thicker than an inch with it and run it over just terrible ground, and very steep slopes.

I got it originally to lay out trails for hiking and hunting on my place and for mowing the rifle range.

If you keep the blades sharp, the rough cut machines will do a pretty OK job mowing a lwan, too, well, good enough for Idaho...

Tractor brush hogs working off a PTO work great, escept for slopes and eroded washouts, etc. The ATV is much more stable.

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NitroX
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: 9.3x57]
#136713 - 04/06/09 11:21 PM

OK, but not what I need. I have seen some adverts for a mower which operates in front and on the side on a swivel so it can be moved in and out or "bend" out of the way if it hits something big, like a post or vine trunk. They look a bit flimsy though in the adverts. Thanks.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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9.3x57
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Re: Quad bikes / Honda quad bikes [Re: NitroX]
#136720 - 04/06/09 11:42 PM

John, the Swisher mower deck and blades are hell-for-stout, the tongue less so for what I need. If you are mowing flat ground, I bet it would be fine, or a simple reinforcement for the angled tongue could be welded on. The deck can be angled quite a ways to the side so you can drive by and mow under something, but it is not manueverable like a front-cutting riding mower.

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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

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