to quad or not to quad

hi members
looking at getting a quad 550 yamaha grisley or cheaper 550 polaris sportsman any one own one and can push me in one direction.
thanks pete

Had a 450 kodiak running around milparinka , makes it so easy to access new ground , good luck with it .

had a Polaris. good machine.

my can-am 800 gets there pretty quick

specimem 88cc probably a bit more thn i need
speed is not as inportant as carring capisity.
reliability, hill climbing, low speed tourque and fuel enomney.
polaris 400 with a carby for easy promlem solving or 550 yamie or polaris with high tec fuel injection and clean fuel less problems in theory.

charchole chaser were you happy with the power of the 450.?

goldbait what model did you have?


too many choices have picked up a postie bike in the mean time.
and need to plan a carry rack/loading method to go into the towbar hole.

Timberwolf

The 450 was more than enough power the important thing is stabitity , load capacity , relibility , 250 cc would have done fine , the wide wheel base makes the bike track well at speed, over rough ground.
Pools tree at Milparinka

got a 450cc honda 4x4 excellent machine tonnes of room for detectors and goodies

quad 450 found another pic

hi big chop i hadent looked at the hondas as i am after inderpendet rear suspenshion.
charchole chaser bile looks good but some thing like $500 between the 450 and 550.
and polaris some $2000 cheaper but heaver

Mate

Talk about softies in the bush and outback what is wrong with the old Mountain bike and a milk crate. You pussies............

explorer---1 spinifex bush and your boggged--thats why we r dogs

Regards
Oneday69

True

What is wrong in driving around in the old 4wd. That is what they are for. Some of the real hardcore drive out in the 4wd pack a backpack and march for a number of hours and some cases a day or so. Then march back a few days later. Each to their own and good luck to you all in finding nuggets.

At least you are out there having a bit of fun and doing what you enjoy.

Hi fellow detectorists,
I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a quad bike for prospecting, hunting and freshwater fishing use.
Not getting any younger and familiar hills seem to be steeper these days a quad could be the answer to transport gear and self when out in the bush.
A couple of questions though.
Previous posts indicate there are a few forum members currently using quads to travel to their prospecting locations, what I am after if possible is so some advice on setting-up a quad (pictures would be handy) to carry detector/s and other gear, this information would be very much appreciated.
Also, would anyone care to comment on using a quad to access the NSW and Victorian gold fields, areas might include crown land, commons and state forests, private property should be OK as long as one had permission.
The beast I have in mind is a CAN-AM Outlander 500 XT MAX two seater 4x4, it has a 3000lb capacity winch to lift those big nuggets and it might also be handy to winch the machine out of a bog should that situation occur.
Before parting with any hard earned $$$$$$$$$$$ to set-up the above machine and trailer; any information from members using quads would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Auoptimist.

I have had a Kawasaki KLF 300 farm quad for the last six years on my farm, fitted with front and rear racks, has been worked like a dog, it's bulletproof.

AUoptimist
Have a look at the CF Moto X6 --625ccEFI
all the fruit u ever want $8175.00

Regards
Oneday69

My Suzuki LT-250 which is now 11 years old has done stirling service for shooting and pottering around gold areas and the like. Nimble and economical.

If your buying second hand, be mindful of where it came from! Most will be from a farm, cattle farms = Lots of hours, Dairy farms = Lots of corrosion, Vineyards will often be the better bike. My personal choice would be a Honda but stay away from the 05-06 models, soft liners!

As mullockgrubber says, economy is a huge consideration when exploring on a quad. We have a couple of buggys, one is 150cc and one is 500cc. They both perform about the same on rugged ground and speed is matched unless on the open road. The 500 is always looking for fuel and the 150 goes for days on a tank about 1/3 the size.
Power isn't everything but economy and carry capacity is in this case.

While you are talking on quads, Is there anything that you can put in tyres to stop punctures, (don't say air) I heard that you can put a foam type substance in them that if tyre is slices open on shale then it still keeps its shape. The slime might be good for spinifex???
After anybody's ideas or what they might be using.
travelergold

Hi travelergold, we run around on our Honda 400 with a litre of slime in each tyre. Brilliant stuff, it can handle spinifex easily. We also cary a mini compressor in the tool box with tyre plugs, for those pesky stakes. Essential bits of gear for your kit when travelling to remote areas. The 400 carries both of us in comfort, with detector bags and an esky attached aswell. The tool box is front mounted. We have used this set up for about five years now and it has never let us down.
Shell

I suggest Googling Tyre Fill.

This involves injection of two part urethane foam material through the tyre valve, applied according to vehicle use it equals the recommended tyre pressure on installation.

Great in industrial applications, proof against any and everything, can run the tyre right to the canvas without suffering punctures......dunno how far you could go on the filling material though.

Biggest problem is getting the tyre off when a new one is needed, hard but not impossible, been there done that.

cheers Cranky

P.S. not cheap but great value for the $