Atv on the road.

[waynem34]

We should allow four wheelers on the road.ATV's.We have all the scooters and I think we should allow the other.Registter it up and go.24541

[starmac]

A couple of states does. IIRC Az. and Mt.

[fishhawk]

I believe they do allow them on Italian roads but need the high pressure tires on them instead of the low pressure off road tires in general use here in the states. If you have done much ATVing you know they handle different on paved roads with the off road tires. steve k

[AlaskanGuy]

They are allowed on the roads here... Need to have insurance and have a special plate sticker.... Larger towns dont allow them, but smaller ones it is the only mode of transport.... Same with snow machines...

Ag

[Bullshop Junior]

Alaska will allow them if they will keep up with highway speeds. I had a a Raptor 660 with blinkers and street tires, but my truck got the same fuel milage so I just drove my truck.

[osteodoc08]

Many UTVs in rural GA just put the orange triangle in the back and claim farm use age. There's some fine print that allows for it. Otherwise you're allowed to cross at 90 degrees to the road.

[dagger dog]

Yes, driven by a licensed operator, with operational lighting, mufflers, fenders and obeying the same traffic laws as motor vehicles.

Don't mind sharing the road with motorcycles, bicycles, ATV's as long as the operator has some common sense !

[jonas302]

Guess I wouldn't mind if they had turn signals license proper brakes ect and didn't ride around like a moron hmm I have a truck with all that and a radio(: so my off road vehicle will stay off road

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

My truck has AC ... But lots of people drive them around on the roads ... Golf carts too!

[wlc]

Not uncommon to see an ATV or snow machine at the drive through window around here. Very common to see them on the ROW of the highways. Not so much on the road.

[bhn22]

And don't forget to add riding lawn mowers to this so the local drunks with multiple DWIs can make it to the bar okay. I personally don't care, as long as the ATVs meet the same safety standards as a car or motorcycle. That does include DOT approved tires and lights.

[waksupi]

There are street legal ATV's on the roads here. I kinda get a kick out of it to have one whiz by me at 70 mph on the 4 lane.

[Goatwhiskers]

Illegal on Louisiana roads. Trouble is where I live out in the country people start allowing their kids to start driving them as early as 6 or so, then it isn't very long before they're running them up and down the roads. The kids actually race the things on the road in front of my house, LEO's won't do a thing. Guess it'll take some slow walking and sad singing to convince some parents that the darn thing are not toys to keep the kids entertained. Mine stays off the road. GW

[shaune1022]

Legal here in MT. You need a lisence plate, brake light. ect.. You also need your quad street legal to drive in the mountains because most are considered a gravel county road. Unless it is of course an atv designated trail, but to get to them you usually need to drive some gravel. Yea I've rode mine to work a few times (really fun after a fresh foot of snow), but for some reason I just feel like a dork driving a quad down the street.

[gkainz]

License able for street use in South Dakota, not so in Colorado.

[marlin39a]

My ATV is registered as a Motorcycle here in AZ. Just had to add a mirror, horn, and license plate light.

[contender1]

I don't have a problem with them either. IF, they can be operated the same as a regular vehicle. But, here in NC, they are not legal on the roads. BUT,,,,,, a scooter, or moped can be on the road, WITHOUT a tag, insurance, lights, license etc. We call them "Liquor-cycles." All the folks who get busted for DUI get one & continue driving. They lose their license, can't drive a vehicle, so they go to one of these things. The only "law" is that they must have a helmet on.
So, an ATV should be allowed as well, with all the same laws as vehicles. I just wish they'd change the laws for the moped's.

[montana_charlie]

Some ATVs can be shifted out of four wheel drive. That makes one (relatively) safe to ride on pavement.
But an ATV locked in four wheel drive is an accident waiting for a corner.

CM

[montana_charlie]

AARGH! Double post.

[Bullshop Junior]

Some ATVs can be shifted out of four wheel drive. That makes one (relatively) safe to ride on pavement.
But an ATV locked in four wheel drive is an accident waiting for a corner.

CM

Alot of cars are locked in 4wd

[montana_charlie]

Alot of cars are locked in 4wd
Name one ...

[GLL]

MC:

The Suburu Outback is one popular example . Toyota, Acura, Ford, and Audi all make AWD cars.

Unlike "true" 4WD vehicles they do not have a 2-range transfer case though.
Toyota Landcruisers have full-time 4WD.

Jerry

[Bullshop Junior]

Name one ...

Just about anything made by Subaru. A lot of fords. Chevy SS pickups. Toyotas. Quite a few SUVs. There are a lot of them.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Some ATVs can be shifted out of four wheel drive. That makes one (relatively) safe to ride on pavement.
But an ATV locked in four wheel drive is an accident waiting for a corner.

CM


Alot of cars are locked in 4wd


Name one ...

I think what Charlie is sayin is,
4 wheel drive passenger vehicles don't have solid or "locked" axles like many ATV's.
while I don't know much about other brands, I've owned a few Jeeps over the years.
The first one had what Jeep called "command trac" and one option was 4WD LOCK, which locked in all the wheels and a big warning on the visor that if you shift into that and drive on dry pavement, you will probably damage the drive train.

The last Jeep I had, was quadra-trac and was full time 4WD. To over come the potentional damage on these models, Jeep put a " viscous coupler" on the transfer case to slip when cornering on dry pavement. A viscous coupler lasts about 75K miles, depending on how much dry pavement you drive on.

I suspect all modern 4x4 cars,trucks,SUVs had some sort of viscous coupler.

[grumman581]

I have utility ATV (i.e. full time 4WD) that I have put street tires on since it is mainly used on pavement. I use it to move my plane in and out of my hangar. It's a 400cc and would be fast enough for local streets if they allowed it in Texas. If it had been possible to register it, I would have, but the 2WD ones probably handle a lot better on pavement. You really have to muscle mine around corners on pavement.

[starmac]

I have utility ATV (i.e. full time 4WD) that I have put street tires on since it is mainly used on pavement. I use it to move my plane in and out of my hangar. It's a 400cc and would be fast enough for local streets if they allowed it in Texas. If it had been possible to register it, I would have, but the 2WD ones probably handle a lot better on pavement. You really have to muscle mine around corners on pavement.

If yours is a honda, there is an aftermarket kit available to make it two wheel drive when you need it. They do handle a lot better.

[jonas302]

No car is locked into 4wd no such thing they all have differentials and couplers in the t case or and electronic equivalent
My polaris can be shifted into 2wd with solid rear axle no differential the fronts lock electronically it handles ok at 60mph but not like a car thats for sure
Ever drive a mud truck with welded diffs on the road now thats interesting even in 2wd they want to go strait when you turn just like a tractor with the diff lock on

[GLL]

I think the word "locked" is causing the problem here !

Jerry

[montana_charlie]

Just about anything made by Subaru. A lot of fords. Chevy SS pickups. Toyotas. Quite a few SUVs. There are a lot of them.

Most cars today have AWD (all wheel drive) rather than true 4WD.
Take your 'Subaru' onto a flat dirt surface and drive it in a small circle for about three revolutions.
Don't go fast, just drive ... then get out and look at the tracks.
You should see no slippage even though the front wheels and the back wheels traveled different distances during the test.

That shows that the front and rear axles are not locked together. They get driven through 'clutches(?)' that keep them from binding up.

Now, put your 4WD ATV on the front lawn and drive it in a circle. One revolution will show the difference in the tracks where the knobby tread tore up the ground.
Anytime the front wheels turn a little from a straight line, they travel an amount different from the rear wheels.
As you go down a straight road, each little variance builds 'tension' between the two ends of the machine.
Usually, you hit a little bump or a small patch of sand which allows the 'tension' to neutralize when the wheels 'slip' a little.
But take a wide corner in a dry surface and that ATV 'wants' to turn turtle because the drive train is binding up.

Only if the tires can slip ... to release the bind ... can the vehicle keep on.

For those of you with 4WD pickups, or Toyota Landcruisers, put the transfer case in 4WD and back through a ninety degree turn on pavement. Go slow enough and the vehicle will come to a stop on it's own because the front end and back end get so bound up they can't move.
In this condition, the pressure on the gears is so heavy you can't hardly shift the transfer case out of 4WD.

[grumman581]

If yours is a honda, there is an aftermarket kit available to make it two wheel drive when you need it. They do handle a lot better.

Nawh, it's a Yamaha Big Bear 400. I thought that the 4WD might be necessary for traction in moving my plane in and out of the hangar, but realistically, it wasn't. I've seen guys modify old rusted out lawn tractors / riding mowers and they worked also. On the other hand, it does give me more options when I need to go down to the FBO to get something if there is a plane on the taxiway that would prevent my car or truck from driving by it. :)

[starmac]

They may be available for the Yamaha, I just know they are for honda. Iirc, the ones that manufacturers and markets them now is highlifter, it used to be warn, but they do not do it anymore. I tried to buy the kit a couple years ago, and highlifter wouldn't ship to Ak, go figure. lol

[geargnasher]

Big difference between "AWD" and "4WD", principally a third differential in the transfer case that allows all four powered wheels to operate at independent speeds.

Gear

[uscra112]

Lot of GM trucks had the viscous coupling. Want to destroy it quick? Put tires of different sizes on the front and rear axles. Even a worn-down pair on one axle and new pair on the other will do it. My old Ford F150 has a neat feature in it - there's an actual lever in the cab with which you can disengage the 4WD in a second or two.

[starmac]

I don't know of any actual 4 wheel drives currently being manufactured, in the auto world.

[GLL]

For ME a true 4WD vehicle needs to have a 2-range transfer case ( + a neutral position). All of mine had better have a standard transmission as well ! :)

Jerry

[grumman581]

Lot of GM trucks had the viscous coupling. Want to destroy it quick? Put tires of different sizes on the front and rear axles. Even a worn-down pair on one axle and new pair on the other will do it. My old Ford F150 has a neat feature in it - there's an actual lever in the cab with which you can disengage the 4WD in a second or two.

Which was a lot better than back when we had to actually crawl out and go to the front hubs and turn the knob to make them engage. Especially if you didn't want to engage them until you got to the point where you actually needed 4WD (like when you are stuck up to your hood in mud).

[BSalty]

They are legal here, they need insurance, turn signals, brake light, headlights, horn, and a muffler. Then you get the same license plate as a motorcycle and you are good to go. You cannot drive them on the interstate however.

Don't see them in the city much, but any of the rural towns it is the primary mode of transport in the dry months.

[grumman581]

They are legal here, they need insurance, turn signals, brake light, headlights, horn, and a muffler. Then you get the same license plate as a motorcycle and you are good to go. You cannot drive them on the interstate however.

Don't see them in the city much, but any of the rural towns it is the primary mode of transport in the dry months.

I wonder what would happen if you licensed them in a state that allowed it and then drove it in a state that doesn't allow them. Are states required to allow any vehicle licensed and properly inspected in another state to operate in their state? For example, some states have limitations on the amount of tint that you can put on windows. I don't particularly hear about cases where someone is ticketed for driving an out of state vehicle with heavy tint through another state with more strict tint regulations. Same way for license plates, I guess. Many states only require a rear license plate. Texas requires a front and back license plate, but I've never heard of anyone from another state being ticketed in Texas for not having a front plate. Louisiana only has a rear license plate and I'm pretty sure that if they were harassing everyone from Louisiana for not having a front plate when they are in Texas, it would make the news.

[starmac]

I know of one case where a guy with property in Mt. And here brought a itty bitty foreign cross between a golf cart and a pickup up from montana, where it is legally licensed and can (and does) drive it on the roads here. He has to keep it licensed down there though.

[Bullshop Junior]

Those little mini trucks are legal in alaska

[uscra112]

Which was a lot better than back when we had to actually crawl out and go to the front hubs and turn the knob to make them engage. Especially if you didn't want to engage them until you got to the point where you actually needed 4WD (like when you are stuck up to your hood in mud).

???? God gave us Warn hubs; why do we need anything else? If a man goes mud-bogging with the hubs disengaged, I have little sympathy.

My old (and departed) 1989 Cherokee had an "automatic" vacuum operated axle/wheel decoupler on the front axle, which of course worked intermittently from new, and didn't work at all once the thing passed 200,000 miles. I had to crawl under and lock it manually about the first of November, and leave it that way until end of April, which did bad things for my gas consumption on the highway. Not one of Dana's better features, IMHO. Give me Warn hubs any day.

BTW that Jeep got 25 MPG highway (with the front axle unlocked), to it's dying day. My cube-mate at work had a 2006(?) Cherokee, with the full-time AWD, and all the comfort goodies. It got 14 MPG highway. Same Kenosha inline six, but all the drag from the AWD, plus the added weight of all the upholstery and etc. Progress.......

[Bullshop Junior]

???? God gave us Warn hubs; why do we need anything else? If a man goes mud-bogging with the hubs disengaged, I have little sympathy.

My old (and departed) 1989 Cherokee had an "automatic" vacuum operated axle/wheel decoupler on the front axle, which of course worked intermittently from new, and didn't work at all once the thing passed 200,000 miles. I had to crawl under and lock it manually about the first of November, and leave it that way until end of April, which did bad things for my gas consumption on the highway. Not one of Dana's better features, IMHO. Give me Warn hubs any day.

BTW that Jeep got 25 MPG highway (with the front axle unlocked), to it's dying day. My cube-mate at work had a 2006(?) Cherokee, with the full-time AWD, and all the comfort goodies. It got 14 MPG highway. Same Kenosha inline six, but all the drag from the AWD, plus the added weight of all the upholstery and etc. Progress.......

They make kits for most with the vacuum hubs to put warn hubs on. I wish I could find the conversion for my 2001 GMC.

[uscra112]

They make kits for most with the vacuum hubs to put warn hubs on. I wish I could find the conversion for my 2001 GMC.

Dang! If I'da known I would'a dunnit. Shame on me. I was in the business then, too. Dana was one of my customers. (Insert forest and trees aphorism here.)

[starmac]

Vacuum hubs??????? never even heard of them. I always hated the vacuum axle lock, I would really hate vacuum hubs.

[waynem34]

It aint nothing in the world any worse than one of the vacuum lines coming off or getting damaged while stuck or four wheeling.I think the manual locking hubs are better.Lots of great times me as a kid jumping in and out locking and unlocking hubs and gates while groundhog hunting with my Dad.Atv would have been nice but not as comfy.With all the mud and snow.I have an older atv suzuki quadrunner you can shift into high, low, and super low.In and out of 4x4.I think 95.I also have a old truck that has the vacuum hubs on it.Its an 85 power ram just shift in and out as long as your not in a bind.Would rather have the manual warn hubs on it if i keep it to restore.I guess the manual locking hub is to the vacuum acuated hub what the revolver is to an auto pistol.I did ride my atv around with ice and snow all over the road, didnt see anyone out really,few flashing light where people tried to go on the ice.Was fun and cold.

[starmac]

Again I have never heard of vacuum activated hubs ever, how would that even work??? I have always liked manual hubs better than automatic, and have converted them to manual several times in the past, but the only vacuum operated any thing I have seen is the diff, chev even had a heat operated diff at one time, jeep also had some vacumn operated t cases, which sucked when components got a little age on them.

[montana_charlie]

chev even had a heat operated diff at one time,
My '93 Chevy has that thermal actuator system, and I have had new units put in about four times.
There is a manual conversion which operates via a push/pull cable. This summer I will think about changing to that because losing the actuator between one snow drift and the next is a real pain in the butt.

CM

[starmac]

MC I had a rancher customer that bought one new, it was notorius for not heating enough in snow drifts, and would actually switch to 4 WD by itself just from road heat in New Mexico. The dealer never did do anything for her. lol

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I've heard of the jeep problem ... I have quarter turn manual Warn hubs on my 89 F150 ...

Newer F150's have the "better" (not in my opinion!) vacuum hubs ... http://m.f150forum.com/showthread.php?t=60748&styleid=19

[starmac]

I see the newer f 150's do in fact have vacuum actuated hubs, glad my wifes 03 is still old school. I guess the 99 F 150 probably had the vacuum hubs. We never had any trouble with it in over 200,000 miles, but the design just looks like trouble.

[montana_charlie]

MC I had a rancher customer that bought one new, it was notorius for not heating enough in snow drifts, and would actually switch to 4 WD by itself just from road heat in New Mexico. The dealer never did do anything for her. lol
I'm not sure what a dealer could do other than replace the actuator with a new one. He didn't design the system, and isn't authorized to modify it.
I actually get dependable service from mine, but longevity seems to be a problem. Four or five years is about the most I can get from one.

While I have not been in temperatures hot enough to cause the actuator to engage by itself, I have certainly used mine in the other end of the temperature spectrum. It's true that in very cold temps it often does take longer to actuate.
But, I've been running mine for twenty-one years (next month) and it has never disengaged due to cold weather or deep drifts. And ... I bet our winters are colder than in New Mexico ...

For that reason, I must say that I tend to disbelieve the 'cold part' of that rancher's story ... which makes me wonder about the 'hot part', too.

CM

[starmac]

I don't disbelieve it at all, and when she first got it, didn't know a thing about it. I always figured (after I learned a little about them) that it was a bad actuator to start with, but the dealer wouldn't do anything about it. We did in fact change it eventually when it was probably four years old, and as far as I know it was alright after that. I have a 95 that I've owned since 06, and couldn't tell you if it is set up the same or not, as I have never had a minutes trouble with it.

[Bullshop Junior]

I don't disbelieve it at all, and when she first got it, didn't know a thing about it. I always figured (after I learned a little about them) that it was a bad actuator to start with, but the dealer wouldn't do anything about it. We did in fact change it eventually when it was probably four years old, and as far as I know it was alright after that. I have a 95 that I've owned since 06, and couldn't tell you if it is set up the same or not, as I have never had a minutes trouble with it.

I believe the 95 has a electric actuator on it.

[starmac]

I tend to think it does, because it has never failed since I've owned it, and when you engage 4 wheel it engages right now.

[Bullshop Junior]

Yea. My 01 has that push button type with auto 4wd. It works alright (i never use the auto, although Amanda does when the roads are bad. I have had it a couple times refuse to come out of 4 low with a heavy load on, once unloaded it will shift back into high range fine lol.

[starmac]

Everything I own has the Tcase shifter in the floor, the 99 had the dash switch, and never gave any trouble, but I just never trusted it. lol

[waynem34]

Ive owned 2 toyota tacomas 07 and 09 ,1 manual trany ,1 auto ,both 4x4.Loved them both.They didnt have manual hubs but you can get them.Turning the switch leads to stuck.A lot of times if you get out of the truck you see how messed up it already is.I would aways go anyway.
.

[WILCO]

They are allowed on the roads here...

Same here. Seen a guy cruising around one with a cab and no doors, in the snow!

[grumman581]

???? God gave us Warn hubs; why do we need anything else? If a man goes mud-bogging with the hubs disengaged, I have little sympathy.

I don't necessarily go "mud-bogging". I am going off-road to get to hunting areas and such, so unless I'm pretty sure that I'm going to need 4WD, I don't active it before going in. Also, sometimes you are in an area that has remnants of paved road and you are driving on it intermittently. I've also had a case where I was driving in an area that looked like solid turf / pasture, so no reason to put it in 4WD, only to find out at some point that this nice grass area was growing over some muck that could swallow my Jeep. As it turned out though, 4WD would not get me out, so I was really glad that I had the hydraulic winch installed.

[Olevern]

And don't forget to add riding lawn mowers to this so the local drunks with multiple DWIs can make it to the bar okay. I personally don't care, as long as the ATVs meet the same safety standards as a car or motorcycle. That does include DOT approved tires and lights.

Our local drunk got arrested and charged with DWI (as well as driving while license suspended) while driving his riding lawn mower to the bar.

[starmac]

George Jones got the first dwi I remember hearing about on a lawnmower.

[waynem34]

Had a friend ride his mower to the top of his drive to check mail.He turned around in the road to go back down drive way and the law seen him.He went to jail for a long time for habitual dui.He learned a very important lesson.He had made that cop mad earlier that year and that cop got his *** good.If he would have just kept his mouth shut to the cop, this wouldn't have happened.

[Bullshop Junior]

My grandfather from dads side ised to ride his lawn mower up the hill behind the house to go shooting.