Which quad bike for towing a coil?

[Lucky Eddie]

Thinking that 2015 might FINALLY be "my year" where I finally buy a decent quad bike and Minleabs detector and make me a sled to take the coil and tow it around the outback looking for a little gold - since I'm now 'retired' and will have the time.

Not after the latest/newest most powerful quad, or any of the Chinese junk that will leave me stranded.

Maybe some kinda of Honda 4 stroke with low range 4wd, that will crawl along slow enough to emulate walking speed.

There's a Honda shop not far away and I noticed they have a row of about 20 or so "used" red quads outside that they have traded on new sales - so hopefully I can select something with relatively low km's that will be reliable and suit my need without spending "ridiculous $$$$' for it. If necessary I can go thru it and do a "restoration" to bring it back to as new status operationally.

The thing is knowing what model to buy... that is effective at finding gold - and not buying thew wrong one thru lack of experience and finding its not suitable.

Anyone care to suggest what one to look for?

Also - anything I need to know about the biggest best coil I should buy to fix to the sled?... for towing around the flat gibba plain country & dry salt lake beds etc of the West Ozzy outback?

Have been planning on doing something like this for a lot of years & now it's time to get on with it!.

TIA for any suggestions from anyone walked this particular rice-paper trail ahead of this grasshopper.

 

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[meMiner]

I have no idea about towing a coil, but can comment on a bike. As far as a quad goes, you cannot go wrong with a 4x4 Honda (note - I did not say 2x4). CanAm also makes a good bike and I like the design of the brakes which are high up and don't freeze up as easily on cold nights. Most are a legal 2 up, so are better balanced when with a passenger. That said, I have a Yamaha 400 and the only criticism is it is a little bit lower than the other bikes, so can get hung up more often and it is manual shift. I had problems getting big boots under the shifter, so I put on a stick and shift it by hand. Still, auto like on the Honda is much better. If you are using a bike when it is cold out, heated handgrips are worth having. Adding a winch is well worth the investment for when you really get stuck (or your buddy does) or need to move a rock or tree. If you are alone, getting a winch with remote control is the "cat's Pajamas". Some newer bikes have power steering, which gets more important as you get older. On a used quad, pay attention to the rubber. Where I go, I need good mudders and they cost a little bit to replace, so it is wise to look for a bike that already has good tires. Bigger motors are generally better to have but not absolutely necessary. I have used a 250 in spots others had an 800. One other consideration is repairs. Buy a brand that has a shop near where you live and where you will be going, rather than one that getting parts or service will be a problem. Carry an extra spark plug. I have seen numerous times where somebody floods the engine and immediately burns out the plug. It is a 20 second fix if you have a spare. It is a nightmare if you end up having to walk out in the dark.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[californiagold]

not sure how much cash u want to spend but maybe they have a polaris ranger sidexside quad around. used would be cheaper. they make a ranger 400 or 500 would be good. i had a ranger 500 that i bought new. used it for some prospecting but mainly hunting. it never broke down once. sidexside quads have advantages over regular quads in a lot of catagories. besides power and such they have 2 seats for a buddy to go along without having to sit behind you which is illegal here. they have a truck type bed in the back for hauling up to 500 pounds. also have a switch for 1 or 2 or 4 wheel drive. 1 wheel drive turns around on a dime. they have high and low gear aswell. but they do cost more but maybe a used one would be economical. i had to sell my ranger 500 due to near future width restriction on forest land. had to get a narrower one. so now i have a rzr 570 le. so sidexside quad might be a good choice depending on your needs.

 

[meMiner]

The side by sides are really nice if they will work in your area and you have a way to move them to the site. That said, if you want to save $$ on something about the same size, an old 4x4 Suzuki Sidekick would also be an option.

 

[Terry Soloman]

...

 

[joncutt87]

I lIke the older 99-05 deere models (made by CanAm)

 

[Joe Z]

I too was looking for a quad of some sort to get out in the wilderness. I friend said look into a suzuki Samurai which will go just about anywhere you want and you can still drive it home without having to tow a quad on a trailer.....
I found this and couldn't be happier with where this thing will take me.

 

[meMiner]

Whoops, I meant Samurai, when I typed Sidekick.

 

[Joe Z]

Whoops, I meant Samurai, when I typed Sidekick.

Those samurai's are some vehicles....smaller than a jeep wrangler and get's into some really tight places the jeep can't. Just for added fun i installed a spartan Locker up front and raised it three inches with "Old Man Emu Springs" That's it..... the rest is stock and getting about 40mpg
As a side note it was fine without the upgrades

 

[johnno481]

I live in West Aussie and use a 250 Suzuki quad to tow a couple of coils. I have found it will go anywhere you are likely to want to go. A 250 Honda or Suzuki is all you will need and are the best as far as reliablity and service options. You definitely don't need a 4WD quad, it will just cost you more in purchase price and fuel. If you are going to tow a coil on a salt lake you need an anti interference coil, (preferably Coiltec 1000 cm x 500 cm). If not on a salt lake you could use a 30" x 7" patchfinder coil by Nugget Finder which will give you coverage and sensitivity.

 

[Gold Maven]

Congrats on retirement Eddie.

I bought a Polaris Sportsman 400 in 2001, and have used it hard to skid logs for my small sawmill, plow snow in a 2,000' driveway, and numerous hunting trips from the AZ desert, to 12,000' in the Colorado Rockies, and she never missed a beat.

I like the back-up pull start, sooner or later your battery will go dead, nice to have.