ATV vs Side by Side

[xfactor]

Lots to think about... maybe this year I build up a samurai in good condition, lift, tires, winch front and rear, racks, you know all of the goodies.... since it would be cheaper then a side by side, and follow it up with an atv some year after if necessary! A Samurai should get me many places a truck wont.. Yay or nay?

Great idea. Wish I had done it this way.

[russm]

I've got a Kawasaki klx140, I used it for the first time last season and will definetly use it again, it's a big enough motor that it can get me around quickly and quiet enough that you can barely hear it while you're just puttering along.

[khoffnbud]

Lots to think about... maybe this year I build up a samurai in good condition, lift, tires, winch front and rear, racks, you know all of the goodies.... since it would be cheaper then a side by side, and follow it up with an atv some year after if necessary! A Samurai should get me many places a truck wont.. Yay or nay?

my vote would be quad first

[tripleseven]

So I'm considering one of these options too, although looking at my finances this year, I might forgo any motorized option and get a trailer for my mountain bike (not even kidding). Anyone ever used a bike trailer to haul a 150 lb deer out?

With respect to a Samauri, can you really buy one, lift it, new tires and a winch on it for cheaper than a $10k side-by-side? even so, can you expect to get past gates (which is the big problem here on the island).

[Kudu]

Are you talking about road hunting with it? Or for getting to a location. One thing I would strongly consider to make it a successful hunt is how many other people will be able to get this type of vehicle there, including old fat men. Also, are you willing to leave the machine and walk away from it for overnight or a weekend? My choice today would be a little samurai or tracker. Insured so I can leave it, and a roof over my head to stop the weather, as well as a heater. $2000 side by side that is done right.

So the samurai is for "fat young men" hunting on FSR's then - how far up a game trail or quad trail will the samurai go?

My RZR usually caries the (wife/son) and I from the trailhead (where we leave the truck) up to base camp - (usually river or lake or anywhere else that we choose to camp) then we slog it on foot from there.

We use it again to bring all the crap back to the truck on the way out. (Could be three or four trips depending on how we choose to camp)

[hare_assassin]

I've got a Kawasaki klx140, I used it for the first time last season and will definetly use it again, it's a big enough motor that it can get me around quickly and quiet enough that you can barely hear it while you're just puttering along.

+1. My Honda only has half the displacement and it gets me and my gear around quietly and confidently (I have it geared super-low), and I can pick it up and carry it over logs if I really need to. I can also lift it into the back of my truck (with canopy) by hand, with lots of room left for gear and dead things. I'm going to buy a game cart this year and rig up a hitch system to the bike. If I kill something off the beaten track, I can swing back to the truck, hook up the game cart and go back and load it on the cart.

It uses about $2 a day in fuel.

[WestCoastHunter]

my vote would be quad first

Still considering it. And tripleseven, a fully loaded side by side will be upwards of 15k and I don't believe I will get the same clearance.

[albravo2]

As far as hunting by motorcycle goes, I've been planning to build a travois out of a couple poles and some fabric instead of hauling a proper trailer. Has anyone else tried that?

Might be a little ambitious for the mountain bike hunters though.

[David]

Lots to think about... maybe this year I build up a samurai in good condition, lift, tires, winch front and rear, racks, you know all of the goodies.... since it would be cheaper then a side by side, and follow it up with an atv some year after if necessary! A Samurai should get me many places a truck wont.. Yay or nay?

Nay.

I had that and sold it for an ATV.
1) The Samurai is live (solid) axle. An ATV is independent suspension - the samurai is a REALLY rough ride on logging roads (what you gain in warmth you lose in bumps).

2) My Samurai was geared and locked. I could go places a truck couldn't, but still significantly larger and heavier than an ATV - in other words more sinking, more winching, and still no narrow stuff like cut lines. Also very few "bypasses" were possible without destroying the forest (and I believe in treading lightly).

A Sidekick/Tracker/Samurai is suitable for going all those places a modern 4X4 truck could go (they almost all have lockers these days) but where you are too afraid of getting stuck, scratching, denting, etc. your new vehicle. They are also suitable for day trips (of any sort: hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.) where you only want to be taking one vehicle. Plus, people want stupid money for a Samurai these days - you can get a good used SXS for the same or less than a built Samurai.

People who say "my Samurai is just like an ATV with a roof" have never used an ATV to anywhere close to it's full potential.

[WestCoastHunter]

Hmm interesting.. Thanks David. What about considering the new Polaris Razor like mentioned above? My only issue is if I'm not mistaken Polaris uses a lot of plastic which I am not fond of, I've witnessed that first hand...