Tip Of The Day-Quad Safety

Many outdoorsmen use their a.t.v. to haul game animals out of the bush.  Alot of big game animals such as black bear, deer, and antelope can fit on the back rack of a quad no problem, however loading an a.t.v. into the back of a pickup truck with an animal on the back rack can be very dangerous.  With all that weight on the back end and the steep angle of the ramps you can easily flip an a.t.v. while loading or unloading, it happens all the time and injuries can be serious.  To avoid this danger you have a few options.

#1. Find a ditch or back up to a hill so you can drive straight on to the back of your truck.  This is the best thing to do if the terrain allows.

#2. Unload the animal, load the quad and reload the animal by hand or with the help of the a.t.v.'s winch.  Alot of work but the safest method by far.

#3. Put the animal on the front rack.  This will work however some critters are simply too big for this method, and it also hinders your steering capabilities.

#4.  Back your quad up the ramps into the truck.  Be careful with this one, it will work however I recomend you have a spotter watching at all times as it is quite hard to see behind you and steer at the same time and the danger of steering off the ramp is just as sever as flipping over backwards.

If you absolutely have no other option but to load the quad with the animal on the back you have to try and be as safe as possible.  Have a buddy sit on the front rack, or load some other heavy object on the front of the a.t.v. lean as far forward as you can and BE AWARE of the possiblity of flipping over.  Remember when hunting in a remote location even minor injuries can become serious quickly if alone and unable to reach help so stay alert and be safe!!