UTV-A Recreational Off-roader

Know what a UTV is!!

Well we all have heard about the word ATV more commonly as All Terrain Vehicle, but have u come across the word UTV?

Let’s start by knowing UTV first. The Utility Task Vehicle can also be called as Side by Side or a Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle or Multipurpose Off-Highway Utility Vehicle. As the name suggest a UTV is 2-6 seater four wheel drive off-road vehicle.

A Utility Task Vehicle is a vehicle, generally designed to carry out a specific task with more efficacy than a general-purpose vehicle. In recent years, UTVs (Utility Terrain Vehicles or Side by Side Vehicles) have seen a rapid rise in use by emergency services organizations - fire departments, Police, Sheriff, Search and Rescue, Military and Life Guard. Many municipalities are recognizing the wide variety of uses and applications for these UTV including video platforms, firefighting, emergency medical evacuation from remote locations, police search and rescue operations, crowd control, OHV trail patrol and beach patrol/rescue.

            With their off-road performance, payload capacity and available attachments, UTVs have also made a home on job sites, ranches and farms.

            POLARIS RANGER 6X6 Exclusively Modified for Fire fighting!!

           Holmen is a village in La Crosse County, Wisconsin with a population of about 7,500. Holmen contains many wooded areas, hills, and bluffs, and the Mississippi River passes just to the west of the village. The Great River State Trail is perfect for walking and biking, but also creates access issues for normal-sized fire department vehicles. Looking at its construction and size Polaris ranger 6X6 was modified into a firefighting UTV.

            Before the Holmen Area Fire Department could use their Ranger 6x6, they needed to customize it a bit for their unique needs. The complete modification work has been done by Terrator corporation which involves:

Storage for 100 gallons of water and 3 gallons of class A foam that can be inducted into the water stream. An on-board pump also let’s fire fighters draw from a pond, creek or pool. The unit carries a 1" hose on a reel and another 100 ft. of 1" hose in a storage compartment. The on-board pump is capable of feeding both 1" hoses during fire suppression.

            It also carries following features,

·  1750 lb. payload

·  1250 lb. cargo capacity

·  1750 lb. towing capacity

·  44 mph top speed

·  6.25 in. rear suspension travel with 7.2 in. ground clearance

·  499cc liquid-cooled 4-Valve 4-Stroke single cylinder having Fuel Capacity 8.0 gallons

·  Wheelbase 90 in.

·  Dry Weight 1410lbs.

·  Length/Width/Height 120x60x75 in

A Glance at ATV

       An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a quad, quad bike, three-wheeler, four-wheeler, or quadricycle as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control. As the name implies, it is designed to handle a wider variety of terrain than most other vehicles.

            The rider sits on and operates these vehicles like a motorcycle, but the extra wheels give more stability at slower speeds. Although equipped with three or four wheels, six-wheel models exist for specialized applications. Engine sizes of ATVs currently for sale in the United States, range from 49 to 1,000 cc (3 to 61 cu in).

            The major difference between an ATV and UTV is the payload capacity

ATV has a smaller payload capacity of about 125 to 200 lbs UTV has got far better payload capacity of 800 to 1350 lbs.

YAMAHA RAPTOR 700 R

A great rider can ride any sport ATV well, but few machines make almost any rider or riding experience better.The Raptor’s phenomenal performance and handling thrills the highly experienced while its ride-ability provides a novice with the confidence to relax.

The Raptor 700R is powered by a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke engine, featuring a four-valve, double overhead cam head design. It reaches its 686cc displacement with a bore and stroke of 102.0 x 84.0 mm.The air/fuel mixture is handled by a Yamaha Fuel Injection system, delivered via a 44 mm throttle body. Electric start brings the Raptor to life.

            The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission with reverse. In first gear, pull in the clutch and turn the knob on the right front fender to shift down to reverse. Final drive is handled by a DID x-ring chain, which Yamaha feels does a better job of keeping oil in and dirt out than a standard O-ring chain.

            The Raptor was the first ATV to utilize a hybrid aluminum and steel chassis allowing Yamaha to maximize strength where needed, while saving weight where possible. A removable aluminum sub-frame, cast aluminum swing arm, and aluminum upper A-arms all add up in weight savings.The Raptor measures in at 45.5” wide with a wheelbase of 50.4”. In spite of its big 700 engine, the Raptor is relatively light with a claimed wet weight of 422 pound staller front tires are added for smoother rolling through bumps while a flatter profile and 20% stiffer sidewalls were designed to help reduce roll in corners. The 22×7-10 front and 20×10-9 rear tires are mounted on light aluminum wheels.

Steering is quick and accurate. The narrow 45.5” width and nimble steering let you bob and weave the 700 through tight trails. On wide-open trails and on the track, you can carry surprising speed through corners. 

Separate hydraulic disc brakes with dual piston calipers reside at both ends. Stopping power is well balanced to the tremendous engine. The brakes offer smooth, progressive action making it easy to stay hooked up on steep downhills, or lock the rear end up on demand. The parking brake offers simple one hand operation.

The bottom line in its decade of existence, the Raptor has seen a number of improvements, perhaps most significantly its early upgrade to higher-end adjustable shocks, and most recently, its notable improvement in engine performance. Going forward, we’d like to see a 49 or 50” side version of the machine, making the Raptor even better for the dunes, the desert, the track, and all of the 60” wide trails being cut for UTVs.