What do you carry on your atv?

gmazza2

gmazza2

New member
Just bought an atv and the first accessory I purchased were one of those CO2 flat tire repair kits with the plugs. What do you guys carry for flats? Also, what other gear do you carry that would be considered essential?
 
I've got one of the small 12v compressor that attaches to the battery with alegator clips. I have a T-post cut in half and a 3 lb hammer to winch myself out of snow drifts when their is no trees or fence posts in site, extra shooting stix, tow strap, first aid kit, GI shovel, battaries, flashlight, tail stripper, bungie cords and a knife. Thats about all I can remember anyway.
 
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little bit of everything on mine.
 
Bungees, 12 volt compressor, tire plug kit, Can of tire inflate, One 18 inch rebar trapping stake with a large washer welded to the top and a dog knot on the sharpened end, 3 lb hammer to drive it with. A 25 ft piece of one inch webbing for towing or 25 ft of 8mm prusik cord. In the winter I carry a shovel. Standard tool kit and extra spark plug. Then my standard backpack with survival items like matches, space blanket etc when Im out in the hills.

The one most important item to have while riding your ATV is common sense. Last week after 8 years of riding ATVs without incidence I failed to use common sense and flipped my ATV over frontwards. I wasn't hurt but it could have been really bad. I flipped it catching horses on a spot I had crossed multiply times just three days earlier while fixing fence. Thank god I was going slowly. The creek had come up several feet due to a major rain. I had crossed it in another spot and it was high but crossable. However in the other place I cross its a pretty steep bank into the creek. The creek undercut the bank where I entered the water by a couple of feet in just three days. I came off the steep bank entering the creek and fell off the unseen undercut bank causing the ATV to flip over to the front. I had time to leap off before the Yamaha Grizzly 600 ATV landed on me. I was going as slowly as I could. After the water went down it revealed a large drop off. I knew better but let myself become complacent and it cost me a swim and repair costs. My ATV is now in the shop getting dried out and repaired. I got a relatively cheap lesson on ATV safety. Still haven't told my wife about it.
 
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Here is most of the accessories that I carry on my ATV. Overkill, you bet ya, but there have been times I didn't have enough rope to reach that next pull point. Have a 2500# winch on the front of the 500 Sportsman. I have also added a GI shovel and a "BlackJack" Tire Plug kit. This winter I will be putting some kind of anchoring device on. Last winter I got high centered on deep snow and had to shovel out with the little hatchet shown in one of the pictures. There was just nothing even remotely close to be able to hook a winch onto even with all the rope I had. I usually have a couple of bungee cords on the front rack and always have my tank saddle bag on with snacks & extra ammo, if I am hunting. The Polaris Lock & Ride box on the back works great for hauling the bino's, Foxpro Fury and the Decoy if I am out calling.
 
A winch is only as good as the anchor point you hook it to. Having a stake of some type and hammer to pound it in is a great idea...
Also the above noted folding military camp shovel is very useful, as is a good tow strap and 100' of 3/8" braid...

Fix a flat kit with small 12V compressor and First Aid Kit is in there. One flare and a cigarette lighter. Rations like some bottled water and protein bars is a smart move, just in case...
 
I have been trying to think of something along the lines of this type
of anchor to use. Soil in my area is fine sugar sand. When you get high centered stuck in wet snow you dont move. I dont know if an anchor of this type will do what I am wanting or not.

One of the worst things I have noticed with my Polaris and the winch, when in snow and you are winching out, the front end is sucked down causing you to push a lot of snow.

I know there is an outfit "Pull-Pal" that makes anchors for this, but man at $370 or so dollars for an ATV size, that is a little steep for this poor caller. Due to the sugar sand, I dont know if a fence post could be driven deep enough to hold.
 
I have never worried about fix a flat.The tires are stiff enough to make it home on 3 .I have done it before ,usually a flat means a busted sidewall or a small cut off tree can pop a tire. In the hills of ky. it's really rocky and some trails have been cleared with a machete.
 
Originally Posted By: Grampas ShopI have been trying to think of something along the lines of this type
of anchor to use. Soil in my area is fine sugar sand. When you get high centered stuck in wet snow you dont move. I dont know if an anchor of this type will do what I am wanting or not.

I'm in areas with very sandy soil and have tried it. The T-Post with the paddle on the bottom driven in at a 45 degree angle, pointing away actually holds very well. For $5.oo, its worth a try. I've had to use mine a couple of times and after digging out of a snow drift with the butt of my AR and my hands, I won't leave with out it.
 
Check out your AirCompressor for fuses. I had traded a big compressor for a small palm size compressor because it didn't use as much space in my Bags. The small one ran just long enough to get the rim off the ground before the fuse blew and of course I did not have one to fix it.
 
Not sure if my compressor has fuses. I dont think it does. It is a Slime brand.

Have never had a problem with my compressor. It has come in really handy a time or two. With the ATV tires, it doesnt take long at all. With trailer tires at 35-40# it seems to take forever.
 
What brand of tires are you running that are stiff enough to run on them while flat???? Looks to me like if you do that very long at all you will be replacing tires all the time.
 
Originally Posted By: Grampas ShopI will have to give the post a try. Will admit a piece of t-post and a small sledge wouldnt take up much room in a box.

That's a great idea. When I take my quad out hunting, I carry all the same stuff I usually carry plus the crud I usually leave in my truck:

GPS (now that I have one)
Rangefinder
A big piece of camo netting
Butt wipe
Drinks- Water or Mountain Dew
My cell if I'm getting service
Calls (hand and Foxpro)
A pocket knife
A decoy of some sort
50 ft of nylon rope
Rain poncho (for sitting on in snow)
Gun and styx

Here's what I should carry: Fix-A-Flat and I definitely need handwarmers on that thing!
 
Benn thinking this post deal over lately.

Last year I got permission on some pasture land that has more old gates than you can shake a stick at. I went up there this spring on my ATV to shoot jackrabbits and there were some gates I could not get open. Got to thinking then about carrying a 2' piece of pipe with a chunk of 1/4" chain to use for a cheater.

Then you guys had to say something about this cut off T-post to use for an anchor. I then get to thinking, why not just weld the chain to the T-post and use it for my gate opening cheater. Kill 2 birds with one stone.
 
One thing that I just added for summer time scouting/calling. Wasp/yellow jacket spray. I had a couple of green powder river gates to get through last time out, and both were covered up in bees. The metal gate must retain the heat or something that made the bees cling to them. But both had hundereds of bees on them. Ater some delicate unwrapping of the chain, and a kick and run I got through. The problem then was getting the gate closed. Next time I'll just hose those suckers down.
 
I put 2X the amount of Gorilla Snot required for ATV tires and have never had a flat. Mesquite trees just mean slow down a little otherwise run right over them. I carry a large Come Along and a small Fence post anchor that screws into the ground. Our ground is never frozen and we contend with mud. The small Fence Post anchor is under 10 bucks.
 
Grandpa, you mentioned how when your stuck the winch pulls down and makes it hard to pull out. One way to minimize the downward pull is by putting the stake as far out as possible from the winch. My winch has 50 feet and I use all of my prusik cord to extend it to 75. In sand I will bury my stake cross wise about 15 inches or so and it normally holds. If not I dig deeper I carry a large masons hammer for driving my stake and use the scoring end to dig with if I need to bury the stake. I also run Goodyear super mudders on my old Yamaha and they are a run flat tire. Pricey but worth every penny if you run where flats are common. I use to average a flat about once every two weeks here in grease wood and cactus etc. Since the Goodyear tires are on the same machine one flat in three years. They are amazing.
 
Daddyflea I was going to suggest some type of Tire Sealer also. In my area the brush is like a 1000 Pin Needles. One ends up with to many punctures to patch and all they do is cause a slow leak.
 
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