What goes around comes around

Well, that didn't work very well, but maybe it's readable.

I gotta say, my UTV has saved me a lot of time and money on big acreage jobs. It was money well spent IMO. I would like to be able to get a tag for it so I could drive it on the road without the worry of a ticket. I have a atv/utv insurance policy on it, thats more than what the mope heads carry and they are all over the place.

My ATV has kept me being able to work in the field.
With tool boxes and gun racks and pvc tube it carries most everything needed and makes a trip to the truck easy and timely for more stuff.
Using an ATV within r/w is something that is policed dependent upon the locals and there are rules to abide by.
Add the proper equipment to your ATV and you could get it registered to drive on the highway and road.
I would say that the Ford Model T was built from better grade parts.
:gammon:

MathTeacher, post: 379296, member: 7674 wrote: .. ATVs show improvements over Model Ts, but the general concept of the two vehicles is very similar, as are some of the specs.

I see where you're comin' from, they are similar. I love the ATVs for their simplicity and function.

And thank God Henry Ford didn't wait 'til the 21st. Century to come up with the Model T...with all the gov't. restrictions it never would have made it.

Speaking of the automobile...my opinion is that is was well on its way in 1930 to develop into something usable. Then Madison Av. got a hold of it. All the mfg. co.s trying to out-do each other...and on up the way to the '60s when they started building beasts with a hood that covered 2 area codes. Then the mother-hen safety lobby got a hold of it. Now we have vehicles that cost $40k and get high centered on a 6" curb..

..but it will automatically text a tow truck for you. 😉

Considering the quality of roads in the early 1900's, the Model T was an off-road vehicle. Part of it's success came from it's ability to drive where other cars could not.

paden cash, post: 379306, member: 20 wrote: ...I love the ATVs for their simplicity and function. 😉

Simplicity is definitely out. It used to be about getting around, then it was about cup holders, now it's about connectivity. The ATV engine seems far superior performance-wise, but it's also more complicated.

As to cost, I haven't done the inflation-adjusted cost of the Model T, but I imagine the increase is significant.

But we won't outgrow the need to get around under difficult conditions.

MathTeacher, post: 379318, member: 7674 wrote: ..As to cost, I haven't done the inflation-adjusted cost of the Model T, but I imagine the increase is significant..

Model T costs actually fell with higher production. From around $750 to around $400 by the end of their model run in about 1925.

Average annual salary in 1920 was about $700. If that comparison would wash, they're cheaper now.

..except in our rural areas. ATV cost around 6 to 10K..which is about Bubba's annual unemployment income...;)

..now hold my beer and watch this...

Put a "slow vehicle" triangle on the back. Put a strobe on top. (Preferably in a cage)
You are now a tractor.
And you cannot outlaw farmers.
I have been running that with a Polaris sportsman for 10+ yrs. I've never been pulled over.
Sportsman will top speed at 60.

paden cash, post: 379320, member: 20 wrote: Model T costs actually fell with higher production. From around $750 to around $400 by the end of their model run in about 1925.

Average annual salary in 1920 was about $700. If that comparison would wash, they're cheaper now.

..except in our rural areas. ATV cost around 6 to 10K..which is about Bubba's annual unemployment income...;)

..now hold my beer and watch this...

Times have indeed changed. According to this gummit site, http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=550&year1=1920&year2=2016 , $550 in 1920 (kinda average cost of Model T in kinda mid-run) is $6,606 today. I guess the extra $7,000 or so above that for the Polaris represents improvements, including the cup holder.

Nate The Surveyor, post: 379321, member: 291 wrote: Put a "slow vehicle" triangle on the back. Put a strobe on top. (Preferably in a cage)
You are now a tractor.
And you cannot outlaw farmers.
I have been running that with a Polaris sportsman for 10+ yrs. I've never been pulled over.
Sportsman will top speed at 60.

I have an orange triangle on front and back, I will get a strobe. Thanks Nate

Time for a bit of eddyfication. That triangle, as you call it, is the ASAE Standard S276.5 or more recent design for vehicles and towed objects which cannot exceed 25 MPH but do actually move. They should not be placed on anything with the capability of higher speeds. They should not be placed on anything stationary, such as driveway culvert end signs. All sorts of certifications are required to ensure the sign meets the Standard. There is even a separate standard for the mounting bracket.

Don't ask me why I know this unless you want a really long answer.

Holy Cow, post: 379382, member: 50 wrote: ...There is even a separate standard for the mounting bracket..

Please note the non-standard mounting:

I wonder whether any surveyors are using 4WD Kei trucks. They look as if they ought to be street legal in Oklahoma, too.

Kent McMillan, post: 379388, member: 3 wrote: I wonder whether any surveyors are using 4WD Kei trucks. They look as if they ought to be street legal in Oklahoma, too.

Louisiana & Oklahoma to be accurate. State Legislation disregarded the Kei's lack of "proof of conformance" with accepted North American safety regulations and legalized them public roadworthy in 2008...less and except use on the Federal Interstate Highway System. (reference: "Mini-truck state laws". USA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. December 2012)

The grounds maintenance on the University campus has several. I see them buzzing here and there frequently. Basically Okies will try to hop a ride on anything that rolls and burns gasoline...

There are a bunch of those micro-trucks (don't know what brand) running around on the UC Davis campus, too. It's a handy size for light-duty maintenance applications, especially when you have to navigate on narrow paved paths and dodge lots of cyclists.

Jim Frame, post: 379395, member: 10 wrote: There are a bunch of those micro-trucks (don't know what brand) running around on the UC Davis campus, too. It's a handy size for light-duty maintenance applications, especially when you have to navigate on narrow paved paths and dodge lots of cyclists.

They come in 4WD versions, too. One of my clients had one and lent me the use of it to drive around his place one day. It wasn't a toy.

Many many many years ago, I was on some backroad in Southern Mississippi when I rounded a curve and saw this field full of 4wd vehicles. They were all in pretty nice condition and they looked interesting. I stopped at the locked gate and tried to see if anyone was around but none was around. There was a small sign with a phone number. What took me was TBT tere must have been 3 or 4 hundred vehicles there in the middle of nowhere.Hmmm
I finally got around to calling one day and talked to the owner. They were all from India. Neat little jeeps but not street legal in the U.S. I asked if one could be sold and he said that he couldn't do it. He had imported them and was getting ready to export them to various places in South America.
Here is a pic of a current Jeep
Wrangler diesel fuel knock off made in India that probably sells for a quarter of the price of a new Wrangler.