The ubiquitous quad bike or ATV has become an essential tool on the 21st century New Zealand farm. But where did it come from?
Good question, and one that throws up an interesting parallel with the evolution of flight. There’s anecdotal evidence that one Richard Pearse may have beaten the Wright brothers into the air early last century in Southland. The debate has never been resolved — and there are suggestions that a Kiwi might have come up with the first ATV as well!
This was the Gnat, a three-wheeled buggy, powered by a 125cc Villiers/Norton two-stroke, and I can remember well getting behind the tiller steering wheel on a school holiday on my uncle’s Taranaki farm in the 1950s.
Being allowed to drive the old Fergie tractor during hay-making would never be the same thrill again!
The Gnat was made by J. Cameron Lewis in Christchurch in 1955, as either an agricultural machine or hunting vehicle. So ATVs are relatively well established on the agricultural scene, and the argument of who was first will continue — like the question of flight.
But it may surprise you to know that ATVs in a commercial sense, started out as movie stars some 40 years ago.
At least, the first three-wheeled ATVs were produced by Honda and they soon attracted attention in the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever, and other TV shows such as Magnum, P.I. and Hart to Hart.
Honda first acquired the trademark All Terrain Cycle (ACT) and they were initially considered only for recreational use.
By the early 1980s, suspension was being improved and the 1982 Honda ATC200E Big Red was a landmark model.
Over the next few years, several manufacturers developed high performance two-stroke machines.
Production of three-wheelers was discontinued because of safety concerns around the late 1980s and the four-wheel quad had truly arrived.
The development of utility ATVs was also rapidly escalating with agricultural demand spearheading development.
Models today are relatively evenly divided into the sport and utility markets. Sport models are generally small, light, two-wheel drive vehicles that accelerate quickly, have a manual transmission and run at speeds up to 75km/h.
On the farm the demand is for bigger four-wheel drive vehicles, with the ability to tow trailers or other farm equipment, spray units and the like. Six-wheel models increase the payload capacity.
Whether or not the ATV might have been a Kiwi first is moot — and will no doubt spark up the odd country pub conversation.
But statistics sadly show that the summer months are when the majority of rural workplace injuries and fatalities occur in New Zealand — probably commensurate with more farming seasonal activity.
So it’s time for care out there.
