I am in the process of looking for a Zuk and thought I would scan the members for their opinions. I currenlty do most of my outdoor/hunting with a quad and have contemplated the Zuk as an optiuon of replacing the quad.

The traile I mainly use are designated quad trails; are pot hole ridden with some nasty twists and turns.

Would a Zuk be an appropriate replacement?

I like the idea of the enclosed cab; 4x4; and quite honestly looks like it owuld a heck of a lot more fun.

Let me know what you folks think and what I should be looking for.

Thanks,

The  quad will go more places.  But heat and protection from the weather is not to be under rated.

Sounds like you need a Sammie.
Just a bit bigger than a Quad
Would fit most trails
Dry and heated (in most cases)

a sammy will go alot more places than a quad will

I beg to differ.  A 4x4 atv is shorter, and narrower than the sammy.  They also weigh alot less.  So if you want to say that a modded Sammy will go through more mud...OK I am with you.  But a stock quad with an ok rider can do the Rubican trail.  You would not even think of taking a stock sammy on the Rubican even with an expert driver.  The atv can utilize lines that are not availabe to the sammy.  I have a tracker and five atvs.  I have been hundreds if not thousand of places you could never get a sammy to.  Many of the difficult trails I have seen on this site for zuks would not even slow a decent atv rider down.

You know this is one of those threads that you just can't win, but I can air down my 33x12.50's to two pounds and go through mud and snow that quads can only think of doing and can go up a fifty deg incline on four or more feet of snow and not slip a tire, I have had mine on nine foot snow drifts going clear to the top of a mountain where the quads with us had to turn around at fifty feet into the snow banks so there ya go one more for the sammie if you stay out of the trees less than five feet apart or six feet with mine.

Thanks for the responses so far. I didn't want to throw this thread out there for it to get out of hand. My dilema has to do with my consideration of buying a "Sami". I'm considering a Sami as an alternative to my quad, but keeping in mind that I might still need the quad.

I know what I can go though with my quad, but have absolutley no idea what a Sami can go though; or worse yet, how much it costs to doctor one of those puppies up like I've seen on this and other sites. It look's contagious.

I've already convinced myself that I am going to buy one, whcih is dangerous in itself.

Thanks and always will welcome other comments, sites, leads on Samis, ect.....

Ok so a modified sammy vs a stock atv may be able to go through deeper mud or snow like I said, but thats about it.  If you mod the atv it will also go through deep snow and deep mud.  But in the end the atv will still go places that the sammy can not.  I have off roaded for many years.  With trucks and atvs, and there will be some situations where the sammy may come out ahead, but not many.   I have been off roading with people that have modified sammy.  I have seen sammys hill climb, mud, and run the trails....Its not the same.

Get the sammy for the heat and protection from the weather, because with just the addition of some decent atv tires, and the sammy will be no where to be found.

  I understand one thinking that the sammy rules the off road, but post this same topic on an atv site and you will get laughs from everyone.  Like I said the Rubican Trail can be done on a stock atv.  A stock sammy will not be found.  I have been to Coal Creek in TN (Windrock) many times.  I have easy transversed trails that the rock climbers needed spotters and what seamed like hours to to get through.  Then you can venture down trails at Coal Creek that no trucks, trackers, or sammys go down or up.  Only the atvs, a few nuts on bikes  and bulldozers dare travel.

Ok so a modified sammy vs a stock atv may be able to go through deeper mud or snow like I said, but thats about it.  If you mod the atv it will also go through deep snow and deep mud.  But in the end the atv will still go places that the sammy can not.  I have off roaded for many years.  With trucks and atvs, and there will be some situations where the sammy may come out ahead, but not many.   I have been off roading with people that have modified sammy.  I have seen sammys hill climb, mud, and run the trails....Its not the same.

Get the sammy for the heat and protection from the weather, because with just the addition of some decent atv tires, and the sammy will be no where to be found.

  I understand one thinking that the sammy rules the off road, but post this same topic on an atv site and you will get laughs from everyone.  Like I said the Rubican Trail can be done on a stock atv.  A stock sammy will not be found.  I have been to Coal Creek in TN (Windrock) many times.  I have easy transversed trails that the rock climbers needed spotters and what seamed like hours to to get through.  Then you can venture down trails at Coal Creek that no trucks, trackers, or sammys go down or up.  Only the atvs, a few nuts on bikes  and bulldozers dare travel.

Been to Windrock MANY times on ATVs and with a capable Tracker.

Some trails my Tracker will do that I couldn't go with my Sportsman, some trails were too tight for the Tracker..

It's a trade off, but in the REALLY rough stuff, I would take my Tracker hands down over a quad.  But, on tight trails, you can't even get to them with a Zuk, much less make it through.

I have also been off roading on quads, trucks, and now Zuks for years and years and years.

I can take my Tracker up and down drop offs that NO atv can touch, unless you jump them I guess.. lol.

I can take my Sportsman through places that no Zuk can touch.  It's all a matter of the trails.


I guess to answer the question posed,  YES!  A zuk is a great replacement for a quad, especially when you get old and tired of getting cold and wet and muddy.


BUT, I personally have had many Sammys turn around and not be able to follow my Tracker.. happens all the time.  Trackers are amazing

yeah, sidekicks/trackers are awesome. ive been down atv trails in my kick, and outdone most of the atv's. and i would gladly take a stock sidekick through the rubicon before i would even think of taking an atv through it.
so...i would replace the atv with a trackkick or sammie.

The traile I mainly use are designated quad trails; are pot hole ridden with some nasty twists and turns.

Would a Zuk be an appropriate replacement?

To possibly wrap this thread up  , I'd like to say that the quickest way to make enemies and cause trouble on the trail is to drive where you are not supposed to be. 

If the phrase designated quad trails (above) means that by authority of the landowner or park rules a trail is designated for ATV use only, then you better not be driving on it with a Zuk.  Doing so would be against the rules and would possibly make people think that it would be okay to drive a Jeep, then a Bronco then a full-sized Chevy, etc. until someone in authority gets really POed and shuts down the trail!

Something to think about...

I just bought a ZUK to replace 2 quads. What I wanted was a seat belt and a roll bar and a license plate.
Those are the advantages for me.
1. I dont bounce as well as I used too (seat belt and roll bar)
I could have bought a rhino to get the seat belt and roll bar but they are $10K and then you cant drive it up to the store if needed.
I see having a TAG as a huge advantage.
Where I ride this is a big plus and will keep you out of trouble as we have to cross roads and stuff.
Thats why I switched

I just bought a ZUK to replace 2 quads. What I wanted was a seat belt and a roll bar and a license plate.
Those are the advantages for me.
1. I dont bounce as well as I used too (seat belt and roll bar)
I could have bought a rhino to get the seat belt and roll bar but they are $10K and then you cant drive it up to the store if needed.
I see having a TAG as a huge advantage.
Where I ride this is a big plus and will keep you out of trouble as we have to cross roads and stuff.
Thats why I switched

True,  plus in MANY areas, there are fire roads and forest service roads that are legal to drive on, as long as you have  a licensed, insured vehicle, but where ATVs are illegal.. just one more plus to a Zuk!

And ACK has a point, I don't drive my Zuks on trails that are ATV only, and noone else should either. We do need to prolong our sport.

Ya deffinatly stay where your supposed to be, one person can ruin a trail for hundreds of people.  I have seen it happen tons of times.
Arround here if you want to keep your trails from being closed down you have to get GPS, walk the trail and then record your rout then take it to the seirra club meetings.
That to me is very lame, and then they have to approve it to be a OHV trail.
No offence to any seirra club memeber, but they are runing off roading. I ride motorcycles and do a lot of trail riding, all the clubs and trail riders around my area highly dislike the club too.
wow, talk about a ramble on


Amilla

Here we can't start our quads until noon during big game hunting seasons but if a zuk has a bumper under 36" off the ground it's all good.   We can go almost anywhere down the main trails.

The zuk isn't so handy when you get a moose a half mile into the bush though.  Can't beat a quad for that.