Safety issue

[wilburjohn]

I want to address an issue that i feel is very important. I purchased an Argo 580 one year ago. Enjoyed the machine very much but I experienced an incident that haunts me. I am an experienced ATV rider and felt my transition to the AATV was not a big deal.
I took my time getting familiar with the new machine. I drove it very conservatively and felt confident that I was a safe driver.
One afternoon my 5 yr. old grandson asked me to take him a joy ride. I was glad to do it. We had experienced the new machine in the snow and ice and loved the way we could spin 180s and 360s. BUT on that afternoon it was a warm summer day and I just wanted to keep that smile on his face. That trip nearly changed my life forever.
I did a sharp right turn that my grandson did not expect and he flew head first out of the Argo. Not sure I will ever be able to forget that feeling of what I had just done. He hit the ground and the tires came very close to skidding on him. It was a stupid mistake I made and I will never forget it.
He brushed himself off and said he was ok. I could barely function for hours later seeing that precious child coming that close to disaster It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.
My mission is to tell this story so it can not happen again. Anyone who has driven a skid steer AATV knows that the quick turn motion is dangerous. The driver has controls to hold onto....the passenger does not have a close support to grasp, especially in this machine. The passenger is vulnerable to the decision of the driver as to where and when he might turn. Why are these machines sold without standard seat belts...at least for the passenger? I am installing a seatbelt so any future passenger is safe in my machine. All AATVs should have them as standard equipment.
Be safe and i hope you never have the experience I had with my AATV.
Wilburjohn.

[racerone3]

Lesson learned while racing karts as a kid. Seat belts are deadly in a machine without a roll bar. If the machine rolls over, you are much better to be thrown from it than pined under it. That said, all my machines have full cages and belts. Glad to hear that the little one was able to dust it off and ride again

[LarryW]

Thanks for bringing that up. I did the same thing to my youngest son once. He was probably 3 or 4. He flew out but I grabbed him by his thigh and he was small enough I could pull him in safely with one hand. I was kind of hard on myself afterwards. Rethinking the situation. If he would have been heavier I wouldn't of been able to do that one handed. He may have dragged on the tires as I pulled him in. It was instinct. Might be safer to let them go? Not sure and don't want to find out. Seatbelts would be nice. But then probably a ROPS too.

[amphibious drew]

I threw my youngest boy from my max once. He is pretty small and was wearing his helmet. He cleared any area of danger due to his light weight and appearant ability to fly. Hadn't seen a kid go that far since my oldest boy managed to throw himself from his quad while he was driving it. Your point is worth mentioning, but you can get hurt doing anything no matter how careful you are. I guess that's why kids are so resilient. Life is about taking risks, just make sure they are minimized when possible.

[trevorakm1]

my argo had seatbelts installed when I bought it used and buckle my kids in. There was still a lack of hand holds for them to feel comfortable. My argo also came with a homemade set of rollbars. I decided to get a cargo net that i zip tied to the rollbars and i can then slide it into position or out of the way. When extended it gives my kids a place to hold onto and also acts as a brush guard with great visibility. My kids aren't fans of the brush hitting them. I have pics in the gallery of the net extended and pushed back not in use.

[countrycummins99]

remember don't run your front tires flat went down a steep hill hit the brakes a little too hard coupled with flat front tires and over the max went

[ARGOJIM]

Like racerone3 stated seat belts without a roll bar are dangerous, roll bars with out seat belts are even more dangerous because of the defined pinch points, generally you get both or none from a mfr .
I too have thrown my daughter out about 11 years ago, ( Amphicat,light snow, concrete, gloves ) and to this day will not wear gloves when riding. She had 6 or 7 years riding experience he at the time, lack of handles didn't help.

You could mount grab handles anywhere you feel needed, however it may be time for a roll cage and seat belts if your that uncomfortable now.

Good luck.

[guyfox]

I have thrown my dog from the argo, Almost thrown my wife..(had to catch her)..oh heck, i have almost thrown myself from my 6x6 argo....In fact I would have if I was not holding onto the tiller bars....Hit a bump that fast....it was fun but like any machine out there from a pedal bike to the fastest machine...you have to have RESPECT for them....if you get careless then that is how bad things happen...


Glad no one was hurt except for your pride....

[Dozerlarry]

wilburjohn-I wouldn't beat myself up too bad. You just made an error. We all do that. Fortunately nobody got hurt, you have recognized a problem and have come up with a solution to prevent future occurrences. Think of all the people you know that don't seem to learn from their mistakes. I wish I were as conscientious as you.

[snake stomper]

good advice, these things can turn on a dime, the driver . knows when a 180 or 360 is gonna happen, and the rider usually not. experienced this the hard way when my dad own'ed the max i have now.

[phabib]

This could well be the most important topic on the site for making us all stop and think about making sure we aren't part of an accident that leaves someone permanently disabled or dead. It only takes an instant for it to happen and then its a lifetime of the consequences. This is especially true for kids. We can decide to take that risk, but we're responsible for keeping the short ones safe until they're old enough to make that kind of decision for themselves.

[srfnson]

Glad to hear no one was hurt!

On a related note with teenage kids I've had to warn them about the dangers of impressing friends with 360s and sharp turns. They often want to share the fun and coolness factor and give their friends a thrilling ride but forget the dangers involved especially with a passenger riding a aatv for the first time.

I recently got vehicle insurance for my argo and got accident and $2mln third party liability coverage something I wasn't aware was available for aatvs. Hopefully I'll never need it but at least it's there if I do.

[wilburjohn]

Amen! I got lucky and learned a valuable lesson.