[ScribbleUk]

Hi,

We've decided to look into buying a second hand quad after ruling out a compact tractor and a few other options.  It will primarily be used to pull a smallish trailer carrying bins of poultry litter, garden waste, gravel etc around the place throughout the entire year.

My question is what we should look for in a second hand quad.  For example:

What size of engine would be best?
Any preference over diesel or petrol?
Mainly for towing would a manual or automatic be better?
It won't be used on the road, but are there any legal documents that should come with it like buying a car?
Any obvious mechanical things to look/listen for?

Thanks

[Buttermilk]

An old 300cc, manual, 2 wheel drive happily pulls a 5ft trailer for poo picking at my local RDA group.  It cannot cope with boggy ground though.  I also use a 400cc, automatic, 4 wheel drive which is more idiot proof but has a crap turning circle and cuts up the ground when doing tight turns.  It can however plough through wetter ground than the 300.  It still got stuck last winter even with only a half load.

Both are petrol and the 300 is far more economical.  For a small trailer on decent ground you do not need to get a huge engine size.  The only documentation that came with the new one was a handbook/manual, neither are road legal.  The automatic is a lot slower reacting to the throttle than the manual and needs a heavier thumb.