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This info is intended for everyone but especially those new riders and those that ride hills or mountains. The center of gravity is going to significantly affect the stability of your ATV at serious ascent or decent angles. Once you reach that tipping point on a climb or decent she is all over but the crying. Rolled my Rancher 30 times down a mountain trail 2 years ago due to having my center of gravity too far back and that was just 12 lbs of fuel behind the rear bumper and a fully loaded rear cargo bag mixed with lack of experience and a bit of sh!tty engineering on my rancher 420 auto tranny and those slightly taller tires as they all moved my CG back. Now much wiser for the experience and thankful for insurance, I keep my weight forward in some manner or just don't attempt the climb. Having a Rancher roll over you is much different than a fully loaded 1100 lb XP. Many places in the mountains requires teamwork just to get up or down that hill or past an obstacle as the only way to keep from flipping is to have someone hanging on the front or rear of the ATV. Very easy too get hurt or wreck so always remember that your center of gravity is extremely important. Works the same front, back, side to side as the CG can either help you or hurt you. Tire size and lifting also impacts CG as the taller you make your machine the CG moves higher affecting the stability. I was amazed how adding 12 pounds of fuel in my front cargo helped me going up a hill, but had just the opposite effect going down the same hill. A tow strap wrapped around your front or rear bumper with a couple of friends providing ballast hanging on the straps can make a huge difference. I also use my winch as a fail safe during some climbs and just pull myself up past a steep area. Just moving your body front, aft or side to side has a huge impact on CG so keep that in mind and use it. We have a tendency to.add fuel packs and extra weight up high and forward and back. Many times this is benign due to the terrain but in many cases as your acscent or decent angle increases so does your propensity to flip because of the add ons. Tall tire, lifts, added fuel tanks hanging off the back and all your gear only exasurbates the out of CG condition decreasing your stability. On an Atv this could result in a roll, a totaled Atv and you dead or banged up pretty bad. In an extreme example put too much weight rear or aft in an aircraft and death is a pretty common outcome as it can become uncontrollable. Keeping your weight close, low and near the CG of your vehicle (typically your seat) is the best case in most conditions. When climbing you want your CG forward and low and when descending low and aft. Don't be shy and ask for help during a climb or decent as your pride can seriously impact your wallet and health. Also a rolling out of control ATV is dangerous to others so carrying a cheap insurance policy can save you thousands. My $100 policy on my rancher bought me an almost new 850 XP so it worked out but it could have had a much worse outcome. When ascending or descending leave some room between you and the next guy so you or they can get out of the way when all he!l breaks loose.:shocked1:
