The effect of rollover protection systems and trailers on quad bike stability

Abstract

Quad bikes are lightweight vehicles which are used for transportation of personnel, equipment, and material in forestry operations such as planning, logging, planting, and fire-fighting. With increased quad bike usage, serious injuries have become an increasing concern. The most common forms of severe incidents occur when a quad bike loses stability, causing injuries as it rolls over the rider trapped beneath. The risk of injuries during a rollover incident can be decreased by equipping the vehicle with rollover protection systems (ROPS), but since ROPS tend to decrease the stability of quad bikes, their use can be a trade-off between the risk of overturning and the outcome of any such incident. In this study, we examine the effects of approach angle, trailer load, ROPS and different hardware configurations on a quad bike's static stability. We found that approach angle and trailer configurations influenced the vehicle's stability, although the effect was difficult to quantify in a static environment. Furthermore, the quad bike's stability was negatively influenced by equipping it with a heavy (44 kg) ROPS. It reduced the static stability by an average of 5.1°, while a light (14.7 kg) prototype ROPS only reduced the vehicle's static stability by an average of 1.0°. The negative impact a ROPS has on a quad bike's lateral stability could be effectively counteracted by increasing the quad bike's track width. Increasing track width by less than 2% (20 mm) compensated for any negative impact that the light prototype ROPS had on the quad bike's lateral stability.

Risk factors associated with quadbike crashes: a systematic review

“…Of all age-groups, 12 studies were focused on children under 18 years [12,32,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. Most studies reviewed were from Canada [43,[49][50][51], New Zealand [9,[52][53][54], Australia [1], and Sweden [2], with the USA being the predominant contributor, with twenty-seven studies. The risk factors identified by the review were reported using the Haddon matrix framework.…”

“…Quadbikes or all-terrain vehicles (QB) are saddleseated, four-wheel vehicles commonly used as off-road vehicles for farming and recreational purposes [1,2]. However, QB are known for their increased instability while driving, most likely due to their high center of gravity, which lends the vehicle a higher propensity to tilt or roll over, leading to rider ejections and injuries, especially when driven off the road or in an uneven terrain [3].…”

Investigate the Relationship between the Vehicle Roll Angle and Other Factors When Steering

“…In reference [31], Bencatel et al propose the application of the reference governors (RG) to control the car steering system. In reference [32], Edlund et al introduce the use of the rollover protection systems (ROPS) anti-roll system for quad bikes. The sharing of the active steering (AS) and active anti-roll bar (AARB) to reduce the rollover phenomenon has been shown in reference [33] by Liu et al Nguyen et al also show in reference [34] how to use an active stabilizer bar to reduce the roll angle of the vehicle body.…”

Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning

“…An increasing number of devices are available on the market (mostly manufactured in Scandinavian countries), which can be aggregated with minivehicles [33][34][35][36]. In addition, current research focuses on formulating solutions to improve the safety of ATV operators [37][38][39] and on determining the impact of various mechanisms and factors, such as approach angles, trailer towing, adding weight above or below the center of gravity (e.g., by the use of ROPS (rollover protective structures), heavier operators, and counterweights), track width, tire pressure, and suspension stiffness, on the stability of ATVs aggregated with small forest trailers [40]. The effects of tourist ATV utilization on forest soils and grasslands [41] and forest watercourses [42] have also been studied and analyzed.…”

“…The last research and analysis of the effectiveness of forwarding with ATVs was conducted almost two decades ago [43][44][45]. Therefore, the present research is an attempt to update and expand the knowledge in this area, especially as ATVs are becoming increasingly popular in small-scale forestry, and the heavy loads (on average, over 500 kg [40]) on a quad or trailer associated with professional use result in an increased risk of accidents.…”