Get Out and Enjoy Autumn with Adapted ATVs

When you think about it, an ATV is not much different than a power wheelchair, except for of course it’s exuberant amount of toughness and the fact that it runs on gasoline.  Adapted ATVs can be one of the most fun adapted sports you’ll ever try. And the best part, just like a snowmobile, hand controls come standard.

The thing about adapted ATVs though is that it can be quite controversial among people with spinal cord injuries. ATVs have been known to cause spinal cord injuries over the years, however so have cars, and that doesn’t mean we have to stop driving them too. Is done safely, ATVing can be very safe. Read on for three awesome adapted ATV videos made by people with paralysis.

Our first video comes from one of the strongest C6 quads I’ve ever seen.  He is a young man in his twenties living in the upper Midwest, and he loves his adapted ATV and spending as much time as he can outdoors.

In his video, he shows how he’s able to transfer completely independently onto his 2011 Yamaha Grizzly 450 EPS, and that’s going upwards my friends, and he has no triceps movement. This transfer is insane. He demos his transfer at a beautiful farm, and this guy doesn’t even need a transfer board. Serious shoulder and bicep strength on display here.

After he gets on, he’s also able to balance himself without a backrest, only needing a tie-down tied around his lower back to keep him from slipping around.  Watch his transfer now

And after he gets on his adapted ATV, he loves going on long trail rides, and has recorded several of them using his GoPro camera.  Watch him ride Red Top trail in Minnesota (and get a close-up view of his modified rear brake so he can push down to operate it)

Our second video is also made by a C6 quadriplegic, but an older Australian gentleman by the name of Ari Seirlis.  He owns a Polaris RZR8003, an ATV with a roll-top and seats with backrests.  It is definitely more of a dune buggy type of ATV, and he’s outfitted it with some amazing hand controls, which he explains in his 1:53 minute video.

The video starts out by showing him doing some awesome riding out in the outback, which if you’re a fan of ATVing looks like an awesome place to burn some rubber. Watch Ari explain his beefed up ATV

And our last video comes from Jerry Diaz, one of the most stubbornly independent paraplegics you’ll ever meet. In his 18 minute long video, he shows the entire process of loading his 4-wheeler into a trailer hooked to the back of his Jeep Cherokee. It’s certainly not quick or easy, but he gets it done. Watch him load her in

Inspired to get out and try ATVing out yourself yet? The perfect season for it, fall, is about to begin. It may seem intimidating at first, but if you can, try it out. It’s universally known as one of the most enjoyable adapted sports out there.

Do you have an adapted ATV? How do you do it?

Watch the videos!

– C6 quadriplegic transferring onto his adapted ATV

– Adapted Polaris ATV for a quad, with the quad himself showing how his hand controls work

– Paraplegic showing how he can load his own four-wheeler into his truck