I learned a hard lesson. I let a kid ride my quad and the first thing he did was " He ran into a Tree !!!!!! Bending my frame !! Do I try to fix it myself ? Get a new frame? Or what ? I am a Mechanic w/ good welding skills. I haven't taken it apart yet, just want to get some ideas. Thanks,. Y.T.

 

I myself am an experienced mechanic and welder, and the first thing I would do is find out if the damaged area is a primary structure to the the suspension and drivetrain. Being as it was a head-on with a tree, I am guessing that the sub extensions protruding forward on the upper part of the frame as well as the lower front bumper mount sustained the damage. If you do decide to weld on the frame, as you probably know, you need to be extremely careful of your weld temperature, and not to cause a stress point due to hardening. I did a search, and found the price of frames to run in the $600 range, If you are inclined to pay that for a frame I guess it is obvious that it would be your best option. I have welded a few frames with success, but I would shy away from welding in the lower engine mount areas and in the control arm and shock mounting areas. If the frame is able to be straightened, depending on the contour of the bends, with heat treatment and correct tooling it is possible that no cutting or welding would be needed. Let me know what you decide to do and also please post some pictures of the damage or an explanation of the damage. Good Luck.

 

Personally I am a replacement guy. I like new and origional. Like Jetmech said it depends on the extent and where the damage is. I guess the choice is up to you and how much you want to spend and if it is necessary to replace or can it be fixed porperly. PROPERLY is the key word here, at least it would be for me if I were to take a route to fix rather than replace. Since you are a mechanic then the labor is got going to be a big expense for you to ponder, just the parts and to find the time.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: dwight

I learned a hard lesson. I let a kid ride my quad</end quote></div>

I hope when you say "kid" you are referring to a young adult. Putting a child on a machine that big is a great way to wreck the quad AND the kid.

As far as the frame goes, I would consider taking it to a professional welder or just replacing it. That's what insurance is for.