E-*trike* for hunting?
General Topic
Ok, so as not to divert other topics... I've read through a couple threads on e-bikes and e-packs for hunting, and the idea popped into my head, what about an e-TRIKE. Three wheels instead of two or one. More stability. Yeah, okay, probably not so great on really tough terrain, but some of us might find it useful. So I googled it and they really do exist. Lots of 'em, in fact. So, has anyone tried them for hunting? Pros and cons?
I think the extra wheel would make riding on a normal 2-track very difficult. One wheel would always be out of the track and rolling over virgin ground in the center or side of the 2-track. If you were only riding on flat developed roads, then perhaps it would work. Otherwise, I don't think it would be very useful for most hunting situations.
Matt
Of course you could always get an e-quad. Or an e-truck like the model in development by Tesla. Supposed to have as top speed of 100mph. No “motor” so cool for hiking trails. I say the above in jest, but here we are on yet another slippery slope. And I am aware that some states/feds are already addressing e-transport.
My experience on 3-wheelers as a kids tells me that one should proceed with caution regarding an etrike.
NoWiser, I'm old enough to be cautious ;-) Looking at 3 wheels as more stable on relatively flatter ground/trails.
I'm against e-bikes in general but I think a trike would be less safe and more unstable.
There's a reason they outlawed 3 wheeler atvs.
I'm against 4WD trucks too. If they were outlawed there would be a hell of a lot fewer hunters screwing up MY elk hunting.
Agree with GG that unless you're on a flat road there would be stability issues. Fat tire, low pressure, two-wheeled ebikes are pretty dang stable on uneven terrain.
I survived my childhood on a 3 wheeler that no longer has finders. ;) I’m not getting on a 3 wheeler unless it’s on a flat road.
Bob, I checked those out at the Sportsmans Expo. Seemed like it would be unstable and hard to steer on rough stuff where our single-wheel bikes can navigate around rocks, etc..
I've looked at hem often. I was especially interested in the one that used existing trikes and diy conversions. Looked like great potential hunting tools for older guys like me who are somewhat limited in mobility compared to when we were younger, but can still get around OK for shorter distances.
I worked more than thirty years in large manufacturing buildings, and much of that time in jobs that often had some of us on pedal trikes, traveling a few miles in the course of a shift, and often with something fairly hefty in the cargo basket. I suppose we may have had them up around ten mph a few times, but not often. Anything over about five seemed like plenty to get where we were going without wasting time and certainly beat walking even if weren't transporting a chunky load.
I often thought that one would be great with an electric assist and maybe modified cargo basket for carrying a deer back to the truck or a couple of sets of steps and hang-ons along the ridgetop log roads and around the field edges. Something geared for about 5 mph max would be plenty fast enough in that environment as well, and should be safe as being home in bed as long as I didn't try to sidehill it.
Those industrial trikes looked to be made somewhat better than the ones at Wallyworld made for getting around in the retirement community, but they did often get overloaded and sometimes were treated harshly, and i don't recall seeing any of them trashed in my thirty years there, so I suspect they'd be tough enough for the job.
Wapiti I thought I could get a lot of tabs open!
You could check out this Rungu bike, it's a bit of a lovechild between a trike and an ebike. 2 front wheels make it very stable and each front wheel has a dedicated front suspension when you're turning both tires can still be on the ground. It's heavy so not everybody's cup of tea.
Some time back I had Travis (bowsiter) take one up the hills of south California and he started a thread. I'll see if i can find that thread. He gave some feedback on it.
Here's the original thread I started, and Travis gave his feedback after riding it. https://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=477112&forum=36#4623028
