Northland Firm's CPD Is Used From NZ to Antarctica

But in the early 1990s, stock horses on farms began to disappear due to a growing preference for quad bikes and later side-by-sides or UTVs. Suckling knew he had to change the direction of his business.

Seeing potential in the quad market, in 1991 Suckling launched his first product, a cab for quads called Quad Pod.

Over the coming years, as UTVs began replacing quad bikes, Suckling ventured into cab kits and accessories like windscreens and launched a new business, Ag-Tech Industries in Dargaville.

Soon, UTV cab kits were in hot demand, and the saddle business ceased.

The biggest breakthrough came in 2012 when the world’s first flexible crush protection device (CPD) for quads was launched - the ATV LifeGuard.

The LifeGuard began winning innovation and health and safety awards and by 2014 over 1000 had sold, including a first shipment to Australia.

Innovation continued to play a key role in the company’s development and by 2019 a new flexible crush protection device made from plastic, the QuadGuard, was launched.

Today the business, under the name Trax Equipment, makes windscreens, roof kits, doors, stock crates, mudflap kits and CPDs.

Vernon Suckling has retired and his son Kerry and son-in-law Kingsley now manage the business, which carries the reputation of making farm work easier and safer for side-by-side and ATV users.

Kerry told Rural News that problem-solving is what built the Trax reputation from day one.

“It hasn’t stopped since. Honda, Yamaha, Polaris, CF Moto – every model that’s landed on our shores has brought a new design challenge.

“Trax has met every one of them. If your quad or UTV is doing real work on the farm, there’s a solid chance something on it carries the Trax name.”

However, Kerry says the part of the range that matters most doesn’t get talked about enough. Quad bike rollovers are still one of the leading causes of death and serious injury on New Zealand farms. Not a statistic – a reality that too many rural families know firsthand, he adds.

Trax’s award-winning Lifeguard crush protection device, and its next-generation QuadGuard, exist for exactly that reason.

Kerry says they aren’t accessories and could be the difference between life and death for quad bike riders involved in a rollover.

When the NZ Government decided to reintroduce roll bars due to the number of deaths, Kerry recalls a person coming up to his dad and suggesting the concept of “a Roman arch could be incorporated into a roll bar somehow”.

“This got dad thinking and he made many prototypes out of wooden blocks before launching one at Mystery Creek which won an award.

“That got dad a lot of attention all around.”

The CPDs are now sold worldwide. While Australia and New Zealand are the main markets, the UK is also embracing CPDs made in New Zealand. Lifeguard CPDs have also been sent to Antarctica to be fitted on ATVs used there.

Kerry believes his dad’s innovation has been a game changer for farm safety.

“We’ve had many numerous reports of how it’s [prevented] injury or death.”

CPDs are not mandatory but WorkSafe and ACC strongly encourage farmers to have their ATVs fitted with one.

So, what’s Kerry’s message to quad bike users?

“It is their call at the end of the day, but too many ATV riders are killed or seriously injured in rollovers and the stats speak for themselves, CPDs and helmets are a crucial part of preventing this.

“It’s like a seatbelt in a car: it minimises your chances of injury or worse if there’s a mishap.”