A select group of agricultural editors, including BEEF’s Burt Rutherford, visited the Yamaha production facilities in Newnan, Ga., recently. The editors were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the plant that produces Yamaha ATV and side-by-side (SxS) vehicles, as well as a test ride of the 2017 models.

BEEF Senior Editor Burt Rutherford is ready to roll at the Yamaha media event where a select group of agricultural editors got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Yamaha production facilities at Newnan, Ga., and a chance to take the 2017 ATV and side-by-side (SxS) models through their paces.

Assembling Yamaha ATVs and side-by-sides (SxS) takes people power, and the employees who work at Yamaha’s Newnan, Ga., plant go about their jobs with a purposeful intensity.

Yamaha sponsors the National FFA’s annual Outdoor Recreation proficiency award. The National FFA Outdoor Recreation project encourages students to develop a thorough understanding of income-producing outdoor recreational business enterprises such as fishing, hunting, winter sports, shooting preserves, guide services and trail rides, among others.

While people are the power behind much of the assembly at the Yamaha plant in Newnan, Ga., some tasks are better performed by computers and robots. One such task is applying the paint on the metal parts of Yamaha ATVs and side-by-sides (SxS). Using computerized robots keeps the paint fumes contained, ensuring better employee health and environmental controls.

The factory floor at the Yamaha production facilities in Newnan, Ga., are a textbook of worker engagement, productivity and efficiency.

One of the features of the Yamaha Viking and Viking VI that is appreciated by folks who use the machines as work vehicles is the size and strength of the dump bed. Its all-steel construction can handle tough material and allows a rancher to weld additional tie-down points, for example, to make the dump bed more useful for specific tasks.

Quality control is evident throughout the assembly process of Yamaha ATVs and SxSs. The metrics are tracked and employees take pride in making sure top quality machines are what rolls off the line at the end of the day.

If you don’t need to haul stuff in addition to people, many ranchers have found a 4-wheeler to be a great way to get around the place. Here, BEEF Senior Editor Burt Rutherford takes a Yamaha 700 EPS for a spin. The machine performed well in rough, rocky terrain as well as on dirt roads.

The big brother to the Yamaha 700 is the Grizzly, a full size, full feature, big-bore ATV that’s popular with the recreational crowd. The Yamaha 700, on the other hand, is a utility and workhorse ATV that ranchers find well suited for the daily chores and hard work on the ranch.

Yamaha added the 6-person Viking VI to its lineup a few years back and it has proven very popular in a number of work and recreational uses. It’s smooth on the road and has plenty of ability to handle rough off-road terrain, as BEEF Senior Editor Burt Rutherford found out.

Much of the assembly work at Yamaha’s Newnan, Ga., plant is done by hand. But some tasks, such as painting and part of the welding, is now done by robots. But it still takes a person to make sure the computerized tasks are performed correctly.

While part of the assembly process at Yamaha’s Newnan, Ga., plant can be automated, there are steps in the process of putting together an ATV or SxS that require good ‘ol American craftsmanship and hard work. Critical welds are one such task. These are done by hand, with highly skilled welders.

Safety first is the rallying cry from the Yamaha ATV and side-by-side (SxS) experts. Before the agricultural editors attending a Yamaha media event were able to take the 2017 ATV and SxS vehicles for a test ride, they received a thorough safety briefing and familiarization with the machines from Pat Biolsi, Yamaha ATV and SxS testing supervisor.

Ag editors attending a Yamaha media event in Newnan, Ga., recently are eager to get going on their test rides. The editors took both ATVs and SxS vehicles through a series of tests, including open roads and rough, rocky woods.

Yamaha ATV and Viking and Viking VI side-by-side (SxS) machines are ready to roll as ag editors from across the country gathered in Newnan, Ga., to test ride the 2017 models. The machines were up to the test, performing well both on dirt ranch roads and off road in rough, rocky timber.

In addition to ATVs and side-by-sides (SxS), the Yamaha plant in Georgia also produces golf carts…lots and lots of golf carts.