Farm machinery dealers say the safety message about quad-bikes may finally be getting through.

Safety concerns over the propensity of quad bikes to roll over are pushing farmers back to a perennial favourite – the ute.

Larger, side-by-side utility vehicles have seen a surge in popularity at the same time as quad-bikes are going out of vogue, according to Adelaide-based agricultural machinery salesperson Chris Wigzell.

“I would say the ratio would be 60 per cent increase towards UTVs over ATVs,” Wigzell said.

Mr Wigzell says older farmers may have realised it is time to step off the quad and back into utility vehicles, because they are easier to clamber into.

“Older people with bad hips are finding it a lot easier to step in and out of a UTV than trying to get their leg over the seat of an ATV,” Mr Wigzell says.

A farm machinery salesperson from northern Victoria agrees that people are moving away from ATVs in favour of UTVs: “We don't sell nearly as many ATVs, mainly because of safety concerns,” he said.

The trend may be reversed in Queensland though, with a dealer in Mildura saying there is a difference between trends in the corporate and private sectors, and that farms in Queensland still love their quads.

John Densley from JD Groundcare Centre in Mildura says: “among pastoral clients between Mildura and the Queensland border, who we look after, there's little difference in sales. In fact, some customers are buying more.”