ATV, UTV, and compact tractors

[KyDeerSteward]

I bought my property about a year ago. It's been great fun and lots of hard work, which is part of the fun. We've had some success hunting and lots of time spent on "The Island". One decision I had to make was compact tractor or ATV. Mostly it's a storage issue. I really only have room for one or the other. I Went with the ATV, bought a five foot tow behind disc, a four foot cultipacker and a couple bag spreaders and off we went. Our food plot trails couldn't have turned out better for the first year. Just recently bought a DR Pro 26 walk behind brush mower. I love it - my best purchase by far. But...if I had one do over I'd have bought the tractor instead of the ATV. The tractor is being budgeted for next year. Don't get me wrong. The ATV is great and we use it a lot. A friend of mine and a neighbor have both helped out with compact tractors and the fact is It's just that the tractor with a bucket would have been so much better for working. The ATV is better for light duty stuff and driving around. It's more like a tractor wanna be.

If I ever get to buy a few acre or hopefully more, my next purchase for sure will be a tractor with a bucket!

 

[Mennoniteman]

One thing I've heard about going for big size is going slow under load like plotting, or as I know first hand with ATV or Jeeps long hill climbs, the bigger the size, the easier to run hot. Anyone had heat issues with ATV or UTV?

Spun a bearing on a 2000 Yamaha with a manual transmission. I think it was from being run hot and overworked, nothing to do with the brand. We overloaded and ran it hard on a regular basis.

 

[gasman]

I would only look at the Honda's. As a group we have been running them for bear hunting the last 15 years and have only replaced one starter out of five machines and about 25000 miles on them. Lots of hauling bait in the woods and bears out of the woods. The majority of polaris' that have come through camp have had problems. The pioneer 500 is a great machine. Only two inches wider than a standard atv and can fit anywhere we have tried to take it.

 

[adkhunter1590]

One thing I've heard about going for big size is going slow under load like plotting, or as I know first hand with ATV or Jeeps long hill climbs, the bigger the size, the easier to run hot. Anyone had heat issues with ATV or UTV?

This is where hondas shine. Low speed working is what they are basically made for. I'm pretty sure this is why Honda limits their working atvs to 500cc because when you get into the larger displacements, you start to gain a lot of extra heat for extra HP that's more likely to be unusable in working situations. Atvs are limited to what they can pull by their light weight more so than how much HP they have. A 500 Honda foreman will pull just as much as my Brute Force 750. My 2008 Honda was a beast at work and never over heated no matter how long or hard I ran it. My Brute force on the other hand, will get extremely hot in long slow speed situations. Obviously some common sense is needed when working a atv to avoid overheating it but in general, the hondas will run cooler and longer than just about anything I've ever seen.

 

[KyDeerSteward]

I would only look at the Honda's. As a group we have been running them for bear hunting the last 15 years and have only replaced one starter out of five machines and about 25000 miles on them. Lots of hauling bait in the woods and bears out of the woods. The majority of polaris' that have come through camp have had problems. The pioneer 500 is a great machine. Only two inches wider than a standard atv and can fit anywhere we have tried to take it.

That's a good hard use recommendation, thanks!

 

[KyDeerSteward]

This is where hondas shine. Low speed working is what they are basically made for. I'm pretty sure this is why Honda limits their working atvs to 500cc because when you get into the larger displacements, you start to gain a lot of extra heat for extra HP that's more likely to be unusable in working situations. Atvs are limited to what they can pull by their light weight more so than how much HP they have. A 500 Honda foreman will pull just as much as my Brute Force 750. My 2008 Honda was a beast at work and never over heated no matter how long or hard I ran it. My Brute force on the other hand, will get extremely hot in long slow speed situations. Obviously some common sense is needed when working a atv to avoid overheating it but in general, the hondas will run cooler and longer than just about anything I've ever seen.

Very good points. Seems like you never go wrong with Honda.

 

[Scatterlandsfarms]

Never buy a ATV and expect it to do a tractors job ,small plots a ATV will work when you get serious about food plotting better get a serious machine

 

[KyDeerSteward]

You know, I'm surprised nobody mentioned John Deere Gator in this thread. Seems like you don't see many for sale used.

 

[Mennoniteman]

You know, I'm surprised nobody mentioned John Deere Gator in this thread. Seems like you don't see many for sale used.

The original style gator has about the equivalent of a lawn mower engine in it and no suspension. I don't think they would do well pulling a small disc.

 

[KyDeerSteward]

The original style gator has about the equivalent of a lawn mower engine in it and no suspension. I don't think they would do well pulling a small disc.

Good point! I was thinking more the newer 825i style. Of course those are about cost prohibitive. Those early models at least seem to be good if you like gassy exhaust smell cover scent also.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Since you have a hunting lease you're probably trailering your equipment all the time. I would definitely recommend an ATV, even a UTV is more of a hassle to trailer around all the time, and since your greater use is transportation/ deer retrieval, a tractor might not be practical for you at this time. When I'm traveling light I just put my Grizzly 700 on back of the pickup with ramps. I like Yamaha first for an ATV, but that's personal preference, Honda would be just fine for me as well. An ATV will pull almost the same equipment as a SXS,with the motor, drive train, and wheels being about the same, with a little less machine weight. I throw an ATV on a little all aluminum trailer all the time to move from one property to another and it's fast and easy. Moving my Ag tractor is not nearly as fast and easy, and I can't pull it with a 4-runner.

 

[KyDeerSteward]

Thank you Mennoniteman, all good points! Plus my current trailer will haul an ATV, a UTV or tractor will require more, plus be a little easier on my Tacoma. I'd love a SXS for my own comfort, but do like the convenience of an ATV. Actually an aluminum trailer with a ramp gate is on my wish list. One lease is 2 properties a few miles apart, one of those has 3 separate access points, which probably only matters on work days.

 

[KyDeerSteward]

I have to admit Yamaha has some good year end values. As does Kawasaki. Thoughts on the Mule?

 

[Mennoniteman]

I have to admit Yamaha has some good year end values. As does Kawasaki. Thoughts on the Mule?

I constructed buildings for a shooting club in Delaware years ago and they said the Kawasaki Mule was the only SXS that would hold up to their heavy use requirements. Of course that was years ago when their weren't as many models on the market.