ATV or UTV for light farm work?

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  • phylodog

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    My hunting partner and I are branching out a bit in our hunting endeavors and moving into the land management arena. In addition to the farm we lease for hunting we have picked up three other pieces of ground that we are going to begin managing for the land owners for deer & deer hunting (we probably won't be hunting them ourselves). We have two food plots on our place and have always paid friends who live near the farm to help work the ground. We don't have that luxury on the new places so we're looking at investing in some equipment of our own. We have a small harrow and are picking up a pull behind mower in the next few weeks. We currently use a Polaris Ranger EV for hunting & getting around our farm but they're not suited for working the ground.

    We currently have a flat bed trailer that holds the Polaris but there isn't room for much else. This alone makes me lean toward an ATV but I figured it would be worth asking to see if members here have experience with both. I don't want to spend money only to find out I made a bad choice. We aren't looking to create food plots bigger than about an acre (more likely half acre in size) so hopefully we can get by with the smaller equipment. The ATV/UTV will be used to pull small stumps, pull a small disc or plow, spray, spread lime & fertilizer and plant/cultipack.

    Does anyone else use an ATV or UTV for this kind of work or possibly have experience with both? Just wondering if either has a clear advantage over the other. Ideally we'd like to have a small tractor but I'm not sure if it would fit our budget and they can be challenging to get back in the woods where we need to work.
     

    CTC B4Z

    Shooter
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    I use a Grizzly 660 for trail maintance, plowing, pulling. I love it and it does all of that with ease. Only other model I recommend is a Honda Foreman. Those 2 quads can be had for ~$3500 and if they were taken care of, will last a very long time. The Grizzly has a IRS, so its fun to race around, where is the Foreman is a straight axle, which is better for pulling heavy..

    Put a winch on either, and maybe a deadman hook and strap and be able to do anything by yourself.
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    SMiller

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    I would MUCH rather buy a old Farmall H or M, you can buy one for $1500, they are unbreakable and hold their value.

    I have had several Gators and Rangers, they are cute toys but not made for work.
     

    phylodog

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    I realize the benefits of a tractor but there is no way on earth we could get a Farmall H or M into the places we tend to put food plots.
     

    SMiller

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    I realize the benefits of a tractor but there is no way on earth we could get a Farmall H or M into the places we tend to put food plots.

    Fair enough, do you require 4wd on a ATV?

    A Honda Recon is about the toughest and cheapest ATV out there but is a solid axle 2wd.

    My last Ranger was 22.5k, when you start talking At V's you can be in the $600 range all the way up to $25,000 UTV.

    My 900 Ranger, they have a 1000 out now that will soon be replacing my 900.

     

    phylodog

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    I think I'd regret buying a 2wd. Of the two plots we have now, one of them requires getting through a shallow swampy area and the other is across a creek. Pulling implements through those areas would be risky without a 4x4.
     

    avboiler11

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    This thread is relevant to my interests as I have a Ranger 570 and am on the fence about buying a used CUT and 4' mower/tiller or getting a Swisher tow-behind mower and a tow-behind disc.

    The tractor would be more useful, but the tow behind mower & disc would be a lot less capital intensive.
     

    1mil-high

    Sharpshooter
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    The Kawasaki Mule line has great torque for its size and would be good for pulling implements. You won't go all that fast in them, but they don't seem to get stuck too easily and will have enough power given you choose an appropriate motor size.

    Not fast but pretty tough with torque.
     

    Gary119

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    Feb 18, 2015
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    Why not consider an older Jeep? Or a small Kubota (or similar) 4x4 tractor? I can't understand paying what they ask for new/used UTV's, when you can buy a Jeep and drive it to work on Monday-Friday.
     

    Leadeye

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    Before I bought a tractor I used the pull behind implements like a powered tiller brush mower. They worked fine for the job but were parked when I bought the tractor.
     

    SMiller

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    My sister has a Kubota 900 diesel. It is almost unstoppable. I love it.



    It is a bad day when I get stuck on the Kabota, slow, noisy, rides like crap, has no ground clearance, has no suspension travel, when you lift off the throttle it throws you across the hood, gets stuck everywhere. It sits all the time while the Gators and Rangers have over 12,000 miles on them.
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
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    It is a bad day when I get stuck on the Kabota, slow, noisy, rides like crap, has no ground clearance, has no suspension travel, when you lift off the throttle it throws you across the hood, gets stuck everywhere. It sits all the time while the Gators and Rangers have over 12,000 miles on them.

    Wow. I have has Sis's Kubota in some serious ordeals and always came out OK. Can not compare the ride to the other makes you refer to. No experience with them.
     

    KJQ6945

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    Wow. I have has Sis's Kubota in some serious ordeals and always came out OK. Can not compare the ride to the other makes you refer to. No experience with them.

    I was researching getting a new 4wd utility vehicle. I had pretty much decided on a Polaris Ranger. The Kubotas were eliminated pretty quickly for all the reasons SMiller cited. Then my tractor broke and scuttled that plan. I bought a new Kubota tractor. They make awesome tractors, but their utility vehicles don't have enough ground clearance or suspension for off roading.


    https://youtu.be/kTd0tQV0B8A
     

    Tactically Fat

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    What's your budget?

    Any thoughts of getting something with some kind of PTO on it that you can use implement attachments? Like a mower deck / bush-hog type thing? Or a post-hole digger? Or a TILLER?

    Granted, a vehicle that'll do those things isn't going to be cheap. And then you still have to purchase the attachments - which also aren't inexpensive.

    So, perhaps I've just talked myself in a circle. Probably less expensive to find a used Polaris Ranger or something + a trailer where you can tow the other things with you.

    My parents have an old Polaris Ranger. It's probably 10 years old or so. Loud as crap. Won't go into reverse if it's been on too long. But it'll still go into 4x4 if/when needed, has a winch, and a dump-bed. And keeps on ticking along. It's been invaluable for them on their farm, for sure. I wish I had the $ to just gift them a brand new one... But I don't have $20k.
     

    bocefus78

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    I plot with a small 4x4 quad with a low range gear. It gets the job done. Mine is air cooled and if I could buy again, id go liquid cooled. Dragging discs, cultivator, sprayers etc for long periods gets the motor pretty hot when doing the fall plots in the late summer.

    If you guys are only doing small plots an atv will be fine and you'll save thousands over a utv which can be used for seed, lime, fert, chems or other equipment. If you are into multiple acres, an old 8n ford for 2500$ would be a better choice imo.

    Lastly, if it's a business, time is money. I'd personally get a 4x4 tractor with fel and 3pt. It'll pay for itself quickly and you'll never be sorry you had bigger equipment. I've gotten some big **** into wet areas with nothing more than a chainsaw and using the logs as a road. You'll want the loader for lime spreading and the 3pt for a cone spreader or dragging a larger disc.
     
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    nate77

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    A small diesel 4x4 tractor with a FEL is what you need. Ground engaging implements are tough on ATV's/UTV's, and their rubber band CVT transmissions. Also the tractor will have a PTO for mowing, and spreading, so you won't have an extra engine to maintain, and have problems with.

    Check Craigslist, I often see used small tractors for the price of an ATV, or UTV.
     

    mikebol

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    How about an old Ford 8N\9N? They are pretty easy to come by, versatile, are small enough to fit into the tighter trails and would fit on your existing trailer fine.

    EDIT: If the need is infrequent, how about renting a small tractor from a neighboring farmer for the heavy stuff and then using your ATV\UTV for the lighter upkeep? We have a friend with a sub-compact John Deere and we borrow his twice a year. We change the oil on it and give it a good cleaning before we take it back to him. I think he likes it this way because he never has to do it himself. :)

    Mike
     
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    nate77

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    Here is my $700+Saiga 12 shotgun tractor. Not big, or fancy, but it mows, pulls, lifts, and does everything I need to, and it always runs no problem. Plus even though it is only 2wd, when you mash down on that difflock pedal, it will go anywhere.

    My last tractor was a 1955 Ford 850 gasser, and every time I used it, it seems like I had to tinker with something; diesel is the only way to go.

     

    ghuns

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    A John Deere 670, or an old Kubota B6100 compact utility tractor would be my pick. Small, 4x4, 3 point hitch and PTO.

    Avoid the older B6000 Kubota, its PTO spins the wrong way for common implements.
     

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