Hi, looking for advice... I'm a total rookie! We just bought a house & horse stable on 8 acres in Wisconsin and until yesterday we were looking at Deere tractors ($$$) until someone mentioned an ATV instead. Here's what we need it to do:

Function: working around the property rather than for sport.

Criteria: Reliability, pulling power and ease of use. Needs to be adaptable to support attachments (if they exist) for cutting grass, hauling hay / wood, debris, speading manure.

Price: up to $6k, I was thinking of a 2004 closeout.

What I have seen so far (internet browsing) is the Yamaha Kodiak, Honda FourTrax.

Thanks for the help!

 

i do a lot more sport riding then i do work with my atvs but you should take a look at the polaris line of ATVs. as I recall they have a number of working accessories like mowers and such for their bikes. I dont know which models would be in your exact price range but they are great working ATVs. with auto tranny and a great 4 wheel drive system, and a single lever for all wheel disk breaks they are a very easy to operate.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I found a Polaris dealer and will drop by, also a Yamaha / Honda dealer. I'm willing to pay more for quality which usually means Honda, no idea if that's the same for ATVs...?

 

Just about any upper level machine out there will do what you want it to do. You might take a look at some of the implements designed for ATV's to see what models they are making parts for to get a feeling for how big you might need to go. I'd seriously look at the Honda Rubicon. THat is their work machine, and I doubt you can throw anything at it that it can't handle. Plus it is the only ATV (rancher AT) in that class that has an automotive hydralic transmission like you have in your car. All other ATVs use a series of belts, or torque converters liek you find on snowmobiles. If you can afford it, I'd recommend looking at a Yamaha Rhino, or on of the other side by sides made by Polaris, Deere, Kubota, and others. They are ideal for what you want to use if for, plus, you can seat at least two people in them in a safe environment.

The Kodiak is a good choice too, however, I am leary about the Independent rear suspensions for machines that will be working hard on a farm, and pulling and carrying a lot of weight in stock form. ALL of the weight is on the suspension/chassis which can adversly affect handling. Where as a solid axle pulling a trailer, the weight is on the axle/tire combination... Just a thought...

Pay close attention to the local laws, as WI has some pretty peculiar licensing and permitting rules... and they enforce them religiously.

Where abouts is your place? I have 9 acres near the village of Kendall, in Monroe county that I purchased a year ago for planned retirement in a couple of years. See my profile page for a picture of it.

 

Wow, thanks for all the info Dragginbutt. Also enjoyed your profile. I'm impressed by the versatility of the Polaris ATP, the V word is so important. Hauling logs, cutting grass, speading manure, maybe a bit of flying around too. Will take a close look at all the Honda line, we're outside Hudson, WI, on the MN border off I-94. We have noticed how strict they are around here, they even list all the lawbreakers in the local paper, my wife loves that section.

 

You may want to take a look a the Polaris ATP(all terrain pickup) But only with the 500 ho. The 335 just aint got it. Compare the towing and hauling ratings for both then you will know. Check out polaris of chattanooga for best deals if your in the area. They also have a decent website. Out of state purchases is tax exempt saving another $300. They also carry the belts for life warranty.

 

Saving $300 on one end, relates to spending it on the other. Either way, the state of WI is going to make sure you pay your full amount of local state tax. When you add up the transportation costs of going down there and back.. it just doesn't add up. Better off going local.

Hudson is in the middle of ATV country, with many public riding areas available. Black River Falls area comes to mind... Yes the local rangers are very aggressive in their enforcement in that area. Especially if you are from out of state... Make sure you put your stickers where they belong, and that anyone who will ride the machine has taken the appropriate safety training course. WI has a decent web site available for all the details.

You might try and contact the monkeybutt riders ATV riding club.. they go all over the area on rides on a regular basis. A lot of good people.

 

I do many of those items you listed with my Rubicon. However there have been a hundred times I wished I would have had the ATP for "small" loads of dirt, gravel, salt, flower pots, hay, straw. etc... itstead of having to hook up a trailer every time. If your gonna be feeding animals. youll want the ATP.

 

I'm not really sure if a ATV is your best choice.

do you have to spread the manure or can you just dump it some where?

a tractor has a PTO shaft to run a manure spreader and a mower. with a ATV you need to buy mower with a extra motor to run the blades which makes it fairly exspensive. i wasn't even aware they made a ATV manure spreader, how does it work? is it driven by the wheels turning (like the Amish use) or does it also need a motor run that too? also i imagine a spreader weighs a couple hundred pounds, not much of payload if the the manure is wet.

i think in the long run, after you figure the extra cost of the atv mower, manure spreader and extra maintenance on the extra engine(s), you might be better off buying a used tractor and equipment which would be easier to find and a lot cheaper. might still have enough left over for a nice down payment towards the ATV or side-by-side for the other choirs once you do a price comparision.



Heya Dragginbutt, i was hoping to get some info from you about your local dealer, and had a few other questions.. if you don't mind could you PE at Jomer@webtv.net.

....

 

There are small spreaders that have about a 6 to 8 ft box on them, and work off of the wheel using a chain drive... If you are using a tractor with a bucket on it to leod it, I beleive you can get a couple bucket loads in it at least, maybe three.

As for pulling power, the upper level ATV's would handle stuff like that without too much problem. I have seen a Rubicon pull a loaded hay wagon on level field, although I am the first one to say that as far as coming down a hill, I wouldn't attempt it because that weight would overload your capacity to stop.

Still ,you would be surprised over teh versatility of these things. Mowers would need an additional engine, however overall teh costs are not that different than a bush hog... even with the extra motor...

Where a tractor comes in, is the impliments.. Around a farm, you just can't beat a front bucket on a tractor for loading, moving, digging etc. For versatility, I'd really look at the side by sides.. they are a lot more comfortable to drive, you can take a passenger, they drive like a car, so skill isn't an issue. They usually have a small bed, some even dump. They are usually 4 wheel drive etc etc... If I were buying for all around use, that is the first thing I'd buy. But I will also admit that it will fall short of the tractor's capabilities if you need to load manure etc. Doing it by hand gets old real fast.