I need an ATV that can pull a small dump trailer (200-300#?) up and down a small hill- 1 to 2 stories high with a 140 degree angle(?) so kinda steep. Price is a concern. what kind of atv should I be looking at and what kinds should I avoid? Thanks

 

One with good brakes! A heavier one would be a bonus. Here's a picture of my old 2001 Arctic Cat 500 manual shift towing a load of green maple, at least 3500 lbs. It tows it very well in 1st gear low range. Second, check out my Arctic Cat 700 SuperDuty Diesel. This monster will really tow. Wife learning to plow snow, haha.

 

My big concern is the hill. I will be mainly hauling down hill. not sure the grade but if on a clock would be at 10 .
and thanks Hydrex, thats alot of towing capicity.

 

Hard to say, but, I would try to borrow one to try first, unless you plan to use it for other stuff. Of all the ATV's I've ever driven, that Arctic Cat diesel blows everything else out of the water. It has gobs of torque, it already weighs 900 lbs. 1 of the trails that I ride on, is probably that steep, I know a guy pitchpoled a Jeep going down it. Rode the wife on back of the diesel, it felt way safer than any other ATV that I've taken down. It's the only one I'd trust to take the wife up and not flip, as it has a low center of gravity and a long wheel base. It will also depend on what kind of surface, the trail that I spoke of has sharp rocks and gravel, like ball bearings, bad for traction. I think even a farm tractor would not be safe for your application, big risk of flipping! So if you are hauling the weight downhill, you might think of retrofitting electric trailer brakes to the trailer. A trailer going down hill can push you pretty hard. Here's a picture of my 2002 Arctic Cat 400 that I bought for $1,400. With good tires it would do that, but I'd still try to put brakes on the trailer. Here it's hooked to a log arch, it pulls very strong.

 

Its really not the atv you are going to need to worry about. Its going to come down to the trailer. To tall of a trailer and it will try flipping over taking you with it. The above recommendation of brakes on a trailer is a good one. The trailer our club just got has brakes on it. If you are going down hill and the trailer starts to push you it could make for a very interesting and dangerous ride.

 

I would personally look for one of the 2 person quads as they have a longer wheelbase. That will translate to better stability on hills going up and down. I've used both a Polaris Sportsman X2 500 and my present Can-Am Outlander Max 650 for pulling heavy loads of wet firewood over rough ground and up and down hills. Pulling a 4x4x3 trailer with just cut oak, maple, birch, and other hardwoods can get exciting going down hills as others have mentioned. Even with the excellent engine braking of the Can-Am I still keep my hand on the brake and pulse it to control speed. Polaris, Can-Am and Arctic Cat all make 2 person machines. Polaris basically has 2 models, the Sportsman Touring and Sportsman X2. Can-Am's model is called the Outlander Max. Not sure of what Arctic Cat calls their new or older models.

 

You'd be better off avoiding that hill altogether if you can. If you can't then go straight up and straight down. If you go on an angle with a trailer you're just asking for trouble. As Moose mentioned the 2-up machines will have better stability going up and down hills. You're less likely to flip it over because of the longer wheelbase.

 

Could look for an older utv like a Yamaha Rhino or Polaris Ranger. Extra width and weight for more stable feel. You get a dumping cargo bed so you might not even need to use the trailer at all. A bit more expensive yes but probably about the same price as a used 2 up 4x4 utility atv. Maybe you could find something like this https://carbondale.craigslist.org/snw/6000535299.html

 

Yup, trailer brakes first, I think even a UTV, like the Rino, could still get pushed sideways and flip. Life is short enough, no need to tempt fate.

 

Yep does not matter how big the machine is things can go wrong in a hurry if the trailer starts pushing. Even my truck with 2 machines on the trailer can get pushed around in the right conditions. Eventually i will be swapping out axles to one with brakes.