I'm in the lawncare business. I've been pulling an aerator with my ZTR mower but, while manueverability is great, everything else about this combination leaves a lot to be desired. I've considered other options, such as a small tractor, but even the small ones are still too big for my application. So I thought an ATV would work. I've been looking at a lot of ATVs but I'm finding that I'm way out of the loop here. So far, the one that catches my eye is the Polaris. I like the on demand AWD and the auto tranny looks like it could be a plus. My question is, how will this belt drive stand up to pulling a loaded aerator with its tines sunk 3-4 inches in dirt and a couple of hundred pounds of weight on top? Any ideas?

If not a Polaris, what about other manufacturers?

 

Polaris's are work horses

 

As long as you don't sit still while giving it throttle, you will be fine (give it enough gas to keep it moving). The #1 cause of burned belts is not giving it enough gas to turn the wheels, but enough gas so it tries. This causes the pulley to rub against one small spot on the belt. Do this long enough any you will overheat the belt.
I have had my Xplorer hitched to wagons where all 4 wheels had to spin on grass (with good tires, that is quite a bit of pull) but was careful to never let it 'burn' in one spot, and got 5000 miles out of my original belt.
Also, ALWAYS have it in low range when pulling any kind of load.

Farmr

 

I had a trail boss 250 and the thing would cart my snowmobile trailer with two skidoos on it,no problem. Never had any belt slip. Plus the 4wd machines have low gear witch will make a huge difference in pulling power.

 

Thanx Guys....this is what I really love about these forums; honest, straight, no hype answers. This also really takes a load off of my mind, because the last thing I need is to drop 5-6 Gs on a machine only to find out that it's not going to do what I need it to do. I've done enough of that, in the past, with lawn equipment. Thanx again.

So I think it's a "go" with the Polaris. I'm really thinking the Sportsman 500 will fill the bill.

 

I've pulled an aerator with 300 lbs of sand weight on it to help it plug properly. I used my small wheeler (Yamaha 250 Timberwolf) to pull it with no problems. It worked great. Be careful of the tires you have on the 4 wheeler. Aggressive tire treads will tear up the lawn turf everytime you make a tight turn.

SurferSam

 

Actually, in some cases, tearing up the turf with the tires is not a problem, because we're looking to scuff it anyway. We have the same thing with anything we use to pull. But, the majority of the time, we're aerating in order to prepare the yard for seeding anyway.

But this does make me think of another question. Does the Sportsman 500 have a "posi" type limited slip diff, or will the wheels turn at different rates when, say, going around a tree?

 

It is posi-traction. Both wheels turn the same amount. The inside wheel is what tears up the turf when you turn. I know I'm preaching to the choir. But I can't think of any of the full-size 4 wheelers that are not posi-traction on the rear.

 

Most polaris 4x4 can pull up to 1800lbs.I build golf courses and we use them to pull all kinds of stuff.