if you want auto and honda, i would get a rubicon. plenty of power and relyability. nice low range and ect. just no IRS [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] if you need more power in a honda get the full rincon. you can also get both with power stearing, SO nice when your doing work! IMO strait axles are better for toeing/working.

and thank you DTC for recomending a honda, dont see that much. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] i will return the favor and i would recomend, because of the steep terain, a 2x sportsman. a longer wheelbase would be more of a plus then other things in this situation IMO. you may also want to look into a side by side. there are some very good utility sidexsides out that are ment for farm work and toeing.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: cherokee99

and thank you DTC for recomending a honda, dont see that much. </end quote></div>

My dad has a 96 (I think) Foreman that was given to him several years ago. He replaced one wheel bearing, and uses it to plow, haul firewood, and just about anything else you can think of. Never had a problem... just keeps running.

One of my son's friends has a 00' Foreman that has over 8,000 miles... never a problem... and he pounds it.

When reliability under extreme conditions is required, it's hard not to recommend a Honda.

 

Thanks everybody! I was thinking 1 person ATV because of all the trees that are on the property - figured a tractor or anything very long might be tough to maneuver around them. I've slowly clearing years of brush and small tree growth but it's slow going doing it myself - didn't want a dozer in there because of cost, dozer piles, etc. I'll read up on these suggestions (ATV, 2-up, Kubota, etc). With no experience with ATV/Tractor, I'm concerned with getting around the trees, simple to use, and ROLLOVER especially! Thanks again and I appreciate the suggestions!!

 

Several years ago I went through the same process you are going through now. I have 10 acres, couldn't justify a tractor for various reasons but needed something that would do close to what a smaller tractor would do. I looked at a lot of different factors, power, type of drive, weight, stability, fuel capacity, center of gravity, ease of steering, etc. I spent several months going over the different ATV's before making my decision. I ended up with a Bombardiar Traxtor and have never been sorry. It has done everything I needed and more.

The problem is they aren't made anymore so you would have to buy used if you can even find one available. The Honda Foreman came in a not so close second though. None of the other machines were even close for doing what I needed to do.

I haven't kept close track of what is available now but of what I am familiar with you should look at the Honda's or maybe the Artic Cat with the gear shift transmission. If you are really going to be pulling a lot such as plows you should stay away from the belt drive. Also if you are hauling much on the racks then stay away from the independent supension.

Take a look at my pics and you will get an idea of what I do with mine.

 

Things to consider when using an ATV for work go beyond just the machine itself. Skill level, terrain and what type of work you are going to do also must be considerations. What might be suitable for an experienced rider may not be and in all likelihood will not work well for a novice. ANY ATV will turn over much easier than I prefer, but this can be mitigated by proper use of weight transfer, throttle and brake application. Proper brake and throttle usage can save your hide in an OH S---T situation and keep your ATV on its feet while improper usage will turn something simple into a catastrophe. Take a little time and browse You Tube and you will see what I mean. What some of these riders can do is amazing. They clamber all over their machines, run along side, which I do not recommend, and keep their machines upright when the rest of us would crash. Whatever you get, please take a rider safety course and spend a lot of time on your bike before taking it into the hills and start out gradually to see what your "limits" are. I rode on the flat land quite a while before running in the hills and I have a dirt bike, street bike background. I would also recommend that if you are not in good physical condition, get that way. As I age, my ability to do certain things has decreased as have the places I feel comfortable taking my ATV, so I now use my Rhino in such situations.

There are fairly simple modifications you can make to create a more stable platform such as aftermarket wheels or spacers to give it a wider stance. On my first bike, I placed lead ingots at different locations, particularly in the front on the frame members to keep the front end down and to lower the center of gravity. I added a little at a time so I would not overload it and in order to get the desired results. You would be surprised at what a little extra weight can do. We routinely use such weights on our farm tractors for traction and stability. A winch is an absolute necessity as you can winch your bike up and over things it will not go under its own power and you can use it to get some of your heavier loads past a particularly tricky spot. I don't know why, but you can winch more than you can pull.

I have posted the same thing on another thread, but will repeat it here. If it was me and I had to work alone, I would buy a good used Kubota 4WD with HST (Hydrostatic Transmission) in B or BX series or the equivalent in Kioti, Mahindra, New Holland or whatever you can find to do the hard work as it will come with a standard ROPS and will be much more stable in the hills. Once the hard work was finished, I would then sell it and get a good "compromise" ATV to finish up and play with as they are a lot of fun.

Reb's Traxter looks great, but like he said they are hard to get and I have never even seen one.

Just a non expert opinion and I am sure others have more knowledge on this than I; whatever you do good luck and enjoy.

 

Reb2 and tripleR - Great information, thanks! Reb2 you hit it on the head exactly on what I'm going through now. tripleR I did spend some time thinking about a tractor but out of 12-13 acres, only a few are open field. I've seen my brother get 1 wheel off the ground on his tractor before. Scary seeing that thing tip (and he's got several years experience and the grade wasn't as much as most of my property). That's why I was thinking more of an ATV (lower center of gravity, etc) that could pull a small disk and just go around the trees and SLOWLY work my way from the field up through the trees. I'm all for slow and steady (and SAFE) versus slam stuff in. I've known people that took that approach and I don't want to spend the time healing that they did! My initial thoughts (after deciding against a tractor) are: AC500 or so, Kind Quad 450, Grizzly 450, and maybe Polaris midsize (?) - I figure the pulling a small disk through ground is the worst I'll have. I thought 4WD, power steering if possible, IRS, lower center of gravity, but higher ground clearance for the larger rocks, trees, etc.

 

BAV, trust me, I know what you mean about the tractor. I have two that I use in steep stuff. One is the Kubota BX2200, which I will shortly be trading on a BX2660. These are very low profile tractors and you cannot tip them over, well it is really hard to, but the ground clearance would be problematic with you. I have no rocks, so it is not an issue with me. The B series has the ground clearance, but gives up stability. I also have a Massey-Ferguson tractor that was designed for use in orchards and has a really low center of gravity and you honestly would not believe how stable it is in the steepest terrain, but it would be out of your price range and overkill on small acerage. Your best option is probably going to be one of those you mentioned and yes I would definitely go with 4WD. I think Honda has a mid size bike with EPS that you might want to check out and the new Rancher AT has a really unique transmission. If it has not already been mentioned here, you will want one with a locking front differential or you will only have three wheel drive and on those steep hills, you will really need all four pulling. Good luck.

 

bav, if you are still looking at an atv, for practicality, my top recomendation for your needs are as follows. 1. honda, due to there engine setup they have a low center of gravity(fact). this means less chance of a roll over than other models. good ground clerance and power steering avalibal. look at a rincon. auto, 4x4, EFI, and IRS! but if you cant shell out the $8,000 i understand, the next auto in the honda line up is a rancher 420AT. all new twin-clutch system, auto, EFI, liquid cooled, IRS, and power steering optional. the rancherAT starts at $6,500. honda puts thought and practicality into there IRS stysems. they dont set them too mushy-so you dont get body roll and rollover! the springs will absorb shock well , but minimize body roll, this and the low center of gravity do give hondas an edge in safety, IMO.

a couple years ago arctic cat had an entier line of speed-point attachments for there ATV's. same general system as reb2 has. i think they discontinued them as well.

for your uses and concers i recomend hondas. for your hard use and needs the honda transmission design yould be superoir to CVT autos. no belts to worry about and no messing with a high-low range, for proper belt tention and less belt wear. and a single cylinder mechine would have a longer life than a 2+cylinder mechine(kawi's and some polaris's). and since you said you have trees ect, mabe a sidexside would not be such a good idea.

honda's have a torx-lock front diff. (not 3wheel drive!!!) if you do your reasearch, you will learn that this system locks the front diff when you are not getting traction to the front wheel(giveing you a locked 4x4). then when it sences the wheel getting traction agean it will disengage, and make steering a whole lot easier! some comparies do not have such an advanced system ad put in a manual button-diff lock. if you use on of these mechines your arms will hurt from fighting the locked diff to steer. in essence honda has done there homework on the front diff issue. it will give you 4wheels moveing when you need it and easy steering when you dont.

just some food for thought, good luck

 

Thanks guys - your guys are definitely covering the same stuff I've been thinking about and researching. I have read up quite a bit on the Rancher AT with power steering. The IRS gives it several more inches of ground clearance and it sounds like a good option for what I need. I did come across the attachments from AC and those sounded good as well - especially with the 3 point hitch to add pressure at the implements. AC attachments mean an AC ATV. I like what I've read there but wasn't sure about the stability with the higher ground clearance. I like the Racher AT but wasn't sure about no Hi/Low - considering how little open ground I have, I figure most of the time would really be between walking speed and a good jog (typically slower due to trees). It sounds like it Rancher AT or AC500 (I think it's auto and EPS maybe?). Do you guys have any experience with either? In the next month or so I'll find dealers where I can test drive them. Thanks - this forum has been a HUGE help!

 

for the the rancher 420AT not haveing a low, i would not worry about it. simply for two reasons. 1. first and second gear are plenty low! like stump pulling low...1st gear is 5mph maxed out! no gear reduction needed there. 2. a CVT system needs alow range so it can use the max power from the engine and reduce belt wear. but there will be belt wear from your high stress aplication...

o if all you need to run the arctic cat acessories is hitch ther should not be much of a problem. but a 3 point hitch idk, just because it will still depend on the atvs weight more than anything els for the down pressure.

not heard too much about AC500's. but ik they use the sukuki 493cc engine! nice bigbore engine and plenty of power and dependability. they had the engine in the vinson 500 series for years.