ATV instead of Tractor

[ladymcts]

I’m in the middle of my first winter at the new farm. It’s 10 acres, 2 drafts, 1 warmblood, and a 4th horse planned. So far I’m still loving the challenges of doing things smarter/better/faster, and/or dealing with some problem I didn’t expect, and have no regrets about this new life after 12 years of boarding.

For now I have no tractor, and thought I would be buying one in the Spring. But I’m finding that I’ve actually been managing kind of OK without one. I hired a local to mow the pastures when I moved in. My neighbor cut hay for me, making 4’ round bales that I’m able to roll out to the horses. I got a gorilla cart that I use all the time. I have a 4x4 pickup truck, so have used that for dragging the pasture and I know they make round bale hay dollies for trucks.

So the closer Spring is getting, the more I’m thinking about doing an ATV instead of a tractor. The price point should be considerably lower. Of those three horses I have, only one is rideable and he’s on “light duty” riding anyway so we honestly aren’t hitting the trails as much as I would like, so I’ve also got it in the back of my mind that I could put the ATV in the back of the horse trailer and go enjoy riding it!

Now for the questions … is anyone out there using an ATV exclusively for their farm management and willing to impart some wisdom? At this point I know just a tiny bit more than squat about ATV’s. I’ve been on them and have rented them, but never owned one, and never used them for anything like towing or mowing.

I have a notion that I’d be looking at the Honda Rancher 4x4. I will most likely finance brand new. I know where I want to go for riding instruction.

Tell me what you think I need to know!!! Thank you!

Some articles I’ve looked at already:
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/22-attachments-for-your-atv-or-utv/
Article from December 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QghVUMJfHj8
ATV Hay trailer on youtube

Googling around (and reading forum threads on) manure spreaders for ATV’s
http://www.abiattachments.com/manure-spreader/
http://www.millcreekspreaders.com/compact-manure-spreaders-p/94068.htm

ATV Safety Institute offers training classes
https://atvsafety.org/

[Curb_Appeal]

If you’ve got someone to do the tractor jobs for you, maybe. We bought our 5 acres a bit over 2 years ago and I have a three stall barn with two horses. I generally use a Gorilla cart for stalls, and have to pull it myself because they don’t take a lot of abuse (the hitch bends very easily) It bounces and sometimes tips when being towed, even at low speed. Having to pull it sucks, as my property is full slope from front to back.

I kick myself frequently for buying an ATV instead of a small tractor. My husband wanted the ATV as a “toy”, but never rides it. I’m planning to sell the ATV and our riding mower to put the proceeds toward a small used tractor as soon as it is feasible. I could desperately use something with a bucket for so many jobs like manure and snow removal. We have a plow for the ATV, but with it frequently can’t handle the drifts we get out here. I need something that can scoop.

[Jim_in_PA]

The utility that a decent compact (or even sub-compact) tractor from Deere or Kubota can bring to property management far exceeds that of an ATV, IMHO. Yes, the cost point is higher, but these small diesel machines will likely last longer than a typical ATV, too. For the reasons that Curb Appeal states and more, I’m not sure that I’d make the decision to go ATV over tractor, even with others willing to do the work. My small Kubota has paid for itself multiple times over in the past 17 years on our 4 acre property…and we don’t even have horses living on it!

[allons-y]

I have 7 acres, a small barn and 3 horses. I have a Gorilla cart, a JD Green Machine and a Kubota tractor. I use a large Diesel Kubota mower for the areas around the house and the 1 acre Pecan Orchard ‘front yard’. I have no need for a snow plow here.The tractor has a FEL with removable hale bale spikes and a wonderful 6 foot finish mower.

Gorilla cart - I love it. I don’t use a wheelbarrow at all. I use it for stall cleaning, moving round pen panels (3 at a time), and general totin’ stuff. When the ground is soft after frequent summer rains I transport feed and shavings bags in it from my driveway across the grass to the barn. This winter I used it to haul buckets of water to the barn from the front trough, just about 50 yards. It’s considerably lower than the bed of the Green Machine so I choose the Gorilla for hauling heavy buckets. I do hitch it to the Green Machine some times, just with a haystring and Carribiner. My land is pretty level.

John Deere Green Machine - I also love it! It’s gas powered. I mostly use it to drag pastures and carry Pecan limbs and firewood I have cut out in the pastures. I do use it to transport feed and compressed alfalfa bales from my car if its not too wet for the weight. So far I’ve been able to preserve the nice grass to the barn and in the barnyard without ruts. I do general property maintenance with it’s help all the time. Stand in the bed to pound posts in, the extra height makes all the difference. I gently shoved a wood Privacy fence up to a new post that my husband screwed it to. I just backed up slowly and carefully. It holds all my gear when I do fence repairs. DH puts a big container in the back and slowly drives along to spray fencelines. I also use it to zoom around the property to entertain kids and let the dog really run.

Kubota Tractor I think 40 HP. I use the FEL for everything! I couldn’t live without that. I mow the majority of my property with this. I don’t have a Bush Hog any more so I really have to keep up so the grass doesn’t get too high. I have spread and contoured dirt around the barn (disastrously the first time), drive around the pasture with a load of dirt for those mysterious holes that just appear overnight. I removed a small old Peach tree and misc, bushes from my pastures easily by just shoving/ scooping them up. Then I drive to the burn pile. My insane (not really, but maybe) neighbor stands in the bucket to trim Pecan branches with a chainsaw, eek! I use the FEL to turn my manure pile/garden plot. The FEL also scrapes Algae from the edges of the neighbor’s pond. Stubborn cars get dragged to the shop easily.

There’s also a couple ATVs and dirtbikes in the shop, but I never ride them any more. Frankly, I’d rather be on my tractor “Hibachi”.

[cutter99]

We have two ATVs, as well as a garden tractor with an FEL and a 60’ mowing deck. We could not function without the FEL. We have used it for everything from hauling hay out for horses, cleaning pig pens, moving feed, moving plants for gardens, turning the manure pile for compost, and even hauling out a dead sow. The 60’ mower deck makes mowing go very fast. We have a back up mower with a much smaller deck that my husband despises using because the mowing takes much longer.

The ATVs are nice to have for other things like checking fences, hunting down missing animals, running meals out to the field when there is a project going on. We have used them to move sick calves with a driver and a passenger who holds the calf.

I do know people who pull a drag or a gang mower with an ATV. One thing to keep in mind with an ATV is that if you are riding on public land, you’ll be required to have it registered and tagged. We have enough land that we don’t need to go anywhere else to ride- just checking fences and cattle can turn into an all day project when things go wrong!

[mydogs]

I don’t use an ATV for farming, but I have used it for other horse tasks. My fiance is also an ATV guru, since he has had them for pretty much his whole life.

Some suggestions:

1. Get one that can have a hitch put on it

• At home, I have a “leaf sweeper” so I don’t have to rake or blow the leaves in my yard. I just ride around and then dump the leaves in a pile for nature to take care of.
• I’ve used my ATV at horse shows to pull a small trailer around for transporting plants & other items.
• I would definitely use it to put bales of hay on to put in the fields (but would need a place to make a U turn since I can’t back up straight ha).

2. ATV come in different weights & sizes.
   I have a 550 and my fiance has a 750. We have KingQuads.
   The 450 felt too “light” and I would worry it wouldn’t be strong enough to pull attachments.
   I like the 550 better than my 450. I have no complaints about it.
   The 750 is bigger, heavier, and stronger. It might rip out the grass if the ground is too muddy.
   I can get my fiance’s opinion on the different sizes too.
   Also, I think the 550 is not as wide, so I was able to put it on a smaller trailer and it fits in the bed of the truck.

3. You can get a snowplow & salt attachment!
   I love that I can attach a snowplow to the front of my ATVs.
   The 750 is great for when we had several feet of snow. But the 550 does a great job for “normal” winters.
   We also put a salt attachment on the 750

4. Get power steering!!
   My 550 has a power steering option. Not sure if the 750 does.
   I LOVE having power steering. It makes it much easier to turn when the ground is deep or I have a heavy load on the trailer.

5. Water buckets
   I’ve also put a large water container on the back of my ATV to water plants at a horse show. This could come in handy if you lose power and need to get water to the horses from the house. Much easier than lugging buckets around.

6. Tires
   You can get better tires to handle gripping of muddy grounds.

Our ATVs have lasted for years, but we take care of ours and my fiance is handy enough that he can fix almost everything on it when something breaks. We like to keep ours out of the elements and away from rodents, so they stay in the garage (when there is space), but currently they have been in our backyard for months since we are using the garage for other stuff.

Someone mentioned about tagging and registering the ATVs. Depending on where you are, some places require this, but not everyone does. We have never tagged ours and still go out. The Hatfield & McCoy trails were fun.

If you decide to ride on the trails, I recommend getting one that has a plastic cover to the inside of your leg/foot. I had another ATV that was exposed by my feet and when we went through mud/water, I would have to put my legs up because the hot steam was uncomfortable. My KingQuad 550 has a plastic cover so it shields most of my skin.

[Guilherme]

This isn’t really an “either/or” situation as each brings real utility to the project.

The ATV is quick, agile, and can do a lot of stuff. What it can’t do is move large items, can’t mount an FEL, and has limited horsepower for pulling stuff. Over time you’ll find these capabilities to be very valuable.

In a perfect world (or close to it ) have both.

G.

[Lucassb]

This is a timely topic for me as we are getting ready to move into our new mini farm. If there are specific brand/model recommendations for compact/sub compact lawn tractors (6.5 ac, southern location so no snow, flat terrain) that would be super!

[ladymcts]

@Guilherme

This isn’t really an “either/or” situation as each brings real utility to the project.

The ATV is quick, agile, and can do a lot of stuff. What it can’t do is move large items, can’t mount an FEL, and has limited horsepower for pulling stuff. Over time you’ll find these capabilities to be very valuable.

In a perfect world (or close to it ) have both.

G.

Well said. See, I’m considering this to be kind of my “starter farm,” not someplace I want to be in 20 years. That could change. But for now I’m not wanting to make this place into a major project … I have a day job and don’t need another! I just want to be able to move hay around and keep the fences in decent condition. For my next farm I might have more outbuildings and more stuff to do and more time to do it. Either way, I am still leaning toward the ATV now and not excluding the possiblity of a tractor too down the road. Thanks!

[Unfforgettable]

I have both, but only had my ATV (UTV)for the first five years while I saved up for a tractor (borrowed the neighbors tractor once or twice a year).Now I have…and use…both. If you’re thinking ATV, think about a UTV/side by side instead. I’ve got a Polaris Ranger, and use it a lot. The bed dumps, and is handy for hauling hay, cleaning stalls, and generally hauling stuff around. I had a winch and plow for the front, which handled my 1/4 mile driveway and a lot of snow. The tractor has made life a lot easier though, and having the front end loader, back blade, brush hog and big snowblower is huge as far as efficiency goes.

[Zu_Zu]

@Guilherme

This isn’t really an “either/or” situation as each brings real utility to the project.

The ATV is quick, agile, and can do a lot of stuff. What it can’t do is move large items, can’t mount an FEL, and has limited horsepower for pulling stuff. Over time you’ll find these capabilities to be very valuable.

In a perfect world (or close to it ) have both.

G.

^ this exactly ^

[trubandloki]

Small farm owner here.

My opinion is tractor first, ATV second. The tractor makes moving things so much easier. Spring clean-up so easy with the tractor bucket. Moving manure so easy with the tractor bucket.
Not as fun as an ATV but more useful.

[McGurk]

If you can only purchase one, purchase the tractor. With a front end loader. The usefullness of the front end loader can not be overstated.

An ATV is great for small jobs where it’s nimbleness and small turning radius are an advantage. But you’ll still need something powerful enough to run a bushhog, drive and pull posts, haul gravel and manure, etc, etc.

[gumtree]

Like everyone else has said, no brainer, tractor first. An ATV is a luxury for just about farm big or small. Not a necessity like a tractor. An ATV doesn’t have near the versatility of a tractor. A good tractor that is well maintianed will last the average farm owner a lifetime. No way an ATV will, esp when asked to do stuff its not really designed for.

I bought a used gas golf cart with a lifted suspension and off road tires for around $2,000. I put a deck on the back that can carry 6+ small square bales, feed, around the farm ,maintenance stuff etc. In a perfect world I like love to have gotten a farm utility vehicle, CATV.

How much are you paying to have your place mowed? I know what I charge others for it and it’s not cheap. Even for just 10 acres. The smaller the property the more I charge. Take the same time to haul my tractor mower to a big job as it does a small job.

Mow it yourself and you’ll payoff the equipment quickly.

[IronwoodFarm]

Another vote for the tractor, not matter how short a period of time you intend to be there. You can buy them used – check on the number of hours on the engine. Tractors last for decades and have a resale value. We started out with a used Ford tractor that was a late 1950’s vintage, sold it and moved to a used Kubota. We also have a Kubora RTV.

I would not skimp on equipment. Several major lessons we learned over the last 20 years is that having appropriate equipment saves you considerable time, effort and money than trying to make some lesser equivalent work. Making due with something else may result in accidents and injuries. Once you have the correct equipment, you will never regret it.

[onthebit]

You couldn’t pay me to take an ATV over a tractor. Once you start doing some of those jobs with a tractor, you will realize how crazy you were to consider an ATV instead. Tractors and front end loaders have SO MANY uses, I wouldn’t own a farm without one. We actually have two tractors - a 65hp and a 100hp) and a Kubota RTV 4WD.

[js]

I wouldn’t want an ATV however when we finally bought our side by side I wished we had bought it years before. Along with being 4WD it had a bed on the back that had a dump feature, had a tow cable on the front, and a hitch on the back for towing my dump cart. While it wouldn’t replace all the things a tractor can do it was far superior to an ATV.

[China_Doll]

MY 33 HORSE compact tractor has plowed snow, dug post holes with the pto, moved gravel, moved 100 loads of fill for my arena, moved sand for my arena, mowed my pasture regularly which would be costly to pay someone, hauled so many tree limbs to burn, moved leaves, pushed burn piles to keep them small, lifted people up to reach something, hauled railroad ties for my retaining wall for my arena, dug out areas, drags who trees so I don’t have to cut them up to remove them. It is like having another person. I think an ATV is a luxury after the tractor to run around where you don’t feel like walking to.

[stb]

Definitely get a tractor first. We have several ATV’s, which I do not find terribly useful around the farm. We looked at UTVs but ended up buying a Club Car Carryall vehicle with a dump bed. It is awesome. It’s like a mini dump truck. I use it for everything. As great as it is, it doesn’t replace a tractor, though.

[ladymcts]

Interesting reading the responses, but I’m still not convinced about a tractor.

I flat-out will not do used equipment. I have had some good experiences with used vehicles and machinery, and I’ve driven some really beat up old cars. But I’ve had a string of some really BAD experiences, so will not consider used tractor or used ATV.

A sub-compact tractor is going to run about $10K and up, adding attachments figure maybe $15K ballpark. That might be around $250-300/mo on a five year loan. A 30hp+ tractor will probably start around $20K, and adding attachments might get it up to $30K. That’s around $500-550/mo on a five year loan, or maybe I could get a 6 year or 7 year loan to bring the monthly down. I’m basing those estimates mostly off of what I’ve been able to find on the web and visiting a few tractor dealerships, but not doing any aggressive shopping.

So what if it costs me $350-400 to pay someone to mow the pasture once or twice a year? I fail to see how that compares against spending $3-6K in payments in the course of a year on a small or medium tractor. The neighbor who baled hay off my 5 acre will take hay in exchange for the work.

What I don’t have: stalls, arena, trails, trees (a very few in front yard and some lining the property), hills, ponds, unfenced area needing bush-hogging, or very much snow. What I do have: a very flat property with T-post & high tension wire with electric, a paddock, a 2 acre pasture, a 5 acre pasture, 3-4 horses, and a very small barn with no stalls, no “workshop” to speak of, and too small to house my truck (or a tractor).

Since moving in, I’ve been trying to tally up the jobs where a Tractor would be used, so here’s what I can think of today: mowing pasture, dragging pasture, turning/moving the manure pile, manure spreading, moving round bales, manure scooping and leveling of paddock area, spreading lime in paddock area, spreading/leveling gravel in the driveway, and doing fenceposts.

Of those things that I can think of a tractor for, the driveway management and fenceposts are probably where I would get my biggest bang for the buck, and jobs that the ATV couldn’t do. If I did a real tractor I would probably be doing more substantial fencing, but again I didn’t really buy this place to make a big project out of it. I just want to keep a few horses and go ride them.

On UTV vs. ATV, believe me those UTV’s are super attractive to me. I really think one would be a great idea, especially with the dump bed. I understand they might have better engines or deal with hauling better than ATV’s. However I have no trailer, so I couldn’t easily use it as a recreational vehicle without further investment of a trailer. So I still lean toward ATV.

Thank you mydogs for the specifics on the ATV’s you’ve got!

Can you-all see me putting my fingers in my ears and singing la la la la yet? I’m still interested in hearing more positive ATV stories and information even if you’re in the tractor-first or tractor-only camp!