ATV recommendations for towing drags, etc.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

My Polaris is not happy towing my shiny, new, beloved rough cut mower. [Total sadness]. The mower only weighs about 550 lbs and the ATV is rated to tow over 800, but it is air-cooled and is getting hot going so slow in low. I have to stop every half hour and let it cool down.

I need to find something that can tow the mower through heavy brush and up a good hill, and ultimately drag an arena, drag the driveway, pull a lawn roller, push snow, haul a bale, etc. I will probably be looking for something used…I’d like to stay under 10k. I don’t have anywhere to store something as tall as a tractor (just in case that was your suggestion).

Anything I should look for (or look out for) or know ahead of time?

TIA

[DMK]

How do you like the rough cut mower ATV attachment?

(OK, I know not what you were asking, but I was looking at those a while back and wondered if you really could use that instead of a tractor/bushhog).

On that note, when I was talking about getting an ATV to haul the ring drag/manure spreader (a Newer Spreader so very light), my ATV expert said at least a 350 and the Honda Foreman/Rancher got a lot of love. I’m betting you need a 500 for this job.

[NaturalSelection]

Perfect timing!

I have been considering purchasing a used ATV for towing rough cut mower, snow plowing the driveway (only light snows, large snows tackled with snow blower), and dragging arena as a cheap and temporary measure to defer a tractor purchase. Very interested in recommendations posted on this thread.

Please carry on!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

DMK–That’s what I bought it for–bush hogging. I got the Swisher 44" with the 14.5HP (not the 11.5HP) motor from Mowers Direct with the liftgate service. After I figured in shipping and tax, it was cheaper there than TSC–even on sale there.

So far I’m in love. The electric start is great. The two biggest complaints in all the reviews I read are the hitch pin is weak and the tires can go flat if you go over heavy thorns or something. So far I haven’t had an issue with either. It was much cheaper than the DR, or Kunz, and for the money I am pleased. You do have to go slow (at least when you are mowing a rough pasture that has gone to seed and is taller than your 4 wheeler already). We have had steady rains all spring and my grass is out-of-control lush and wet.

I have looked at some UTVs, but they are so much more expensive. I’m just wondering if there is an ATV that will work. Maybe it is better to get a UTV, IDK, hence the thread. I will look at the Honda.

[HungarianHippo]

Highly recommend the Honda Rancher or Foreman. We have pulled our Swisher trailcutter with the Honda Rancher 350 for 10+ years and both are great tools.

I’m often out there mowing for many hours straight, without either machine getting unhappy, and we have hills, tall brush, etc. I’m usually in 2nd gear most of the time when mowing, going 5-7mph, but drop down 1st on hills and in tight spots, etc.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8679611]
Highly recommend the Honda Rancher or Foreman. We have pulled our Swisher trailcutter with the Honda Rancher 350 for 10+ years and both are great tools.

I’m often out there mowing for many hours straight, without either machine getting unhappy, and we have hills, tall brush, etc. I’m usually in 2nd gear most of the time when mowing, going 5-7mph, but drop down 1st on hills and in tight spots, etc.[/QUOTE]

What kind of lift do you use for your swisher to service the blades or change the oil? Just curious. I need to figure something out for that.

[HungarianHippo]

We use a chain hoist on an overhead barn beam, and tip it up that way.

[merrygoround]

I can’t recommend the Honda Foreman too highly. It is rugged tough and does the job. There is a big difference between the foreman and the Rancher, which is quite a bit lighter.

However, it seems impossible to buy one second hand. If they come up for sale they are snapped up quickly for very good prices.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

If I’m reading right, it looks like the Foreman and the Rancher are both rated to tow 850 lbs? Rancher is more nimble, foreman is larger. Does the Foreman tow better for some reason? When I went to Honda online and input my goals (towing) it suggested a Rancher without the independent rear suspension.

I would love any feedback on this Rancher looks like it costs less, but I want to make sure I’m not missing something. TIA.

[HungarianHippo]

I don’t have a basis to compare, other than my neighbor has the Foreman and it’s def noticeably bigger & heavier than our Rancher. Seat’s bigger, wheelbase is wider. But Mr HH is 6’1" and not tiny build, and ours fits him just fine.

The heavier machine will prob experience less stress pulling the same load, so I’d guess the tradeoff is longevity. But our rancher is more than a decade old, and routinely pulls a trailer of firewood, probably 500-600lb worth without any struggle. Heck I’ve even dragged a 1200lb roundbale (short distance, just needed to move it out of the way). After all these years, it has needed only very minor maintenance (I think we had to replace the starting wire harness?) but nothing structural or engine-related that would hint that we’re overloading it.

I’d go with the rear suspension, personally. A few hours on the ATV on even a relatively smooth field can leave you feeling somewhat beat up.

What fatigues me more is the force needed to turn it. Not bad in 2WD, but in 4WD it takes more effort. You will definitely get good at finding the most efficient way to mow with minimum # turns. :lol:
It’s only a factor when mowing for hours on end. It’s tiring because it’s not like you can just hold a steering wheel with one hand while you rest the other one (or, um, drink a cold adult beverage). On the ATV you’ve got to always be pressing the throttle with your thumb, and on turns one hand is pushing the handlebars while the other pulls. And, the handgrips are set to “man-distance” and thus not all that comfortable for a woman over a several-hour task. So that’s the downside, and I imagine it may be greater for the larger Foreman. If you’re considering buying, definitely do a test ride with lots of turns on grass (it will turn much more easily on the parking lot pavement, so it’s not a good test)

[Huntin_Pony]

Another Foreman endorsement. I have a 2013 with none of the fancy stuff - that is, “manual” transmission, no power steering - and it is a beast, especially in 4WD. I do not have a towable brush mower, but ring/driveway dragging and snow plowing work great. It’s an indispensable tool on my farm.

[Winding_Down]

I am with the above Honda Foreman Lovers. I bought a new one in 2013 and it is in use daily. It pulls everything, and is my go to vehicle for breaking trails through snow, running about the farm, delivering hay bales to fields, dragging ring, pulling a wagon when clearing.

OP and others: I am very interested in pull behind mowers. I wish they were cheaper though!

[Tiffani_B]

We looked at ATVs and UTVs and ended up going with the Kawasaki Mule. It can tow, plow, has a winch, and my two favorite things about it - it has a tilting bed and can easily carry two people. When my hubby and I are working around the farm, it’s nice for us both to be able to ride out to wherever we’re working. The tilt bed is awesome - I clean stalls into it, we’ve used it to haul brush, tools, hay… it’s overall a much more useful vehicle than any ATV could ever be.

We paid about $9000 for it brand new including the plow, winch and bed liner.

[NaturalSelection]

Tiffany B, what size/style of Kawasaki Mule do you have?

[Tiffani_B]

[QUOTE=NaturalSelection;8686608]
Tiffany B, what size/style of Kawasaki Mule do you have?[/QUOTE]

We have the 610 4x4.

https://www.kawasaki.com/Products/2016-Mule-610-4x4

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

[QUOTE=Tiffani B;8684582]
We looked at ATVs and UTVs and ended up going with the Kawasaki Mule. It can tow, plow, has a winch, and my two favorite things about it - it has a tilting bed and can easily carry two people. When my hubby and I are working around the farm, it’s nice for us both to be able to ride out to wherever we’re working. The tilt bed is awesome - I clean stalls into it, we’ve used it to haul brush, tools, hay… it’s overall a much more useful vehicle than any ATV could ever be.

We paid about $9000 for it brand new including the plow, winch and bed liner.[/QUOTE]

A tilting bed could be amazing. Dumping manure is one of my least favorite things in the whole world. If I don’t use a wheelbarrow, which is manageable, I use a big towable dump cart. The problem is it isn’t high enough to get it on the pile so I have to hand shovel. That is some serious work when it is straight manure without bedding.

I can’t think of what I would need a winch for though… ??

[Tiffani_B]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;8691784]
A tilting bed could be amazing. Dumping manure is one of my least favorite things in the whole world. If I don’t use a wheelbarrow, which is manageable, I use a big towable dump cart. The problem is it isn’t high enough to get it on the pile so I have to hand shovel. That is some serious work when it is straight manure without bedding.

I can’t think of what I would need a winch for though… ??[/QUOTE]

The plow is lifted up/down with the winch so we use it for plowing, and we’ve used it to remove some downed tree limbs from a pasture. I didn’t think we’d need it but it’s come in handy!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Thanks! If my plow guy keeps doubling his rates I might be in the market for a plow–I didn’t know you use a winch for that–never plowed.

Currently I like paying him and sleeping in and staying warm, but it is getting a little bit steep after three years of $ doubling, although he started out really too cheap…

[Angela_Freda]

We also have a Kawasaki where I am a WS. I hated ATVs before this, now I shoot around on her like I was born up there.
We also haul a full dump trailer, harrow paddocks and drag arenas with her. It has a winch and we plow with it in winter.

As a person who never drove and ATV or motorcycle or really even the lawnmower before… I find it very user friendly.

I will get you the deets when I am out there for PM chores today.

[Frog_Pond]

TrotTrot, you’re always so helpful on these forums – I see that this thread is still active and has turned towards UTV’s, so now I’ll chime in. I bought a 4WD Gator, the 625 model, 6 months ago, with a hydraulic dump bed and hydraulic plow. It was not cheap – Gator’s 10k, plow was 3k. But. It is awesome.

For manure, I can muck into it, dump it, and then turn around and use the plow to push the pile back. It’s not as flexible a tool as a tractor with FEL, but, for me, it does a good-enough job plowing snow & plowing manure. My snow plowing is brutal – 800’ of rocky, rutted, hilly dirt road in New England, and this thing eats it up.

The bed holds 8 bales of hay or 8 bags of shavings – I use it to move things around the farm all the time. It starts immediately in all weather, and it’s nimble.

I don’t use it to bush hog, but I have total faith in it’s ability. For your bush hog, I think it would go faster and put much less wear & tear on a Gator than on an ATV. Best of luck.