Dont know about the others, but I have acres of woods, and wide lanes of grass on either side of our 1/2 mile long driveway. Plenty of space to spread year round that doesn’t involve any “horsey” areas
Pretty common in the Deep South. It’s so hot it kills any worms and doesn’t bother the grass growth at all in the summer. In the winter it doesn’t seem to bother the rye grass either, though there is more concern regarding worms. It rains year round to so perhaps that helps.
Ideally you’d (general you) use a rotational grazing system and spread on a resting pasture. Or spread on trails etc.
Even with a rotational grazing system, there are many weeks of the year that I wouldn’t drive any vehicle off a gravel path for fear of getting stuck or at the very least, leaving deep ruts in the soft ground. And of course, snow.
I don’t know what I would do without a FEL but I can see how the climate/terrain makes a difference. I pile my manure in a “bunker” and then use the FEL to move it to a different pile for flipping/composting when the bunker is full and/or the ground is safe to drive on.
I want a side-by-side also. Have been trying to convince myself of the “need” for a couple of years. 
Driving to my neighbor’s house for happy hour doesn’t sound like a good enough justification.
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Which is totally understandable. I dunno how folks do it when everything gets snowed in! Or swallowed in mud! I imagine that’s a whole different ball game. I did preface my post with “here in the Deep South”, as we don’t have mud or snow of the magnitude more northerly climates do. I think as far North as I’ve personally witnessed the spread every day or as the spreader fills up routine is Tryon. That location did advise on occasion that spreading might be delayed a few days due to weather.
Personally, with my current mini acreage I’m not keen on driving anything but a tractor on the paddocks regularly as I’m concerned about compaction from smaller tires. Other places with larger acreages that may not be a concern.
Everybody has their own set of circumstances to deal with.
The things we use the FEL and the tractor for.
Lifting anything to put on or off utes. To put in sheds etc etc etc.
To feed out round bales.
To slash.
To pull out star pickets.
To feed out wire and tighten new fencing.
To dig holes for fence posts. To lift posts into the hole. To carry posts to the hole.
To lift rails, to carry rails.
Not only lifting and carrying posts and rails for fences, but also for the cattle yards and also when we made our own outdoor arena.
To slash.
To pull out anything that is bogged.
To remove a shed made with telegraph poles that was downed in a storm and the Insurance company wanted to charge us $8,000.00 to remove 20 years ago.
As a stop for the irrigator.
To rake hay.
To bale hay.
To rake the arena. A different type of rake to the one to rake hay.
Yo give a lift to someone else who can sit comfortably on the FEL.
That tractor was given to us with the farm. It is over 50 years old. It starts with the first turn of the key even when down with the irrigator in freezing conditions.
There will he a shrine for that tractor when something happens to it. … or should I say him. He has a name.
The quad we use for carrying fencing supplies after floods and mustering cattle.
Next we might get a mule or something like that but it will not be a necessity.
As I said before I am the queen of : always wanted my tractor! my property simply doesn’t need one.
…No, literally. I have less than 2 acres in ‘turn out area’. these are cross fenced to even smaller for rotation, etc. the ONLY place I could use a tractor is from its parked space, up and down a small hard packed lane. I literally have ONLY 300 ft. lot frontage on a road. WITH a driveway / lane that splits down that middle. I have wooded ravines behind home that no way to access, with the Chesapeake Bay protection area, and downhill to a protected creek.
Tractors are wonderful for so MANY things if you have the property. I cannot fathom one here, but I sure wanted to have one once upon a time. now, THIS??? I WANT ONE. https://ratbarrow.com.au/
If they made that into a ride on wheelbarrow mower, that would be even better
who knows? perhaps they’ll adapt it. I have a ride on mower. (for now) I prefer nothing to haul behind me to cut…but yeah, you’re right if they combined one in the front /separate unit! this is the first thing I’ve seen with front dump like any wheelbarrow. I LOVE THAT.
Most of us use our tractors for a lot of things, but the OP is saying they have one and don’t use it.
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I spread mine on lanes or our front yard. Front yard is just wasted space so it is perfect to spread on and nice and high so it stays dry.
Downside the lawn is crazy thick now and I need to mow it frequently in the spring. It looks great but if I go to long it can really choke a mower. Horses poop under their awning so I don’t have bedding mixed in so I don’t worry about composting first to breakdown the stall shavings.
We have a 70 hp cab tractor, an ATV and a golf cart. If I had to go down to just one farm vehicle it would be a UTV. We use our ATV a lot but we also use the golf cart a lot too. A UTV would be the perfect middle ground.
That’s what I was doing until this year. It worked fine. But, I bought a mule a few months ago and I use it every day. I LOVE it. Did I need it? probably not, but it does make everything easier than the ATV. Our ATV is going to auction …
And put me in the “we need a tractor” group. I use it for moving big bales, scraping paddocks, plowing snow, mowing pastures, digging post holes, digging up and leveling arena… … and many more tasks I can’t think off.
I spent a long time convincing myself I “needed” one. Turns out I use it pretty much every day! (and I haven’t even been to the neighbor’s for happy hour)
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This is a really interesting topic for me. When we first bought our 7 acres about 10 years ago, we decided to hire the neighbour for any tractor work, since neither my husband nor I know anything about mechanics to do our own maintenance. This year the farmer has retired from taking care of his neighbours so we’re on our own. After doing a ton of research, I’ve decided to go for an ATV - no need for a side-by-side because I do all the farm work on my own. An ATV will do everything I need and will also allow me to maintain trails on my neighbour’s property. I am really looking forward to mowing my pastures regularly (rather than the once I year my neighbour had time for in the past) so I can transform them from weeds back to grass! I did find that you can purchase hydraulic arms for an ATV to attach a bucket, pallet tongs, etc. I didn’t look into it too much because I determined I won’t need it but it is interesting. I’d be curious to know how those work over the long term.
Just an update! We ordered a new Polaris Ranger several weeks ago and it has been an amazing replacement to the tractor. It goes places on the property the tractor never could. We got a winch on it and a snow blade, so should be set for winter too.
Price was half what we spent on the tractor and we paid cash so no payments and no regrets! Love it, love it, love it. Don’t miss the tractor one bit 
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My mule is on the way. I hope to get it next week! That and the ZTR will be put maintenance vehicles of choice!!
Been tractorless for around 7 years and don’t miss it either!!
I have both a subcompact tractor and a Kawasaki Mule. I couldn’t get by now without either one. I also have a Newer spreader, and have found it to be a royal pain - constant stopping to use a pitchfork to break up manure clogs while spreading. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just spread manure by hand.
When you decide to buy a Mule, or any other UTV, think very, very seriously about adding a hydraulic dump bed. The Mule bed full of manure or dirt requires strong muscles to raise and dump., which I find to be losing as I get further and further into my 70’s. The hydraulic kit is dealer installed for about $1,000, and in my case was worth every penny.
And another Mule suggestion. The Kawasaki engine in the Mule was designed to be used at full throttle in things like mowers and generators. When run at low speed consistently, like chugging from one manure pile to the next, their throttle bodies build up deposits due to never reaching hot operating temperatures, which eventually means replacing the throttle body - an $800 part, plus labor. This damage can be delayed by getting out on the road and running at full speed every few days. This is a well known problem often discussed on Kawasaki forums.
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