ATV advice

[DaveInDenver]

And.....white or red? How well did the wines turn out? This is really something we want to do in the next couple of years!

They were Concord. The soil was terrible, they never established and fruit production was sporadic even with a lot of help.

 

[Corbet]

I, too, would love a Kubota with an enclosed cab, but I'm too cheap to pay for one!

It’s pretty shocking what they go for new but at least the financing part is pretty aggressive. With any luck the right used one will present itself when the time comes.

 

[BritKLR]

Kubota enclosures = $$$$$ and you do not want to break a window on one! As much as it would be nice to have an enclosure I simply couldn't have one due the trees on our property and the potential of damaging it. Heck, Kubota is like Harley Davidson.....you can't walk into the dealership without spending a $100! Just did my 400 hour full fluid/filter service with OEM parts $125 in filters and $300 in fluids and 1 replacement hose $75 and my labor.......and their service department is outrageous!

 

[Mendocino]

If you go the ATV route I have had very good luck with Honda. I am still using one I bought new in October of 1993 and used it everyday in the woods when I was a field archaeologist (~10 years). We bought a second one in about 2012 for our extreme events business and used it regularly until we sold the business (the Honda is still working today with the new owner).

If I was looking at rural property maintenance I would go with a 4x4 small tractor.

 

[Jameson]

The uses that you've mentioned put you a lot more in the UTV club in my mind.

I like a lot of different brands but only have experience with a Kubota RTV500. I liked it - ran very well and was easy to maintain. Transmission felt solid and low range wasn't so low to where you felt like you needed to go to bigger tires than stock to have plowing speed.

Most of them have a dump bed which was great for hauling firewood, have enough weight to it for plowing, awesome for running around trails with as there is quite a lot of accessories. You can get windscreens and doors for cooler weather, which makes a massive difference if you're doing longer stretches or when it gets real cold out. Having overhead lighting at night makes a HUGE difference for plowing in the dark too, which the roll bars get you.

After you get a trailer, saddlebags, front and rear storage platforms, etc. for the ATV you're running into UTV pricing territory for the most part.

The big thing lately is bigger and bigger motors, but the 500 was a real workhorse and also would have been a ton of fun out for a day on the trail, as long as you don't want to go 50MPH. The good new is the demand for big motors and turbos and all of that has driven the prices on used UTV's that are utility vehicles and not purely recreational vehicles down.

Just my $.02.

Edit: adding a link to the one I've used. It's not the coolest looking but it was a real workhorse. Was used at my mother-in-law's apiary to haul bee boxes, dirt, firewood, fencing materials, the works. Also plowed about a half acre of driveway when people had cars parked all over, or we didn't feel like hooking up the plow to the truck. Last I used it I think it had over 2000 hours on it and was in great shape.

https://www.kubotausa.com/products/utility-vehicles/mid-size-utility-vehicles/rtv500

The Gators are also really nice.

Hey! Thank you for the really thorough advice!

 

[Jameson]

@Jameson, look me up when you get settled up here.

I’ve got a Honda Foreman for getting through the woods and tight spaces on our property, but I have a Polaris Ranger 900XP for plowing. It does a pretty good job and has front and rear diff locks.

If your budget is higher, go with a Kubota tractor for bigger projects. However, it may be overkill if you don’t have a lot of acreage and big jobs to do.

Heck ya man. I might be pretty close to you. New house is in Woodland West just north of 24 8 minutes west of WP.

 

[Jameson]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. A lot of really thorough, really well thought out responses. This group and this forum are incredible. No where else can you post something like this and get this kind of help. I appreciate it everyone.

I think I'm going to take the cautious way out on this. I'm going to find someone to pay to plow the driveway and sit the winter out. I'd rather be a little inconvenienced this winter than pay a bunch of cash for something I'm not thrilled with!

 

[Cocarlisle]

Any well maintained known brand 4x4 ATV will do great
I’m a KTM guy but they don’t make a 4x4 ATV
We have a Honda Forman that has been dead reliable
Like a Landcruiser of ATVs

 

[Danger Noodle]

Another Woodland guy! Nice, I think @cbmontgo is on here, so that makes 3 of us. As for the ATV, we run a Polaris Sportsman 500 6x6. It usually has a plow and the bed is really handy to have. Great for hauling tools or useless family members around.

(Not my picture, just for reference).

For everything else I run a 78 FJ40 as a plow rig and have a Deere 410D backhoe for road maintenance/deep snow/firewood/etc.

 

[Jameson]

Another Woodland guy! Nice I think @cbmontgo is on here, so that makes 3 of us. As for the ATV, we run a Polaris Sportsman 500 6x6. It usually has a plow and the bed is really handy to have. Great for hauling tools or useless family members around.

(Not my picture, just for reference).

For everything else I run a 78 FJ40 as a plow rig and have a Deere 410D backhoe for road maintenance/deep snow/firewood/etc.

Excellent! Thank you for the tip. I'll look you up when we get up there!

 

[SteveH]

I'm going to find someone to pay to plow the driveway and sit the winter out. I'd rather be a little inconvenienced this winter than pay a bunch of cash for something I'm not thrilled with!

That's not a bad strategy. Before I bought my plow truck, I watched others plowing and saw how it looked and how well it worked. The only problem with hiring plow work is that you won't always be first in line every time it snows, if this person has several customers.

 

[Danger Noodle]

I think I'm going to take the cautious way out on this. I'm going to find someone to pay to plow the driveway and sit the winter out. I'd rather be a little inconvenienced this winter than pay a bunch of cash for something I'm not thrilled with!

I'll be around if I don't end up going back to campus for the spring semester. Let me know if I can help out. I'll be plowing anyways.

 

[TacoDane]

I've got a Yamaha Raptor 660. Things a blast to rip around on. But thats just for fun on the trails. For what you're describing, that's exactly what I use my Polaris 800 for. Does great plowing the driveway and has a winch with plenty of power to drag trees around the property.

 

[nakman]

I've always wanted a valid reason to buy one of those mini trucks...

I don't have the land/need for one but I just think they look cool. And of course I'd mod the heck out of it. https://weatherfordminitrucks.com/

 

[Corbet]

I've always wanted a valid reason to buy one of those mini trucks...

I don't have the land/need for one but I just think they look cool. And of course I'd mod the heck out of it. https://weatherfordminitrucks.com/

I’ve considered one of those as a daily driver.