Off-road And Utility Vehicles

[zoomzoom]

What do y'all use for recreation and chores?

For just running around or doing light chores, I normally grab an ATV. My normal go-to is a Honda Rancher.

For the heavier chores or multi-passenger needs, I have a Kubota RTV. It's awesome for hauling firewood and heavy loads. It's a diesel and hydro tranny so it has the power to do most anything.

Here's a pic of the 2 doing some firewood.

 

[Sentry18]

We have two of these on the family farm, Kawasaki 360 ATV. They are not new anymore but they still run great. They mostly just haul stuff from the lake to the house, house to the shooting range, etc. But they do come in hand for downed trees/branches and other chores. I don't have an actual pic handy to this stock pic will have to do.

 

[zoomzoom]

Those Kaw Prairies are nice machines. I had a 700 when they first came out. Ending up selling it as it was way too fast/powerful for what I needed. I now stay under 500cc for ATV's.

 

[Sentry18]

Those Kaw Prairies are nice machines. I had a 700 when they first came out. Ending up selling it as it was way too fast/powerful for what I needed. I now stay under 500cc for ATV's.

We looked at a 650 but decided the 360 did everything we needed for less money. They have been very good machines.

My department also has a couple Polaris UTV's. They have run well but no one likes them. Too noisy with the doors on and too cold with them off.

 

[Tirediron]

I just got an offroad ATV sized logging trailer, but the pictures I took don't show it very well, I will try for better pics later (after I learn how to post pics here)

 

[Tirediron]

I finally figured out the pictures thing, but the edit doesn't show up as a new post. the trailer also came with a dump box which can be see under the storage trailer in my top pic. it pins to the rear of the frame and has a hook to connect the crane line to to dump it. the hoist winch is designed for electric or hand crank, I use hand crank most of the time. the wood in the photos is 8' long, standing dead poplar. not really heavy but hard on a middle aged back to throw around.

 

[phideaux]

Well, I'm an all electric nut,
Solar , inverters , Batteries and the such.
So I searched high and low to find what would fit my needs, and decided to go with this for doing my running around on the farm,
hunting quietly and odorlessly, power for the house, and heavy work when needed.

It's a Bad Boy Electric, MTV, 48V, (8 batteries 6v)which can be solar charged , 30 HP AC motor thru a 650 amp Curtis controller,
will pull the house in 4x4, low range;D, heavy machine ...1600-1800lbs, will run 25-30 mph ...gets a bazillion mpg,
has a 2000 lb winch, Dump bed, digital speedometer, odometer , battery indicator. Gun rack, ...

My baby,

As I'm also storing Diesel fuel , for my Tractor and truck, I am also looking at a Kubota 900 Sidexside ATV to add to my work machines...
Diversity is the name of the game.



Jim

 

[Peanut]

Have you tried a scooter?

I call this a scooter, its actually nothing but a minibike. It’s the best $600 I’ve spent in a long time. I got it at tractor supply. Here on the farm I have about 40 acres of timber where cattle can give birth. Cows are really good at hiding new born calves.

I have an old leg injury that still bothers me. I could spend a day searching for a calf in that timber. This is why I bought the scooter. ATV’s are great on a trial but they are horrible in a thick stand of timber. Plus, a new one is about $10K.

Now I only spend a couple of hours searching for new born calves. I also use the scooter when I want to move cattle from one pasture to another or check the fences after a storm. It only weighs about 125lbs. I can load it into my truck bed without a ramp if I take it plant hunting. I bought a ramp but have never used it.

Granted, an old man on a minibike looks silly but I don’t care. My only complaint about the scooter is power. It has a 6.5hp engine. I wish it was about 8hp. I have some pretty steep hills here and a little extra power would come in handy.

I have two tractors if I need to skid up a log for fire wood or haul tools for fence repairs. One is an old Ford 2000 diesel, with the tires set to the inside position it’s only 5 feet wide. I have wanted a Farmall Cub for years. I’ve seen them sale for as little as $1500 and seen fully restored Cub’s sell for $3K

To me $10K or more for an ATV doesn’t make economic sense. A small utility tractor is 1/5th the cost and far more versatile. $600 to check fences or find a cow is a no brainer.

 

[gumpy]

Have you tried a scooter?

I call this a scooter, its actually nothing but a minibike. It’s the best $600 I’ve spent in a long time. I got it at tractor supply. Here on the farm I have about 40 acres of timber where cattle can give birth. Cows are really good at hiding new born calves.

I have an old leg injury that still bothers me. I could spend a day searching for a calf in that timber. This is why I bought the scooter. ATV’s are great on a trial but they are horrible in a thick stand of timber. Plus, a new one is about $10K.

Now I only spend a couple of hours searching for new born calves. I also use the scooter when I want to move cattle from one pasture to another or check the fences after a storm. It only weighs about 125lbs. I can load it into my truck bed without a ramp if I take it plant hunting. I bought a ramp but have never used it.

Granted, an old man on a minibike looks silly but I don’t care. My only complaint about the scooter is power. It has a 6.5hp engine. I wish it was about 8hp. I have some pretty steep hills here and a little extra power would come in handy.

I have two tractors if I need to skid up a log for fire wood or haul tools for fence repairs. One is an old Ford 2000 diesel, with the tires set to the inside position it’s only 5 feet wide. I have wanted a Farmall Cub for years. I’ve seen them sale for as little as $1500 and seen fully restored Cub’s sell for $3K

To me $10K or more for an ATV doesn’t make economic sense. A small utility tractor is 1/5th the cost and far more versatile. $600 to check fences or find a cow is a no brainer.

View attachment 4408

That's what I need around my little place!

 

[viking]

I priced 4 wheel ATV's and ended up buying a 1987 Samurai soft top for $1,500 and later bought a 1988 tin top Samurai for $1,700 which is our favorite because the desert dust doesn't get into it like the soft top, thing is that they can go almost anywhere a 4 wheel ATV can go, with far more comfort and at lot less cost.

 

[hiwall]

We had a Yamaha Rhino side-by-side for 10 years but I finally sold it because I was tired of working on it so often. I would NOT recommend one.

 

[angie_nrs]

Hubby has access to man sized Tonka toys so he's got just about any machine you'd ever want for a tough job. He also has his fair share of play toys too. He got a good deal on an Arctic Cat 4X4 many years ago from a guy who was having money troubles and needed to liquidate ASAP. We've not had any problems with it. He takes that to hunting camp. But around here he uses the Mahindra side by side for hauling small loads quickly or getting around the property in the winter.

I have a Workhorse golf cart which I absolutely LOVE! I can easily do yard work and haul stuff back and forth from the barn if need be. If the motor ever goes out on it, I'll definitely be buying another one! Plus, the pups love to go for rides in it b/c it's quiet and open so they can smell everything. We use the side by side in the winter and the golf cart in the spring, summer and fall.

 

[Homesteader33]

last fall we added a Polaris general 1000 to our farm, handy as heck and can pull an awful lot! Has a winch on it, dump bed and bucket seats. I waited until they came out with a dump bed on a more sporty machine and they introduced the general 2 years ago I think. Well we will never buy a new model of anything so we waited until it was out for a while first. So far...so good, we love it and well it is pretty quick to it does have 100hp.

This was their launch video, I am sure it far fetched as they all are but I have pulled trucks out of mud holes, trees we cut down (smaller trees of course not mature oaks or poplars but 40 footers anyways) and I have pulled a 14' trailer full of firewood out of the woods through the mud with it. But they are spendy, like buying a new car dang near!

 

[Patchouli]

@phideaux I like the dog, but he sure looks sad!

 

[phideaux]

@phideaux I like the dog, but he sure looks sad!

That was my baby Beagle "Boo", she was a sweetheart,
She was just mopeing around there ,

She got run over and killed , not long after that.
She just wandered out on the hwy , like a split second.

Bout killed me too.


Jim

 

[Patchouli]

I'm sorry!! That's awful.

Beagles. We had two when I was little. Tarzan and Little Joe. Tarzan loved to chase rabbits.

 

[Peanut]

@phideaux

My dad grows the best tomatoes I’ve seen. Then one year he suddenly couldn’t. His plants always looked sickly. This continued for several years. Dad was very frustrated. He tried every method he could think of for growing tomatoes.

One day I discovered what was happening to his tomatoes. Before leaving for church that evening dad searched his plants for hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata).

A few years earlier someone threw out a beagle puppy here at the farm. Dad started feeding it.

After dad left for church that evening I walked up to the shop. I noticed the beagle, he was peeing on every tomato plant dad had touched. The great tomato mystery has been solved, I laughed until I couldn’t breathe.

Dad gets quite when he’s angry. When I told him what I saw his beagle doing… He didn’t speak for 2 days…

 

[The Lazy L]

Kawasaki Mule. CB SSB and a AR rifle rack under the Aluminum roof. 2" ball hitch for a single axle trailer.