Recommendations: ATV for the Farm ... NOT a toy/goof-off-mobile!!

[Oldenburg Mom]

The time has come, the Walrus said, to speak of many things: of Of shoes-and ships-and sealing-wax-Of cabbages--and ... ATVs. Didn't know Lewis Carrol wrote a poem about ATVs now, did you. :lol:

Alright alright alright. Maybe he didn't. *grump* But he SHOULD have.

Bottom line: I need some transportation around the farm and a bicycle just ain't gonna cut it. This is a WORK vehicle, not something to just clown around on.

Brand/make/model, etc. Oh, and new? or used? Where should I look?

Thanks everyone.

[meaty ogre]

You can't pry my Polaris Ranger with dump body 4x4 out of my cold dead hands. I use it for everything from cleaning stalls to dragging the ring and pastures to fertilizing (have an attachement that goes on the back that spins out fertilizer or seeds, etc.). Awesome, awesome, awesome. I got mine used as a demo from a dealership. Not cheap but worth every penny to me. Rugged tires go in the snow and mud, and the dump body is a good size. I can strip one 12x12 stall, or carry 12-15 regular bales of hay.

Now, I have a large deck mower and also have access to a family member's tractor with post hole digger and front loader, but if I didn't, I'd probably have to get a tractor. But since I can borrow those, the ranger is hands-down the way to go for me. I am much better at maneuvering the ranger than I am my uncle's small tractor. I also use it for moving things (jumps, mulch, whatever I'd normally use a wheelbarrow for). I don't remember what I did without it.

And last but not least it has magical powers over the toddler (and has since she was an infant). Hubby and I call it the instant-shut-up. :)

[Oldenburg Mom]

Hey MO! How the heck are you. It sounds like exactly what I need. Except for one thing. You said the famous words "Not cheap..." Excuse me, did you notice there is a humongous recession going on? Hello? Hello? Hello? ( I am just kidding, BTW. ;))

I'm afraid to look at the price ....

Anyone got anything CHEAP ... or perhaps just less expensive?

[meaty ogre]

Hey, I understand that totally. I couldn't afford a new one, but maybe you could find a used one like we did? The dealerships around here always have used ones that they take on trade-ins etc.

Mr. MO gave me mine as a mother's day gift and to this day it is the best present I've ever gotten. I don't see how he could ever top that.

FWIW, my brother in law has the JD gator with dump body and it is nowhere near as nice as my ranger. No comparison. They might as well have a golf cart. I don't know about other manufacturers though like kubota maybe?

[Renae]

I second the Polaris Ranger- used one a big breeding farm and it was irreplaceable. Check out your local dealerships for a used one and watch the auctions in your area- also check out your local dealerships for new, never used vehicles that are already 2-3 years old and have just been sitting in their inventory. Oh also check out eBay and watch your local craigslist.

My second choice if you want a more traditional type ATV would be a Polaris Sportsman. However then you need to think that you will probably wave to get a little trailer for it to pull so you can use it for chores. We have a Polaris Sportsman at the banr I am at now and my father and brother each have one for hunting and they have had theirs for years.

[Oldenburg Mom]

Arrrrgh. They are wonderful machines!!! They look very useful. $8K is a little high, however, when I was just looking at about $2K.

Anyway, I'm looking up all the dealers. Cross your fingers I can find one that used to belong to a little old lady and was only used on the weekends. :lol: :lol:

[gieriscm]

Look for a used Honda "utility" style ATV.

http://powersports.honda.com/offroad/atv-utility.aspx. We have one with the snowplow attachment, and it's a great machine for "farmette" work.

[LAZ]

I bought a Yamaha Grizzly 4 x 4 ATV last fall, it's used but low miles, I bought a new snow blade and had them put the brackets on, has a towing hitch and a winch. I paid about $3000 for the whole thing. It's been great, pulls my arena equipment, small wagon, cross country jumps, etc. It has lots of guts and isn't scary to drive!

[meaty ogre]

OM, (hey, I just realized you are my abbreviation inverse!) maybe it would help if you had a list of things you specificially hoped to accomplish with this ATV. I've actually seen several small tractors with implements going cheap lately (not the norm). Probably economy-related, farms going under and such, but some good deals out there. They definitely have their advantages, though for me nothing tops my ranger. $2K is probably do-able, but you'll have to look under every rock and be flexible. Whatever your local classifieds are, I'd start there, and definitely call any local dealerships to see what used inventory they have.

The comment about the granny-driven polaris with weekend-only hours was a hoot! I can just picture a blue-haired little old lady riding one through the drive-through pharmacy to pick up her meds!

[2DogsFarm]

"and if the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings..."
:D
I LOFF Lewis Carroll!

Meaty: check out Hobby Farms mag online - they had an article about using an ATV for farmwork. The author got one new with FEL, snowblade, posthole auger (and something else?) for under $10K!

Hmmm...subcompact tractors going cheap?
Now that's more attractive to me - I can't get used to the idea of riding a working machine that drives like a bike instead of a steering wheel.
Wouldn't your back get sore from leaning?

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

I love my diesel Kawasaki mule with hydrolic dump bed. Runs great. Use it to drag pastures, the ring, everything.
My mother just bought a new electric bright yellow golf cart & had smiley faces put on each side of it. She says that now she can hear herself think when she rides around. It's not good for hard work but great for running around & being able to carry on a converstion with friends without having to yell over a loud engine.

[NoDQhere]

We have a Yamaha Rhino and love it. It does a lot of things around the farm. Just this week we have realized how much we love it as we haven't been able to use it due to 4 and 5 foot snow drifts! Dragging a sled by hand is not fun. I think we will have to add a snowmobile to our collection of "things that make chores easier" before next winter.

[equusus]

We use an electric EZ-GO Workhorse w/dump bed on our farm EVERY DAY! You would be surprised what an electric golf cart will do! We can haul 6 bales at a time, clean sheds, haul firewood, supplies... you name it. We have tractor cleat tires on it and it would go through mud like you wouldn't believe.
And, the best parts: CHEAP! and SILENT!
We care for 40+ retired horses and 40+ goats on 150 acres and this is a great asset!
I know, nobody believes me. Everybody wants the bigger badder Gators and Mules, but for price and efficiency, you can't beat an EZ-GO. Really!

[Oldenburg Mom]

THANK YOU, everyone, for your input. It's helping tremendously! You're giving me good ideas and helping really nail everything down.

As always, CoTH and it's members, ROCK!

AHA! equusus! That makes perfect sense. I could even drive to KY to pick one up ... putting it in my pickup!!!!! Eeeeeeehaaaaaaaaa. This is wonderful! I even know how to DRIVE a golf cart-type vehicle. (Parents live in Sun City, AZ where GCs are a way of life! :D)

I really only need this bad boy to do mucking ... and maybe hauling a few bales of hay and/or bags of grain. Everything else is really turnkey on the farm...what a GREAT idea!!!!

OK. What's the name of your dealer where you found yours?

[Oldenburg Mom]

posthole auger

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Holy Smokes!

BTW, do you know what PhD stands for in Montana?

Yes, you guessed it. Post hole Digger. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Canadian Starz]

Don't think your getting such a deal when it has been driven by one of us Blue-hairs! :lol:;) We work our Men and Machines hard & pile on lots of mileage!:yes: This Blue-hair, also has an Electric J-Bike for scooting around the farm, horseshows, and into town for short trips PLUS.... Tim Horton runs!:lol:

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i145/CanadianStarz/ElectricMotorScooterstestdriversWen.jpg

[Oldenburg Mom]

Hey, don't laugh, CS. I'm getting close to being a blue-hair myself. I'll be 60 next year!!!! (OMG! where DID the years go ...?)

[caevent]

Our farm has the electric EZ-GO and they are the best. Feeding, dragging, hauling "stuff", and there is no motor noise! Definitely recommend.

[merrygoround]

Not blue, kinda gray, but very fond of an ES Honda with aftermarket racks &a towing hitch.;)

[equusus]

I bought my EZ-GO Workhorse on eBay, used for $1300 about 3 years ago. I would check Craigslist, too. We also have several places around here that sell used GCs, they are usually $500-$2000. I paid $500 for our first GC, which we modified: put a dumpbed, tractor tires and 2inch lift. We stilll use it as our back-up and I have had it around 7 years now?? They are more hardy than you would think!
Good luck!

[sk_pacer]

I refuse to admit grey hair so I am ROAN, and i have a mddle aged Polaris Bigfoot that I use for schlepping me and assorted small stuff around the farms - feed to the barn, lunch to the firlds, stuff back and forth between the yards. It works very well for this type of work, easy on gas, and big enough to drag a really large grain auger around if need be. I also use it to check fences as well as the dozen other jobs you need wheels to accomplish and the truck is too much wheels and so is the tractor. Got mine at a farm sale for well under 2K. It does need a new starter now, but that is the only problem i have had with it.

It has good sized, strong racks for toting stuff, and with a little ingenuity and bungee cords, you can attach anything within its load carrying capabilities to the racks. BUT i have a bad habit with it - I DO use it for some play....

[Gryhnd]

We have a Kawasaki Mule, purchased new last spring. Happy with it so far. Nearly died at the price, searched in vain for a used one but couldn't find one. The salesman said he doesn't have to do any work selling it, they just sell! And sure enough, I looked at a model on the lot on Thurs and brought my husband back on Saturday and it had sold already! Kind of kills any negotiating on the price, but that was last May so things might be different now. Evidently people don't tend to get rid of these vehicles, so may be hard to find used, but perhaps the economic climate has changed that.

[katarine]

We have a 10+ yr old mule that I love for feeding, haying, gathering firewood, dumping dirt etc. It does NOT have a hydraulic bed and that stinks, I really wish it did. That sucker is big enough that it is nigh-on impossible to manually lift it even with two peeps, if it's full of wet bedding, for example.

Tough as nails and with 4WD :) it was 7-8K off the lot but zero trouble and did I mention tough?

[Equibrit]

Polaris Ranger;http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2009-Polaris-Ranger-500-EFI-Demo-Red-or-Green-Choice_W0QQitemZ130297301810QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPow ersport_Everything_Else?hash=item130297301810&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A317%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 #ht_500wt_1159

[passtime]

I vote Yamaha Grizzly 4x4. Awesome machine and the 09's have power steering.

[BasqueMom]

John Deere Gator here--bought it 1998 used for $5500 (was 3 years old). Dump bed, 4x6,
worth it's weight in gold. Drags, manure holder, traveling work bench, etc. etc. Did see
one 4x2 locally a while back for about $3000. Like it can hold two peeps, also.

[Oldenburg Mom]

I'm glad we're having a good discussion about this stuff ... and maybe when I win the lottery I'll be able to afford a $5K (used) vehicle—provided I can FIND one (:lol:)—but for right now I need to think VW instead of Rolls Royce. :lol:

Craigs list as some EZGOs for under $2K, so I'll keep my eyebones peeled.

My father also swears by Yamaha Golf Carts (gas powered) which may very well be much more within my budget. His first one (used) lasted 13 years!!! But then again, what can I say? He's a Mechanical Engineer (Purdue, 1949) :eek: I'm not.

[KPF]

We have a Club Car utility type golf cart that we use now. It works fine for hauling hay and stuff like that, plus pulls the manure spreader. It has a manual dump bed but is a PIA to use so we don't ever use it.

Hubby is looking at a 6x4 Gator today that we saw on CL. :D He hunts and would like something that could handle going into the woods to drag deer out. The Gator looks nice, at a good price too... not that we really "need" it but it sure would be nice to have! It has an electric dump bed, so I'm thinking I could even use it to muck stalls.

We were just talking last night about this, we bought a zero turn JD riding mower last summer, mowed for the first time of the year last night. We didn't actually "need" it and it was $$$$ but it saves SO much time mowing, plus it makes mowing fun, lol. So I think a lot of times once you get past the initial pain of the purchase price, if a piece of equipment makes farm living that much easier, you realize it was way worth it in the end. :)

[Oldenburg Mom]

We have a Club Car utility type golf cart that we use now. It works fine for hauling hay and stuff like that, plus pulls the manure spreader. It has a manual dump bed but is a PIA to use so we don't ever use it.

Hubby is looking at a 6x4 Gator today that we saw on CL. :D

Well, of course, now you're going to HAVE to get rid of the Club Car. (HINT HINT HINT HINT) And of course, it will help offset that terribly high priced errrrrr REASONABLY priced Gator.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Fancy That]

Don't forget...you can get the Polaris 6 x 6 as well as an Artic Cat TBX 500. They both have utility beds. Harder to find these.

I'm in your shoes and have been researching UTV type vehicles. CANNOT afford a tractor or a Ranger/Mule/Gator

I love the idea of the EZ GO Workhorse...but can't seem to find any.

Really wanted the Polaris Sportsman 6 x 6, or the Arctic Cat TBX 500.

But now that I'm hearing more about the EZ GO, I'd love a quiet utility vehicle. I wonder if the EZ GO can drag manure over the pasture, and arena drag?

[Oldenburg Mom]

Fancy That ... you're so close to Arizona! Start looking in the Sun City(ies) area, for two reasons:

1. Everyone uses golf carts (GC) to get around ... probably more than cars. You'll find a million used. :yes:

2. Errrr, Sun City has a high mortality rate (duuuuuh). You'll find a million estate sales.

If I were closer I'd go to the area in a heartbeat.

[camohn]

The time has come, the Walrus said, to speak of many things: of Of shoes-and ships-and sealing-wax-Of cabbages--and ... ATVs. Didn't know Lewis Carrol wrote a poem about ATVs now, did you. :lol:

Alright alright alright. Maybe he didn't. *grump* But he SHOULD have.

Bottom line: I need some transportation around the farm and a bicycle just ain't gonna cut it. This is a WORK vehicle, not something to just clown around on.

Brand/make/model, etc. Oh, and new? or used? Where should I look?

Thanks everyone.

We got an ATV first but it did not work out all that well for us....we usually needed to carry fence tools/supplies out to somewhere etc. and it was a pain on the ATV. We ended up selling the ATV and buying a golf cart with a dump bed on it. That carries a lot more farm tools!! It crosses streams just fine as long as I aim for the shallow crossings. Trading the grass tires in for nubby tires also helps. We got the cart from a golf course supplier, bought the dump bed kit and installed it where the golf bag holder used to be. You can carry jump standards and hay bales on a golf cart. That does not work so well on the ATV!

[camohn]

We use an electric EZ-GO Workhorse w/dump bed on our farm EVERY DAY! You would be surprised what an electric golf cart will do! We can haul 6 bales at a time, clean sheds, haul firewood, supplies... you name it. We have tractor cleat tires on it and it would go through mud like you wouldn't believe.
And, the best parts: CHEAP! and SILENT!
We care for 40+ retired horses and 40+ goats on 150 acres and this is a great asset!
I know, nobody believes me. Everybody wants the bigger badder Gators and Mules, but for price and efficiency, you can't beat an EZ-GO. Really!

Ahhh...someone beat me to it now that I read the previous posts. This is what we have too..

[Oldenburg Mom]

I'm in loff (http://cgi.ebay.com/2003-EZGO-Gas-Golf-Cart-cargo-bed-used-blue_W0QQitemZ320348969327QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item320348969327&_trksid=p4011.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A3%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318) .... anyone want to lend me the other $1500 I'd need? (KIDDING!!!!) It is soooooo cute!

[YankeeLawyer]

I would not buy a Polaris after my friend's (and COTHer Bellfleur's) Polaris spontaneously burst into flames - while parked and turned OFF - and nearly burned her barn to the ground recently. Polaris has a massive recall in effect for a number of its vehicles due to this issue. Note that Bellfleur's model was NOT one on the recall list, but obviously should be on it.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/02/11/daily37.html

We have a Honda ATV, the largest they make. I would think it could be found used at a good rice; I imagine they depreciate quite a bit on value. I would contact Loudoun Motor Sports and see if they have any used ATVs in stock.

[Equibrit]

Golf carts don't have the ground clearance/gearing/tyres for rugged farm work.

[Indy-lou]

Geez, Polaris burst into flames? That's not very good, is it? Seriously, my husband and I don't know what we would do without our Kawasaki Mule. We start to panic just thinking about life without it. You will never find one at a bargain price, new or used, and that is part of our panic. Not sure we could afford to replace it these days. Ours is 4 wheel drive, which is essential on a farm, has a dump bed and I think is the largest model. Biggest problem we have had is keeping the horses from eating it when we clean paddocks. It's a horse magnet, and they have ripped the seats and chewed every knob on it, as well as dragged their teeth over the hood leaving it pretty sorry looking. Best darn thing we ever bought though.

[camohn]

Golf carts don't have the ground clearance/gearing/tyres for rugged farm work.

Depends on the farm. We have pasture with hills (does fine), a shallow stream (crosses it fine) and no woods/ditches to trek though. If someone had wooded/rough terrain then I would agree.

[equusus]

Depends on the farm. We have pasture with hills (does fine), a shallow stream (crosses it fine) and no woods/ditches to trek though. If someone had wooded/rough terrain then I would agree.

We take ours through the woods! :yes:
Just go around the big stumps and big rocks, no problem.

Plus, if you do get stuck, it is small enough that we can just pick up an end and unstick it. We have never had to use another vehicle to retrieve or pull it out from anything.

We gave our old golf cart a 2 inch lift so it would have better clearance, but the Workhorse is just fine stock.

I can't tell you how much the darn thing surprises us!

[Bluey]

We have this JD gator, 4x4, with dump bed and we use it for everything, including pulling the manure spreader and welding wagon.
We go all over, for miles, fixing fences.

A friend has a K Mule, diesel, loves it and it is better than ours and it cost 1/4more also.

I would stay with 4x4 drive and not go to the six wheels.
This is what ours looks like, the dark green and it didn't cost as much.:eek:
There are some used ones out there for much, much less:

http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/servlet/com.deere.u90785.cce.productcatalog.view.servlets. ProdCatProduct?pNbr=3931M&tM=HO&link=enav

[Rebmik]

Yahama Rhino- don't listen to all the lawyer crap lately on the news.
This is A WORK HORSE! and seems to have more aftermarket accessories than other brands. We use it to drag trees from the snow out of pastures, haul poop in dump bed, haul hay, anything.
When I'm feeling lazy husband will drive and I sit in bed with horse on line and drive around hay fields for horse to get exercise!
Will go through anything, the only time we've gotten stuck is when it bottoms out, but must have winch gets us out.
Couldn't imagine farm w/o it. Some of the other brands were too wide to fit through our pasture gates.

[Gryhnd]

Biggest problem we have had is keeping the horses from eating it when we clean paddocks. It's a horse magnet, and they have ripped the seats and chewed every knob on it, as well as dragged their teeth over the hood leaving it pretty sorry looking. Best darn thing we ever bought though.


Too funny! We have the exact same problem w/ our Mule! However, they haven't done that type of damage (yet) as I get annoyed and chase them off, or better yet, shut them in the smaller field while I am cleaning the larger one. The first time, I had left the key in the ignition (though turned off) while I was standing right near it throwing poops into the spreader, and our new horse went over there and turned the key and started the darn thing! Now if I have to leave it at all, key comes out, emergency brake goes on. What IS the fascination with it?