# UTV/ATV/Tractor Suggestions and experiences



## Wee_brain (Jan 4, 2014)

Hi everyone. Wanted to start a page dedicated to your choice of utility equipment. I myself am in the market now.

I am currently leaning towards a UTV. Even though I could most likely purchase a 4-wheeler and a tractor for the same price as a UTV. Thoughts??
I am between a Yamaha Rhino 450 and an Arctic Cat Prowler 650. Seems like people agree that a 450 is enough power to provide towing and such on a homestead, however people also agree that its better to have the power and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Anyone have a UTV that they use on their land? Experiences? Suggestions?
Same goes for ATV's and Tractors.

How about some attachment reviews and suggestions? Like tillers and mowers.

Hopefully we can get a good post with great information and opinions going.

Thank you!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have a 94 Polaris 400L that sits most of the time. It earns it's keep at deer camp hauling fire wood in a trailer for the cabin and getting deer out of the woods either on the trailer of the racks.

 Al


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## bikehealer1 (Oct 8, 2009)

Arctic Cat Prowler 1000. why not go for all the gusto? But I would recommend the Yamaha 700. Easier to work on, easier to get parts, very dependable. Biggest issue I ever see with them is no one ever does the valve clearance check/adjust at the proper intervals. On the other hand,I dont think you can plow a field with one.....


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

depends on what you are doing. if you are riding the woods or mountains an atv is better imo because it is much narrower. if you are going to take a so or kids maybe a utv if you are hauling suf a utv. if you are actually working a 25-30hp 4wd tractor w bucket. you can haul in the bucket. plenty of 3 pt implements(i use a 4' tiller in my garden), use the bucket to level or grade or smooth or snow removeal. just depends


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

How many acres, How long is driveway, snow removal? Farming, bush hog, Need loader? A lot of variables. Or just wanting to know what SUV, ATV, UTV CUT are good ones?

....James


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Once you've owned a tractor, you'll soon understand why a UTV or ATV can never replace it..


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## Raymond James (Apr 15, 2013)

Modern tractor with PTO. hydraulics, front loader, wide 4 wheel drive and a roll over bar. Brush hog/ finish mower perhaps both, tiller, 3 pt. bale mover, 3 pt. blade, in heavy snow areas a front attached snow blower or snow plow. Big enough tractor you can cut grass for hay, windrow and bail hay. Backhoe attachment and bunch of others that I am not even aware of. are available. I think about a heated/ac cab on days like today -minus 28 wind chill . 

If you go where it is really rough you could put a winch on it. I have managed to get my tractor stuck but was able to using the bucket and the 3 pt. lift up the tractor to get rocks under it so I could drive out. Still I would put a winch on it if I were in the mountains or hunted moose. 


Get a trailer with benches/ chairs to transport people. I know of at least two Amish communities that use tractors as cars many use pickup bed trailers (trailers made out of the back half of a wreaked truck) with a high top truck cap to keep the people dry and out of the wind. You could use a couple different trailers depending on what the task was. 



A tractor is my choice It can go where the other vehicles can go and do much more work.


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## Wee_brain (Jan 4, 2014)

Im mostly concerned with using it to carry feed/water to the animals and tow logs and firewood as I collect it on my property. Being able to plow a bit of snow would be nice too. Our garden would be small enough to get away with a hand till machine but I would rather sit down while doing that haha. The UTV's appeal to me mostly because I can putt around my property with my dog and girlfriend as well as use it to haul stuff. Ive seen nice attachments that mow and till with their own motor and they don't seem hard to pull. Just basically looking for feedback and experiences using them as utility vehicles. If an ATV and tractor combo would be more fit for my needs than maybe thats a better option. Still deciding.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Towing logs can be hard on a UTV if they're very big.. I've had a few I had to cut in half before my tractor would pull them. I use a carry all on my tractor for hauling large rounds of wood.. (sure wish I had a loader)


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## Wee_brain (Jan 4, 2014)

Also I should also add at this point I'm looking to spend about $8000. UTV's are going around 6k-7k in my area. I saw 2 used Ford 8N's go at auction for about $2200. Thats when I started thinking about buying a tractor and a used ATV for cruising the property. Could get both for what I would most likely pay for a UTV. But then my girlfriend and dog will hate me for not being able to ride around with me. Haha oh the troubles.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Right now I'm in the process of getting rid of a motorcycle.. it was a stupid expensive bike.. had it for 4 years now and very few miles on it... it's lost way over half the value..

I don't think I'll be buying new any more... Same story we got going with my wife's car.. Yeah, we drove it 10 years, but it's not worth much of anything, and I don't think we got the real value of the purchase price over those 10 years.. .

If you can buy used, all the better. Especially if you can find something that was well taken care of... even if you have to put a little money in it, it's still a lot more bang for the buck of buying new...


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Wood, I cut in the woods, dragging it just gets dirt in it and that dulls the saw. A small trailer will work to haul wood. A UTV is not a good machine to mow or work ground, best to have a tractor. Get a small 3pt carrier for the tractor, build 16" side boards for it and then make cushions that sets down over the side of the side racks, one for each side, facing center. You can remove seats to haul wood. Ride is rough though. Get the tractor. You can buy the toy, later....James​


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

We have a Polaris Ranger, 2 Large tractors, and a small Kubota tractor. As much as we like and use the ranger, it does not take the place of a tractor. We bought the Kubota because it is very handy in the barn, garden and yard and it handles snow well with a snow blower. The other tractors are in the fields all summer and it is a pain to bring them home to use here.

I would not buy a 8N, they tend to be light on the front end and I don't think trying to skid logs would be very safe.


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

get a 25/30hp 4wd tractor with loader. for logs put chain around end lift wi loader and drag with only one end dragging. haul feed etc in bucket. use bucket to grade level ground move snow etc. you can buy used but dont get the old fords


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

> But then my girlfriend and dog will hate me for not being able to ride around with me


My dogs run around behind me when I walk around the place. During the day the wife and I are usually too busy on different projects to walk around the place together. A noisy toy would probably not be conducive to a quiet evening walk together.
If I'm doing firewood I like something I can haul wood with not just a few pieces. A tractor with a loader and a wagon and I can get something done rather than run back and forth carrying a few pieces. Same when I'm fencing, I want everything handy and in quantity.


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

I have an ATV and a tractor. I use the tractor for brush hogging and the ATV with trailer for everything else. There are of course some things I just can't do.

With the tractor, I brush hog (not finish mow) about 3 acres. Can do it in about 2 hours. I enjoy it. I also have a box blade that I use to smooth the driveway. Unfortunately, that box blade doesn't work on snow worth a darn. I'd really like to have a fully articulated 6' back blade. I think I could keep the drive clear if I did it in reverse. I have more weight in the back than the front. I've always thought about a loader but haven't come up with a really needed use case. And my tractor is not really good with loaders. The front end is not built for them. As far as pulling logs, some tractors have a tendency to flip over if you don't chain them just right. My tractor is known for that. I use the ATV to move logs.

Then I also have an ATV. It is four wheel drive and is considered a 'utility' ATV. It has a place for a ball hitch on the back and I have a 4x8 flatbed trailer that I pull when needed. The ATV has racks on the front and back so that is where a lot of things get carried. I've pulled lots of logs out of the woods with the ATV. Just chain them up and pull them out. I use the ATV most every day. It saves me lots of steps and tons of effort.

Also, our neighbor is thousands of acres of public and logging land. No fences and miles (100+) of logging roads. No trailer required. So we also use the ATV for recreational purposes.

My tractor is a 1942 Ford 9N










Note regarding the ATV trailer combo, need to consider load balancing.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

We have a 35 hp tractor as our utility vehicle. I think it will do about anything a 4wheeler does. It isn't as fast or smooth over rough ground.

If we are just reconnoitering our property, we do it on foot for a better exercise value.

Having hydraulics is the real force multiplier for our old bodies


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Duplicate post


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

We have a 35 hp tractor as our utility vehicle. I think it will do about anything a 4wheeler does. It isn't as fast or smooth over rough ground.

If we are just reconnoitering our property, we do it on foot for a better exercise value.

Having hydraulics is the real force multiplier for our old bodies


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

Our Kawasaki Mule (450-ish cc) is used daily. I just used it tonight to drag some cattle panels out for a quickie fence fix (and left it parked out there to fill the remainder of the gap because my panel was a foot short). It routinely hauls multiple people from site to site. But I couldn't do without a tractor. That is like choosing between an oven and a fridge.


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## Wee_brain (Jan 4, 2014)

After a bit more research, a tractor does seem to be the better purchase. Not that I need a huge one or anything. I found the Kubota BX2200 to be just about the perfect size for what I would need it for. The only downfall is the loader is poorly rated. It should handle way more weight but it doesn't. I am now in the process to find similar size tractors with PTO and 3 point in that price range with a better rated FEL capacity.


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## flewism (Apr 2, 2007)

I don't know what you intend to do with this tractor, but a bx2200 sub-compact is a light tractor, 48" track, 17 hp at the PTO. For similar monies you can get an 60" track 30hp at the PTO and get 1000lb on the loader instead of 625lb.


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## Wee_brain (Jan 4, 2014)

All the larger HP tractors put me over budget. Needs a loader. Needs a 3-point. Needs 4x4. So far I have not found anything over 20 hp for 8k.


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## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

We have a 3710 Kubota that does everything but haul people. About all I know about UTV is from a guy up the road --- get one that you can take the windshield off of easily. He says that the dust boiling around inside the cab is no fun. He puts the windshield back on in the fall once the dust is gone.


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## Wee_brain (Jan 4, 2014)

How about this guy?










Kubota L2900

1700 Hours
32 HP (25 at PTO)
$8000

After buying AG tires, I would use it primarily for hauling feed, moving earth and snow (light duty), Tilling a small field and garden, and towing small trees and lumber to be split. Too small? Too overkill? Without using a tractor to do anything before, I have no idea what I need.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Simple find a older Chevy/GMC s10 4 WD pickup.l bought a 1985 model extended cab to replace the ATV. It can do everything you are wanting it for. Besides the older ones usually can be glad for less then a 1/4 if a used utv. Besides the heater is worth it weight in gold. With what money you save buy a small utility tractor. Still you will come in under budget and be thankful of not cutting up dirty firewood from being dragged in.
Bob


Wee_brain said:


> Im mostly concerned with using it to carry feed/water to the animals and tow logs and firewood as I collect it on my property. Being able to plow a bit of snow would be nice too. Our garden would be small enough to get away with a hand till machine but I would rather sit down while doing that haha. The UTV's appeal to me mostly because I can putt around my property with my dog and girlfriend as well as use it to haul stuff. Ive seen nice attachments that mow and till with their own motor and they don't seem hard to pull. Just basically looking for feedback and experiences using them as utility vehicles. If an ATV and tractor combo would be more fit for my needs than maybe thats a better option. Still deciding.


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## m39fan (Apr 11, 2005)

If you have much hilly land I would NOT recommend the L2900. We had an L3400 (same tractor, beefier motor) and it was to tall, narrow and light to be comfortable on hillsides here or in southern Indiana. Loader would get you into trouble quick has it would pick up more than the back half of the tractor could handle. Looked like a kid on a crotch rocket doing a stoppie! Lots of fun!!! Couldn't wait to get rid of it! 

Bought a Foton from O and H Sales (oandhsales.com) in PA and never looked back. He has 35hp 4wd tractors with loaders listed for 12,900 NEW. His 25hp are usually quite a bit cheaper.

Hope this helps.


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## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

If you unbolt the wheels and adjust for maximum width, they can get quite wide. 

If you fill all the tires, they can get quite heavy. Better for the tractor than adding weights, lower center of gravity, and weight is way wide. 

Chain them up and 4-wheel drive with AG tires will get you a lot of places.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

I knew chains could provide a bit more traction but I didn't realize they could actually hold a tractor in that position! 

We just purchased a 4wd tractor and I am pretty pleased with it. The back tires are loaded but no chains and it really moves some snow. Course it is a bit bigger...


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## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Yes, I have such good traction that I can drive anywhere. 

Chains that big are pricy but are the only way to go on ice. 

I tried moving snow with a blade but now use the 6' wide snowblower. One pass out and one pass back and the roads are clear. I also like having the snow far away from the road in the spring - less snowmelt and less mud on the road.


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## m39fan (Apr 11, 2005)

We loaded the tires and had wheel spacers. Still didn't work as well as other brands or models. The B series or M series Kubotas worked better for my neighbors than the L2800/3400. For that matter, the other L series tractors are heavier, wider and lower. They tractors in question were Kubota's cheapie line and differed quite a bit from some of their other offerings, which we found out AFTER buying one new!


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