This is BLASPHEMY, but here goes...

[ovrszd]

The same crowd that recommends not owing a backhoe and renting one instead.

Oh no,,,, I want to "own" a backhoe.... Just can't quite justify it.

 

[ovrszd]

If you can't find a use for a FEL, then I agree, get rid of the tractor. Me, I cannot imagine life without a FEL. Seriously.

Me neither.

 

[scdeerslayer]

Buy some tillage implements and grow a garden.

 

[mcfarmall]

Tools, tractors, and guns are on a one way street to my house. They can check out anytime they want but they will never leave. I make it a point to research, ponder, think, dream, etc. for years in advance of a purchase to make sure I spend my money once for the right piece of equipment. I don't have the luxury of unlimited walkaround money to buy something and then regret my decision for whatever reason.

 

[N2DFire]

I own a 2004 Mahindra 2015 with loader. I use a ratchet rake on it along with a box blade (aka grader box) to rake my driveway once a year. I really don't use it for anything else. The blasphemy part, I'm thinking about selling it. I have a Suzuki Kingquad 750 and a snow plow.

Anyone ever put your ratchet rake on an ATV snow plow and use it to rake your gravel driveway? Will it work? Any other cost effective ways to use my resources and rake my driveway?

I hate owning a very expensive piece of equipment that only gets minimal use. I have asked for a quote from a local grader guy to rake the drive. I figure to pay a fee once a year for someone else to do it makes more sense than owning the equipment to do it myself.

Since I bought the Kingquad and it came with the snow plow, the tractor lost that job. I bought a Woods 5215 60" mower (fine tool for quick efficient mowing) more because I like it than need it - another job lost for the tractor. Now I'm down to raking only.

In a nutshell:
Blasphemy or not - ditch the tractor. It's not worth the upkeep for the work you're getting out of it & the more it sets the less likely you will be able to get rid of it.

Ratchet Rake on the Quad snowplow - not sure you're going to have the weight / down force to really do any serious work with it. Likewise as you pointed out the trip springs will probably let the blade roll over as soon as it did take a decent bite. (this from a guy with a 600 Grizzly w/ a Moose Snowplow)

That being said - using a pull behind implement w/ the Quad might be a very viable alternative for you & I would suggest you investigate the ATV attachment market more.

Best of luck with your decision. I think you're on the right track for you, I just don't think the snowplow & ratchet rake are the right tools for the job.

 

[TractorGuy]

Kinda along these lines I have decided to hire a guy to do grapple work instead of figuring out how to own a grapple. I would love to own one in the worst way but after I clear 4 more acres I would have limited to no use for it. My little JD has no loader and my BH has a monster bucket with no aux hydraulics.

50 bucks an hour makes way more sense than any of my options for owning a grapple.

 

[knukey]

I'm thinking about this now. A way to connect my box blade to the receiver on the quad and using a hand winch vs. electric winch. I'd prefer to bolt the hitch extension to the top of the quick hitch vs. weld it (maybe another bolt hole?). I do own a quick hitch as well and a receiver extension. Now, will I be able to move the box blade or will the quad do a WHEELIE!? I have a side by side too that I haven't mentioned.

Poor Mans Snow Plow Setup - YouTube

 

[lilranch2001]

I'm thinking about this now. A way to connect my box blade to the receiver on the quad and using a hand winch vs. electric winch. I'd prefer to bolt the hitch extension to the top of the quick hitch vs. weld it (maybe another bolt hole?). I do own a quick hitch as well and a receiver extension. Now, will I be able to move the box blade or will the quad do a WHEELIE!? I have a side by side too that I haven't mentioned.

Poor Mans Snow Plow Setup - YouTube

My personal opinion trying to use a box blade on a four wheeler is you're going to find out that you bend the heII out of the frame.
Especially if you hook it on a rock or a root.
I could be wrong but that's my two cents worth

 

[Cougsfan]

A drag harrow might work ok for raking the driveway behind an ATV. Here is an example: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200641649_200641649
I would think the box blade would be too much for the ATV

 

[airbiscuit]

I think the day may come when you miss the sound of a diesel, but it sounds like you have puzzled out the benefits and loss of getting rid of your CUT.

I hate to be an enabler, but if you do decide to go with just an ATV, you will probably to keep your driveway in decent shape. There are a few ATV landscape rakes, pull behind graders and 3 point kits available. They tend to be expensive and kind of lightweight. You could come up with a better/heavier/cheaper implement if you built it yourself (kind of a land plane/grader-scraper/groomer). Here's a look at one ...