ATV or UTV

[Ken45101]

Also check Kubota dealers, their RTV is a good workhorse.

We have two ATVs. For rough or hilly terrain, two up riding is not very safe on an ATV. Five or six years ago, we bought the Kubota RTV900 and the 4 wheelers have pretty much sat idle since then. The RTV is good for just about everything: casual recreational riding, work, hauling, 1500# dump bed capacity, etc. It's hydrostatic transmission so you don't have to worry about belts.

The Kubota isn't cheap but you get what you pay for.

 

[TripleR]

Good luck, there are a lot of good models available now. I am not sure what I would buy there are so many good ones.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I would own a utv if I didn't have the need for being able to manuver easily in the woods (ie. where there are no trails established). I wish I was able to afford both an atv and a utv. I make my atv suffice though by adding a rack basket on the rear.

 

[crazyal]

Are you planning on leaving it there when you are not there? A UTV will require a trailer to transport while an ATV fits in a pickup bed. The only trailer I have that my UTV fits on is a 18' equipment trailer. If you leave it there can you secure it inside a building? Leaving them outside shortens their lives and makes tempting targets for thieves. ATVs are easier to fit into storage sheds. Is your land hilly or mostly flat? UTVs work well on hilly ground. Until I got my UTV I used an old ATC 3 wheeler with a trailer. The 3 wheeler worked pretty well but on the hills around here it didn't have the weight needed to go down hills with weight in the trailer safely. Work 4x4 ATVs weigh quite a bit more than the 3 wheeler and would have been fine for my needs. An ATV will do most everything you need to do and for 10 acres may be a better fit as it will be more nimble. Do you have plans on using it elsewhere or will it always be on your land? This is the million dollar question. The nice thing about a UTV is that two can ride it comfortably. I often take the GF for a ride in the woods when it's hot out. I have lots of trails I can ride on thousands of acres. Some towns, counties, states allow the use of ATVs and UTVs on secondary roads. So you could find yourself using it to run to the store. A UTV would be much nicer if you need to run into town to get 5 gallons of gas and some milk. Either will work but you'll spend more for a UTV. I ended up with a UTV simply because it was a dealer demo and I got it for the price of an ATV. I like it and have no regrets but, as I stated, an ATV would also have worked fine for me.

 

[jeff9366]

Kubota RTV500 utility vehicle was designed to fit in the bed of a full sized pickup truck.

 

[TripleR]

My neighbor has a Polaris Razor and it is very small and nimble, I don't care for them, but if are looking for a smaller UTV, it's worth a look.

 

[EddieWalker]

I went from ATVs to golf carts to a Kawasaki Mule that seats four, but can be changed to sit two and have a larger bed. The bed dumps, which is really nice. My 70 year old Mom loves driving the Mule around the land, or just running to the mail box. With a set of removable seats for the bed, I can easily carry five passengers and myself on it, which is also very nice. Especially when older and heavier company comes over, who can't get around on their own very well. We use it to run down to the pond with ice chests or fishing gear, or to cut firewood and bring it back to the house. If one of the tractors breaks down, it's easier to make runs back and forth to the house for tools and parts then to drive a truck or to walk. The ATV did alright for this too, but it was always very limited on what you could carry on it. But the best thing about the Mule over an ATV is being able to sit side by side with somebody and carry on a conversation while enjoying the land. The golf cart was great for this and what showed me that upgrading to the Mule was the direction I wanted to go. Look at all the brands in your area, and decide if you want off road fun, utility work vehicle or a combination of both. The Mule can be fun, but mostly it's a utility work vehicle.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/181191-barebones-mule-your-suggestions.html

This is the link to my thread on deciding what to buy, then some pictures of it and my modifications.

Good luck and have fun,
Eddie

 

[Fidler4]

I went from ATVs to golf carts to a Kawasaki Mule that seats four, but can be changed to sit two and have a larger bed. The bed dumps, which is really nice. My 70 year old Mom loves driving the Mule around the land, or just running to the mail box. With a set of removable seats for the bed, I can easily carry five passengers and myself on it, which is also very nice. Especially when older and heavier company comes over, who can't get around on their own very well. We use it to run down to the pond with ice chests or fishing gear, or to cut firewood and bring it back to the house. If one of the tractors breaks down, it's easier to make runs back and forth to the house for tools and parts then to drive a truck or to walk. The ATV did alright for this too, but it was always very limited on what you could carry on it. But the best thing about the Mule over an ATV is being able to sit side by side with somebody and carry on a conversation while enjoying the land. The golf cart was great for this and what showed me that upgrading to the Mule was the direction I wanted to go. Look at all the brands in your area, and decide if you want off road fun, utility work vehicle or a combination of both. The Mule can be fun, but mostly it's a utility work vehicle.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/181191-barebones-mule-your-suggestions.html

This is the link to my thread on deciding what to buy, then some pictures of it and my modifications.

Good luck and have fun,
Eddie

Eddie,

Thanks for the reply. I have been following your thread on the Mule plus another Mule thread someone else posted and I think that might be a good fit for what I need (want). I hadn't considered a 4-seater but I wasn't aware the back seats can be converted to increase the bed capacity. I assume this will increase the price so I will have to think about that.

Crazyal,
Thanks for your reply. I plan on keeping it in our garage while I am not there so weather will not be an issue. I do not plan on taking it anywhere else other than to be serviced if needed so transporting it won't be too much of a
concern. Our place is in NW PA but I am not sure what the local laws are regarding UTV's but I have not seen any others being driven around the area. All of the surrounding land is private property so I don't foresee driving it anywhere else than my property.

I am in NW PA and am within an hour of a Kubota dealer and 15 minutes from an ATV/Motorcycle place that sells Kawasaki Mules and another that sells JD. I will be there in August for a couple of weeks so hopefully I can buy something while I am there.

Thanks,
J

 

[crazyal]

One thing I forgot to mention is that most (if not all) UTVs have real 2wd. The rear axle only locks the rear wheels together when in 4wd. This will allow you to turn much tighter and easier plus your lawn will thank you as ATV/ UTV tires will rip it up.

 

[grnspot110]

I've had my old 550 Mule for 14 years, I bought it over the ATV's because of the usability!



For my needs, if I were to buy a new one, it would be the 4WD 610 Mule, small enough to use around the yard, but big enough to do what I need at the farm. ~~ grnspot