Best equipment for sloppy conditions?

[Boondox]

I thought about a smaller, lighter tractor for mud season, but that would be the only time of year I used it. Besides, the carrying capacity of a small bucket loader comes nowhere near what I can haul with the ATV and the ATV has a very light footprint as well as being very inexpensive and useful year round. So that worked well for me.

Pete

 

[DavesTractor]

These track type vehicles with dump beds work well in sloppy condition. The one I have in the picture is in bad need of paint and some rust repair, but it gives you the idea.

 

[John_Mc]

Ever considered one of these: Gorilla Electric ATV? It may not fit your needs, but I've seen a couple in action. It's basically an electric ATV. Low speed (approx. 15 MPH), Very quiet, Carries 650 lbs., tows up to 4000 (I'm assuming this is on level pavement). Doubles as a nice quiet way to get around your property. They run about $6000.

They tend to be popular with folks living "off the grid" - solar electric/wind power etc. Fairly efficient.

Biggest drawback I could see is limited hours of active use before you need to recharge... though maybe this isn't much of an issue for some uses. It's not like most people need to spend 8 hours per day hauling loads of firewood around their property.

John Mc

 

[nobull1]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Parker -- I have a Honda ATV with a small trailer with ATV style flotation tires that excels at the things you mentioned. Your winter conditions sound a lot like our spring thaw which lasts from April to early June. That time of year there is plenty of work to do, but the tractor causes tremendous damage to the field till things dry out a bit. The ATV, with the trailer in tow, gives me a huge jump start on those chores.

Pete )</font>

I could have wrote the same thing myself. I bought a ATV and trailer about 8 years ago for the same purpose. In the Spring and Fall it gets too soft for the tractor without a lot of damage. The trailer I have has removable front and rear panels as well as a manual dump and a extendable draw bar. You can extend the length of the trailer about 3 additional feet so as to carry 10-12' logs. The ATV tires work quite well to keep it on top of the mud. The attached pic gives you a view of it.

 

[777777]

Hi,

You could consider something like the Chuckwagon.
Here is a URL : http://www.artrac.com/chuckwagon.html

Small, Honda powered, bed for the stuff you want to carry around. Roof so you don't get wet and not too heavy.

They seem like a pretty neat little package that you can option out.

Have a great one.

Tom

 

[BlueToy1]

Dave, can you provide me with the name of the manufacturer of the track vehicle please? Its very interesting and I haven't seen them before.

Thanks

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

For 1 person, an 4WD ATV is the best bang for the buck as far as mud going abilities.

For 2 people, a UTV such as a Yamaha Rhino offers a relatively light footprint and can go almost anywhere a wheeled vehicle can go. Hauls up to 400lbs in the bed. You can buy a curtain type enclosure for golf carts to offer some weather relief. We have an electric cart and a 2WD Gator HPX. We got these to keep from rutting up our pastures. However, since we bought them, it has not rained much for over a year now.... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Don't expect a golf cart to do much 4 wheeling. They are not meant for that.
A name brand ATV or side by side UTV will hold its value if taken care of. Look for a used one and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, if you buy one, it will probably stop raining and it will be all your fault... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif