Pulling implements with an ATV

[ArlyA]

HCJtractor, Its likely your 550 will do fine. Whenever you pull something that demands more power, your transmission will wear faster. But hopefully it will not break or last significant less long for you. I posted that photo just to show that some folks do tow implements requiring a large percent of the engines total HP. Hope that helps.

I have a Polaris 550 4 wheeler. I see many people pulling light implements with similar ATVs. Specifically, I was thinking of pulling a drag harrow, say 6 or 7 feet wide and perhaps weighing 150 pounds. My question is does this harm or accelerate wear of the transmission? I also worry about the light tubular frame and potentially damaging it. Does anyone commonly do this and if so, does it break down the 4 wheeler. Any advice? What are your comfortable limits?

I’m not talking about the bigger side by sides you see now. They are bigger and more powerful.

 

[atsah]

We get enough snow here, usually, that my ATP is of little use other than on my driveway. Its just not heavy enough to break thru and get traction. That's OK - if for some very unusual reason I have to to out on the property - in the winter - I always have the tractor.

You must be in pretty deep, are you off grid?

 

[oosik]

Well - atsah - I DO have commercial power, but that's it. Telephone is via cell- when it works. And internet is via HughesNet - TV via Dish. I do not have access to any shape or form of land line service of any kind - other than electric. It takes about a foot and a half and my Polaris ATP sort of flounders. Does not have sufficient weight to push down - get traction - drive forward and break thru the snow. Even though it has 4WD it high centers on the depth of the snow.

HOWEVER - with the weird weather patterns we have been having here the last 8 to 10 years - you can never predict what might happen from year to year. Last year we had a max of 6" on the ground and for a while I thought Ea WA had slipped West of the Cascades. It rained and rained and we though it would never quit. Everywhere it was a soggy nightmare.

 

[HCJtractor]

HCJtractor, Its likely your 550 will do fine. Whenever you pull something that demands more power, your transmission will wear faster. But hopefully it will not break or last significant less long for you. I posted that photo just to show that some folks do tow implements requiring a large percent of the engines total HP. Hope that helps.

Thanks. I made a 6 foot wide drag harrow out of pipe and fencing and pulled it around today. Yes, if did great.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Thanks. I made a 6 foot wide drag harrow out of pipe and fencing and pulled it around today. Yes, if did great.

Got any pics? I'd love to see that home made drag harrow. I've been using an 8 foot chain link fence gate. But I tore it up this past summer, so I'm gonna have to make something soon.

 

[HCJtractor]

Yes. Here are some pix. It did pretty well. The pipe and connecting chains are very strong. The fence is the weak point. But after dragging it a few miles, the fence tore a little, but it still works. I bought a roll of scrap chain link fence so as it deteriorates severely, I can quickly replace it. The pipe is not fence post pipe but much heavier. I bought it as a scrap yard. It is 6’ x 6’

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

That looks good. When I was using my old chain link fence gate, it was so light that it would bounce around on rough ground. So I put some old scrap tires on top of it and wired them to the chain link with baling wire.

It worked really well then, but the weight of the tires put a lot of stress on the gate frame and it eventually tore completely apart.

 

[HCJtractor]

Yes, I’d rather buy a nice heavy chain harrow, but I’m too cheap.

 

[DrRod]

I tried repeatedly to use my ATV as a tractor and failed miserably every time. Most notable was my adventures with a flail mower. I bought a commercial grade Alamo flail mower complete with the Honda red engine and it was a solid machine. But no matter what I did to raise it, strengthen it etc. the front lip would catch on a tuff of grass and it would flip resulting in a gas spill, a small fire, and the need to approach the shut off while 80 chains and knives whirled wildly.

While we can say that this is a isolated problem specific to the flail mower, the real problem is that ATVs are not built for field work. With high gearing and low torque it is very hard to keep them at a steady speed. Every turn or slight up-grade meant bogging down or pushing on the throttle and getting a surge of speed. Plus it was not all that comfortable sitting astride an ATV as opposed to the seat of a tractor or riding mower. Not to mention that it was always in the wrong gear -- and long periods of time chugging along in 1st or even 2nd made the engine run hot and sometime even foul the plug [or something] so that it ran in a buking manner [and I have a fan cooled engine]. In short, to me it was obvious that this was not the right tool for the job. So I got a small tractor and have found it to be the right tool for the job.

 

[ArlyA]

DrRod, you answered your own problem when you state "used as a tractor". ATV's are not a tractor, weighting just 750lbs so they never will be a strong towing machine. Just the same when they come with a CVT transmission they work well at towing easier pulled items. We found they did very well for towing a mower which didn't take much power to tow, we needed to go very slow, very maneuverable with great operator visibility. But for towing brush or fell trees out, was nearly impossible for it to do.

I tried repeatedly to use my ATV as a tractor and failed miserably every time. Most notable was my adventures with a flail mower. I bought a commercial grade Alamo flail mower complete with the Honda red engine and it was a solid machine. But no matter what I did to raise it, strengthen it etc. the front lip would catch on a tuff of grass and it would flip resulting in a gas spill, a small fire, and the need to approach the shut off while 80 chains and knives whirled wildly.

While we can say that this is a isolated problem specific to the flail mower, the real problem is that ATVs are not built for field work. With high gearing and low torque it is very hard to keep them at a steady speed. Every turn or slight up-grade meant bogging down or pushing on the throttle and getting a surge of speed. Plus it was not all that comfortable sitting astride an ATV as opposed to the seat of a tractor or riding mower. Not to mention that it was always in the wrong gear -- and long periods of time chugging along in 1st or even 2nd made the engine run hot and sometime even foul the plug [or something] so that it ran in a buking manner [and I have a fan cooled engine]. In short, to me it was obvious that this was not the right tool for the job. So I got a small tractor and have found it to be the right tool for the job.