ATV for use on hill farm

[SmokinM]

I never noticed that. The county road here hasn't been graded in nearly a year. There was a big mining outfit working up stream this summer. Up and down the road with heavy trucks nearly daily. The wash board is terrible. With the car or pickup it is a max of 20 mph getting beat up to the pavement. On the quad I do 20 mph and hardly feel a bump.
I am on my every day. The vast majority of where I take it a person could take a pickup. It is just a lot handier to take the quad. Hop off and on quicker. It makes a much smaller track.
I do know a rancher in north central Washington who uses little 4x4 pickups. He says you can find a used little pickup for less money than either a quad or SxS. One of my neighbors has an old Toyota 4x4. He also has a SxS, a Honda rancher, and a dirt bike. He uses that old Toyota more than the other three combined.

I agree, may not work for everybody but you can pretty much take one anywhere you can a SxS with good tires and i dont give a crap about the paint attitude. $5,000 or less will put you in a good one. Got a 98 f150 that falls in that category and if it will fit i take it there. Not many places it doesnt fit. If i can ever find a winch to put on the front it will really be dangerous.

 

[Cdeyton]

If you have tight areas and like Honda's you might want to look at the Pioneer 500 and 520. They are only 50" wide but can haul 2 people and stuff, perfect for going riding with the grandson. Much easier to get on and off as you don't have to lift your leg over and much safer.

 

[Ferd]

I don't know your limitations, but walk anytime you can. Anything that you don't do, sooner than you would like, you can't do. That goes for all of us.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

If you have trees to navigate through and a creek........ ATV all the way. We have Honda 300 fourtrax 4x4. It's all the power you need and they are not too high. Plus, you can't kill them. Ours have been used and abused and we scratch our heads at how they still can run. But they do and are used every day all year.
Unless, for health, mobility reasons, you have a hard time getting on and off an ATV, then I would suggest the side by side. Forget about what your grandson would like, you have to get your work done.

 

[faster horses]

We used IHC Scouts for the ranch for years. Mr FH said they could climb a tree.
They rusted out, so we bought a Xterra. It was great, and he liked it fine, but the neighbor borrowed it and totaled it. So we bought a Polaris SideXSide. We already had a Yamaha 4 wheeler. I have to say, he uses them both. To me, I'd take the Side x Side. He had a winch put on it and he was telling me this morning how much he likes and uses the winch. For one example, he can use it to pull the cycles out or change the cycles on the swather, which is really hard to do by hand.
Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[Big Creek]

By him a cheap beater to tear up and get you a sxs.

Ditto

 

[Atimm693]

SxSs are king on hills. Especially the sportier ones, they will crawl up, down, or sideways around slopes that you couldn't walk on. It's really amazing where they will go.

ATVs will flip and hurt you bad, but they have their place.

 

[Kentcal]

Kawasaki mule

 

[Cattlelow]

We had a 4x4 for 12 years. We're in our 60s now and bought an ATV. Wonder how we managed without one before. You'll love it!

 

[Cattlelow]

We had a 4x4 for 12 years. We're in our 60s now and bought a SxS. Wonder how we managed without one before. You'll love it!

 

[splitcreekfarm]

I have had Honda ATVs my whole life. I still have one, and it certainly has its place. However, I needed to replace one a few weeks ago and I started shopping for both ATVs and side by sides. I went in a direction a lot of people don't consider. I bought a Japanese mini truck. You can get a Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, or Daihatsu. I chose the Daihatsu because it's owned by Toyota and this particular truck had very few miles on it. It comes standard with 4x4, heated cab, wipers, and a flat bed that can haul more than any side by side. They have been known to last over 200,000 miles, much longer than any side by side. I put a 2 inch lift on it with aggressive ATV tires, then added a receiver in the front so I can put a winch on it. I couldn't be happier and I'm really looking forward to that heater when the cold weather arrives.

 

[Shoestring]

Same way that I run my 2. And grandkids enjoy the Rancher, but we are on a more level surface.

 

[HDRider]

I have had Honda ATVs my whole life. I still have one, and it certainly has its place. However, I needed to replace one a few weeks ago and I started shopping for both ATVs and side by sides. I went in a direction a lot of people don't consider. I bought a Japanese mini truck. You can get a Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, or Daihatsu. I chose the Daihatsu because it's owned by Toyota and this particular truck had very few miles on it. It comes standard with 4x4, heated cab, wipers, and a flat bed that can haul more than any side by side. They have been known to last over 200,000 miles, much longer than any side by side. I put a 2 inch lift on it with aggressive ATV tires, then added a receiver in the front so I can put a winch on it. I couldn't be happier and I'm really looking forward to that heater when the cold weather arrives.

Where do you live?

I am not sure we can get them serviced here. I could not find a dealer in the US

 

[farmguy]

I am 73 and have a Honda rancher. One of my best investments. My son researched and recommended rancher. He has a side by side and a 4 wheeler. Actually prefers 4 wheeler most times but we are not very hilly.

 

[Brute 23]

I never noticed that. The county road here hasn't been graded in nearly a year. There was a big mining outfit working up stream this summer. Up and down the road with heavy trucks nearly daily. The wash board is terrible. With the car or pickup it is a max of 20 mph getting beat up to the pavement. On the quad I do 20 mph and hardly feel a bump.
I am on my every day. The vast majority of where I take it a person could take a pickup. It is just a lot handier to take the quad. Hop off and on quicker. It makes a much smaller track.
I do know a rancher in north central Washington who uses little 4x4 pickups. He says you can find a used little pickup for less money than either a quad or SxS. One of my neighbors has an old Toyota 4x4. He also has a SxS, a Honda rancher, and a dirt bike. He uses that old Toyota more than the other three combined.

Have you driven any thing else to compare?

I jumped on a Rancher this weekend and took off. It didn't take me long to remember why I sold mine the first time. It was brutal.

 

[Rendell]

My bet is the grandson will be just as happy with a SxS. They just want something they can control. You might even get him to help with some chores, even if it's only to go back to the barn to get something forgotten.

We have a '17 Honda Rubicon & a '21 Can Am Defender 8. Both have their place & advantages. The Can Am gets utilized a lot more than we thought it would.

 

[splitcreekfarm]

Where do you live?

I am not sure we can get them serviced here. I could not find a dealer in the US

I live in western North Carolina. We have hills and creeks on the farm. My brother in law has a John Deere Gator and my father in law has a kubota UTV. I would put this mini truck up against either one.
They are simple to service. Parts are available online. I do all of my business through Mayberry Mini Trucks near Mount Airy, NC. It's close to the Virginia line. They have about 90 in stock when I was over there last. Everything is used of course, because it has to be a certain age before they can export them from Japan. But this dealer only gets low mileage trucks that have a lot of life in them.
I paid $6,800 for the truck, then I added $1,300 of lift/ATV tires/front receiver.
They get somewhere around 30-40 mpg, can go about 60 mph on the road, and they are street legal when tagged in most states.

 

[bulljohnson]

I am nearing 70 years old and have farmed this 90 acre place for over 50 years.
I run a small flock of BF ewes and some mama cows.
Most of my work is mowing, feeding, fencing and gathering stock. I move a lot of electric fence and spray under fences. It is a typical ridge and hollow Kentucky farm with some pretty steep hills that I hire mowed.
I own a 4X4 pickup and an older Ford tractor with a line of equipment mostly 20 years old and older.
I once used horses on this farm but got a town job and am now retired.
I can't walk like I once did.
Just asking if you think a Honda rancher ATV would be worth the investment for me.
How do some of you use one in your operation?

Hoss, I use my Can Am like a truck. Honda is for city folks. I'd suggest looking at (in no particular order) Can Am, Polaris or a Kawasaki. Get it tomorrow or maybe in your next life.

 

[DOUGGER]

Yes !!! Side by Side and always, always belted in. Lost many gents around the Black Hills from roll overs. My neighbor just last month. Last summer I pull flipped 2 young guys who had flipped over on flat ground! I was just driving by. Dangerous on hills

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

I have a Honda Rancher. Love it. So useful for working fences, runnin back for stuff you forgot.. But, it's awfully boring. You get on it and it starts every time......