wfopete 15 #1 Posted October 13, 2009 I am looking for folks who have used both around the homestead for everything from yard mowing to heavy utility work. A friend of mine is considering both for use around his ranch and stated that a good 4WD ATV will out perform a garden tractor 9 out of 10 times . I didn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hodge 6 #2 Posted October 13, 2009 I have both, and for my uses, neither will totally do the job. I could not mow with an atv- the pull behind finish mowers would not work where I live. And, I have no desire to plow snow with one. My driveway isn't paved, and it would be too abusive on such an expensive machine. My horses plow fine, and handle the work better. I have pulled a potato plow with both, and the wheel horse did much better. My 4 wheeler is simply geared too high, even though it is a 5 speed semi auto. The gearing is plenty low for tough trails, but a little too fast for a plow. I have used both an 8 speed and a hydro for plowing potatoes, and both did admirably. I love my atv, don't get me wrong. It is a Honda TX 300 4WD, one of the best ever made. It just was not designed for the same purposes as a good garden tractor. Both are designed for different purposes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wh500special 2,249 #3 Posted October 13, 2009 My neighbor bought an ATV and some miscellaneous attachments (mower, disc, toolbar, snowblade, etc.) to use on his 4 acres and regretted it. He ended up buying a JD 318 shortly after to handle "tractor" work. He said the ATV would do most things asked of it, but it never "seemed right" to him nor seemed to handle it comfortably and - amoung other things - it was difficult to maintain an even speed and get consistent results. He sold the attachments for the ATV (except for the mower) and equipped his Deere as a real GT to take up the slack. Still uses the ATV to waste gas driving back and forth to the mailbox and for giving his grandkids something to mess with. I think it is largely a function of a purpose-built machine versus a combination unit. Kind of like a full set of tools versus a Leatherman multi-tool I suppose. Anybody remember the Yamaha Terre-Pro from the 1980's? I remember the advertising as a "mower-tiller-sprayer-hauler" and thought it was neat. Never seen one in the flesh though. It was a 2wd ATV but had a PTO shaft sticking out the back and accepted PTO driven attachments...pretty slick invention but apparently not a popular one. Yamaha Terre Pro Link Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 22,083 #4 Posted October 13, 2009 Cool link to the Yamaho Steve but I cant see myself mowing the grass or tilling the garden with a helmut like the guy in the pics . I have a Honda Rancher 4x4 quad that I use for recreation. I think it would be to fast for most applications of yard work since it does not have low range. Plus it has been to the dealer a few times for repair and it gets real expensive where I can fix just about anything on my tractors for not much $$. Mike........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bitten 134 #5 Posted October 13, 2009 Ive seen people with plows on the front of there ATVs and wounderd how they did. I think it would only be better with snow on blacktop were speed would come in to play but dont know about pushing that would require more torqu. I dont know. I could not think of anything else that I would want to do with it other then for recreational purposes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge 3,464 #6 Posted October 14, 2009 A friend of mine has a Polaris 700 4x4, very well built and with it's low range seems pretty capable to do most jobs. But, as with most atv's, they just aren't geared low enough for tractor work or at least the ability to have a "set throttle speed". When it comes to snow most pickups would have a real hard time outworking it, just so quick to zip around with compared anything larger, or smaller for that matter. Sarge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 993 #7 Posted October 14, 2009 i have used both to do the lawn and plow the snow,the polaris pushed snow all day long but doesnt have the blade angle from the seat and is not nearly as nimble as a wheelhorse,and cutting the grass isnt very good either,the atv tears up the lawn when you turn and as stated allready they dont have cruise control to go a constant speed,and you can get a snow blower for an atv,they are very expensive though,and a wheel horse isnt very affective on a trail ride either,i dont think my buddies would wait all dcay for me to catch up :scratchead: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sawhorse 0 #8 Posted October 14, 2009 My neighbor's Polaris Sportsman 500 has plenty of power for ground engaging. I would not use the machine for this purpose. The drivetrains on atv's is not built to last. Theirs is a 2002 and is already blown from snow plowing. The whole suspension system is messed up just from going up and down the road, hauling leaves, and snow plowing. There are too many moving parts, all of which are more expensive to replace than wheel horse parts. I enjoy plowing snow with the wheel horse 310. I can actually see the plow. On the atv I cannot see the plow from the seat. Neither machine is really meant for heavy ground engaging. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
