Will an ATV work?

I recently purchased 40 acres of woods and streams in rural Texas that my wife and I want to build a mountain bike trail on. I own a tractor and was planning on shreading and box blading the trail. After hearing some people tell me about various implements available for atvs, I thought it might be fun to get an atv to do the work instead of a tractor. While I know that the tractor is the superior choice, if I could get an atv with a trailer and a rough mower for under $8000 that would do an adequate job, it would definitely the be the fun way to go. Is this feasible, and do the implements actually "cut it" in my price range?

An ATV that can do the work will cost AROUND $6000.
We sell a 44" rough cut mower for $1500.
ATV cart $400.
That will put you right at the $8000 mark.

[Spraguepsycho1]

I used an '85 ATC200X with a 48 inch tow behind Bushhog mower to cut down 14 acres of 3 foot+ scrub brush on my 14 acres here in Oregon. The mower only had an 8 hp Briggs & Stratton engine on it, it did the job,but it was very slow going. I have seen V-blade tow behind plows that are used by the Forest Service, that they tow behind quads to dig control lines when they are getting ready to light a controlled burn. They seem to work fairly well in softer soil and can cut a pretty smooth trail about 3 feet wide, sometimes they have to add extra weight to make it dig in better. I use a 72 inch PTO driven rotary mower behind my 80hp tractor to keep the scrub down now, and what took me 4 weeks to mow on the 3 wheeler bouncing around for 8 hrs a day, now takes about 16 hrs total. The tractor definetly would be more efficient, but the atv can be fun if you aren't pressed for time. I'd rather be doing this [img]images/graemlins/beach.gif[/img] lol

If you are trying to pick between buying a 4 wheeler or tractor then you would have to decide when you get done with the trails what would you use the tractor then. cause you dont wanna just let it sit around for years and never use it.

If you got the atv then when you got done you could use the atv for pleasure and work unlike the tractor.

If you have anything mow than high grass the ATV mower will not be good. Buy a used 25-35 hp tractor and a 5' bushhog for around 4 grand. After you are done you can sell it for what you paid for it. Then buy an ATV. I bought 3 of the tow behind ATV bushhogs and they are just not built for anything more than yard work.

I'm going to have to agree to err on the side of caution for a couple reasons.

Power is one. Now, we all know that a big bore will make, what, 20-30hp? Well, a typical utility tractor makes about the same power, but has REALLY heavy duty components compared to an ATV. My grandfather buys and sells tractors, and one of the ones he has now, for example is a 25hp Yanmar F20D, which is a 3-cylinder diesel, and it's 4WD, that is to say, front-wheel-assist, as all 4WD tractors are.

Now, another specimen of that exact tractor, combined with a similar-sized Mitsubishi 2wd, pulled a 1957 Chevy stake truck with 6 flat tires out of the ruts it had been sitting in for three years.

Tell me an ATV can do that.

Now, these tractors are from Japan, where they buy or lease new tractors every two to four years. They have been reconditioned, repainted and are ready to go to work.

The F20D would probably go for around $4000, but it'll out-tug any ATV out there, be it a big bore Sportsman, Rincon, Grizzly, whatever, and it's got a PTO, is compact enough to fit on a 4'x8' utility trailer, and will go through three feet of muck like it's not even there.

The PTO will save you lots, too, because he's also got PTO-driven mower decks, which are roughly a third of the money of a rough cut self-powered deck.

I won't argue that an ATV will be more fun, but these little Japanese diesels run forever, which is why John Deere rebadges Yanmar tractors for their smaller tractor line as John Deere.

Just food for thought.

After all was said and done, you'd be out somewhere between $3800 and $4500, and would have one heckuva machine. Then, you take a few thousand and pay all but a grand or so on a brand new Rancher, or Eiger, or whatever, feeding both needs, and saving the drivetrain on your ATV from the rigors of tugging that box blade around.