8 Ways to Maximize the Use of UTVs and ATVs on Your Acreage
By Kent Boucher
One of my favorite musings about human behavior is found in the innovations of Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs). What began as a two or three seater ATV with a dump bed on the back rapidly evolved into vehicles with powered windows, HVAC systems, sound systems and a stretched chassis with enough seating to accommodate my family of six. What manufacturers ultimately discovered was that we humans really like trucks, so they reverse engineered them on a 1:2 scale size. Even though our consumer demands may seem silly, these vehicles are incredibly useful. Their playful nature shines when it comes to navigating tough terrain, or long trail rides where their capability is unmatched. Here in Iowa, their work side stands out the best, and owning a UTV or an ATV can make chore life on an acreage much easier and more enjoyable.
1.Put a hitch ball on it.
With all of the bells and whistles found on the latest ATVs and UTVs, I think that hitches are one of their most underutilized features. I’ll offer up a few uses for them with some job specific implements in later paragraphs, but one specific use I took advantage of a few weeks ago was putting a hitch ball in the hitch and towing around a small tilt trailer to gather leaves around my yard for burning in a safe location. Being able to hook up a trailer that was at least 5 times bigger than my little yard wagon made the job go so much faster. This same method could be used for moving firewood, landscaping materials, yard waste, or whatever else needs to be hauled around the acreage. Just be careful not to overload the trailer with weight that exceeds the towing capacity of the ATV pulling the trailer.
2.Snow removal
It is actually a rather tricky use for ATVs and UTVs and that is because snow is heavy and these types of vehicles are not. Both momentum and force are needed to shove snow around the yard with a plow, both are functions of mass (momentum (p)=mass x velocity and Force=mass x acceleration). That being said, ATVs and UTVs offer excellent acceleration and velocity so they can get the job done, but I strongly recommend plowing after every inch or two of accumulation. Perhaps a better option would be purchasing a self-powered snowblower attachment for an ATV as long as there is time to let the snowblower eat through the drifts.
3. Small Farming
Small Farming is becoming a major component of rural homesteads where families are finding creative ways to earn money on small acreages by growing both food and cash crops. While a tractor will always be the best option for farm work, they do not offer the multitasking advantages that ATVs and UTVs provide outside of farming. Although heavy duty dirt work such as plowing can be too much strain on ATV sized equipment, other field work chores are definitely possible. Spraying pesticides, fertilizers, or even just watering crops can easily be done with either mounted, or pull-behind sprayer tanks. Electric pumps can be easily hooked up to batteries and with the aid of spraying accessories such as booms and wands the job of an applicator is made much easier than using backpack and manual pump sprayers. Mowing brushy pastures or orchards that are too tall and dense for lawn mowers to handle is another good chore for ATVs. Towable self-powered flail mowers and brush cutters are a great option for this work. Additionally, the off-road suspension and 4×4 capabilities of ATVs and UTVs are a great advantage for handling wet and rough terrain that would damage and/or bury a lawn mower. Other implements like small disks, seeders, cultivators, tillers, harrows and even self-powered harvesters can take care of field preparation, planting, maintenance and harvesting work.
4. Raising livestock
Livestock are the other half of many homestead farming operations. This is where a UTV really outshines an ATV. The truck bed on the back is perfect for hauling water, fencing material, feed, bedding, small square bales, vaccination equipment and anything else needed for managing livestock and the infrastructure needed to keep them healthy and safe. The additional seat is also nice when a second set of hands is needed for farrowing, calving, vaxes, or castration. Both ATVs and UTVs are very useful, even essential, for dragging chicken tractors, checking fences, herding, and rotating animals into new paddocks.
5. Gardening
Gardening is one thing all acreage dwellers should strive to incorporate into their rural lifestyle. As my good friend Luke Fritch would say, “Don’t just move out to the country to watch TV.” In other words, if someone is interested in living on farmland, they should use it for farming! Gardening of course takes a lot of work, starting in April and ending in November. An ATV or UTV is plenty of horsepower for disking, tilling, watering, and fertilizing. A UTV is especially useful for hauling garden hoes, shovels, rakes, and other necessary tools during the growing season, and fresh produce once harvest time arrives. Having some horsepower to help accomplish the gardening chores will keep a new gardener committed to growing their own produce year after year.
6. Trees Care
Aldo Leopold has a well-known quote about firewood warming its user twice. Once while cutting and splitting, the other while burning, but a third round of warmth comes from hauling gear and logs from the cutting and splitting site to the stacking site. Having a UTV with a dump bed can add a lot of efficiency to the whole process of stockpiling wood for the winter. From hauling chainsaws and pulling self-powered log splitters to hauling a mound of freshly processed firewood to the woodpile near the house, a UTV is incredibly helpful. This is especially true when considering that much of the firewood in Iowa is found in rough untillable acres such as ravines, creek bottoms, and swamps- all places that demand off-road capability beyond what a 4×4 pickup truck can handle.
7. Habitat Work
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the second-best time is now. Trees are a true premium in Iowa for those who value wildlife, healthy ecosystems, good hunting, shade, privacy, and protection from the wind. An old farmhouse with a yard full of mature trees is a priceless piece of property as far as I’m concerned and the folks who planted those trees deserve a badge of honor. Any acreage that doesn’t have trees should start planting them now to enjoy their benefits as soon as possible. The same goes for improving habitat for wildlife and hunting opportunities. Having a UTV to haul around saplings, tree spades and 5 gallon buckets of water makes this land changing effort much better.
8. A Deer Hunter’s Best Friend
So far this article has focused on the work, now it’s time to play. ATVs were originally built for fun. Trail riding, mudding, and for more extreme operators, jumping and racing. One fun use that ATVs and UTVs are great for is taking care of deer hunting chores. I’ve used them for hauling piles of climbing sticks and tree stands to the timber to pre-set trees before hunting season opens. I’ve used them for placing and checking trail cameras, hauling deer out of the timber, and even hoisting deer up on a gambrel for deboning. Their usefulness when it comes to deer hunting cannot be overstated, and every time I get to pair deer hunting with cruising around on an ATV or UTV my smile grows a little wider.
Making purchases for things like ATVs and UTVs may seem like extravagant expenditures, and if there isn’t any practical use for them they probably are. For folks living on the land and using the land though, they can be some of the most practical purchases ever made.
