I was able to rent a rec model RTV with a dump bed and ATV tires, which
were the essentials if this vehicle was going to be any use on my land.
I have 155 acres on a forested hillside in northern Vermont, of which
about half is accessible via my Honda Foreman 400 ATV. I rented the RTV
to see if it would be able to handle harvesting firewood; moving sand,
dirt and stone; and general cleanup of fallen limbs, mucking the sheep,
etc. I have seven acres clear, with the upper and lower meadows
separated by a wet spot that has been churned into muck by the weight
of my L4630. To the north there is a dirt road leading to the high
point of my property. The road is a 25% grade, and the upper portion is
very muddy right now. To the south is a trail leading to the
springhouse; it is mud under a thin layer of fallen leaves and spotty
grass, but to reach it a rocky stream must be crossed.
First, the chores. The RTV had no trouble handling firewood, sand, and
boulders uphill or down. The dump bed was a dream! Picking up and
discarding fallen branches and stumps dug up earlier in the year has
never been easier. My dogs love riding shotgun, but the RTV can only
accomodate one dog at a time on the passenger seat.
Secondly, the handling. Loved the power steering! Speed and
acceleration were good, that is to say much faster than the tractor.
The RTV was no where near as nimble as the ATV, and because of its
weight it had a bit of trouble with the mud. Where the ATV floats on
top of most muck, the RTV sank right in and tore up some turf. Also,
the OE ATV tires loaded up with clay quickly and spun with only
marginal effectiveness in several sections of my property.
The RTV handled the steep dirt road very well until I reached the muddy
sections. Just like a pickup, even in 4WD the rear end wandered
noticably from side to side trying to get some traction. In the end it
was loss of traction, not loss of power, that forced me to back down
and turn around.
Ground clearance was also an issue. I was unable to cross the rocky
stream to access the south end of my land because of a few boulders
that made it lose traction. I might have been more adventurous if I had
a winch, or if my tractor had the logging winch mounted, but it wasn't
my RTV and I didn't want to risk damage by pressing on. To be fair,
given an RTV and a summer of work I could easily make a bridge over the
stream...
Summary: The RTV is a real workhorse, and for most properties would be
a clear winner. I love the smoothness of the diesel, the familiarity of
the hydrostatic tranny, the grunt toughness that lets it haul heavy
loads without trouble, and that glorious dump bed. I didn't like the
fact that it would be able to access so much LESS of my land than the
ATV.
Maybe I should test ride one of the new Honda Rincon ATVs. With that
much power I could pull one of those double axle dump trailers designed
for use with ATVs. Ahem, decisions!
Pete
were the essentials if this vehicle was going to be any use on my land.
I have 155 acres on a forested hillside in northern Vermont, of which
about half is accessible via my Honda Foreman 400 ATV. I rented the RTV
to see if it would be able to handle harvesting firewood; moving sand,
dirt and stone; and general cleanup of fallen limbs, mucking the sheep,
etc. I have seven acres clear, with the upper and lower meadows
separated by a wet spot that has been churned into muck by the weight
of my L4630. To the north there is a dirt road leading to the high
point of my property. The road is a 25% grade, and the upper portion is
very muddy right now. To the south is a trail leading to the
springhouse; it is mud under a thin layer of fallen leaves and spotty
grass, but to reach it a rocky stream must be crossed.
First, the chores. The RTV had no trouble handling firewood, sand, and
boulders uphill or down. The dump bed was a dream! Picking up and
discarding fallen branches and stumps dug up earlier in the year has
never been easier. My dogs love riding shotgun, but the RTV can only
accomodate one dog at a time on the passenger seat.
Secondly, the handling. Loved the power steering! Speed and
acceleration were good, that is to say much faster than the tractor.
The RTV was no where near as nimble as the ATV, and because of its
weight it had a bit of trouble with the mud. Where the ATV floats on
top of most muck, the RTV sank right in and tore up some turf. Also,
the OE ATV tires loaded up with clay quickly and spun with only
marginal effectiveness in several sections of my property.
The RTV handled the steep dirt road very well until I reached the muddy
sections. Just like a pickup, even in 4WD the rear end wandered
noticably from side to side trying to get some traction. In the end it
was loss of traction, not loss of power, that forced me to back down
and turn around.
Ground clearance was also an issue. I was unable to cross the rocky
stream to access the south end of my land because of a few boulders
that made it lose traction. I might have been more adventurous if I had
a winch, or if my tractor had the logging winch mounted, but it wasn't
my RTV and I didn't want to risk damage by pressing on. To be fair,
given an RTV and a summer of work I could easily make a bridge over the
stream...
Summary: The RTV is a real workhorse, and for most properties would be
a clear winner. I love the smoothness of the diesel, the familiarity of
the hydrostatic tranny, the grunt toughness that lets it haul heavy
loads without trouble, and that glorious dump bed. I didn't like the
fact that it would be able to access so much LESS of my land than the
ATV.
Maybe I should test ride one of the new Honda Rincon ATVs. With that
much power I could pull one of those double axle dump trailers designed
for use with ATVs. Ahem, decisions!
Pete
