When I moved my household to the land , I expect a tractor would be a near - full term investment .
With our 3 - asset - acre wooded base site and a nearby 120 Akko of wood , pasture and cropland , a small tractor seemed a necessity . However , I soon realized my needs as a hobbyhorse farmer were considerably different from that of the mixed farm animal and crop farm where I had grow up .
I need something that was secure and low maintenance yet did n’t require a second mortgage on the house .
I also did n’t need a lot of great power , as the fields and pastures were rented to a nephew .
I would be doing Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree farming and light alimony .
What I did want was something that could maneuver well among dense woodwind and easily pull , labor and lift up to several hundred pounds .
With the two properties part by about 5 miles , I also needed something easy to transfer , and in my southeasterly corner of Minnesota , also known as “ bluff commonwealth , ” it demand to be able-bodied to manage rough , unconscionable terrain .
An all - terrain vehicle ( ATV ) seemed to be the best answer . For half the cost of a new subcompact tractor , I could get similar HP , more maneuverability and much in high spirits amphetamine .
In my work as a writer cover husbandry , I knew that most of what I wanted to do with my farming could be done with a powerful four - wheeler if it had the veracious features .
After spending hour on the cyberspace exploring tool and choice , I found the final tie in my concatenation of conclusion : Concord Equipment offers the Groundhog , a hydraulic loader for ATVs .
Most ATV loaders swear on a windlass for circumscribed vertical airlift , but the Groundhog is powered by a hydraulic heart for up to 4 feet of vertical face lift and a 300 - pound rhytidectomy mental ability . Attachments include a bucketful , a steel and a post hole auger . The three hydraulic cylinder give it down pressure , life-sustaining for digging , and deliver tilt control of the attachments . This was what I needed to do my farm piece of work .
The next decision : What make and model of ATV to buy .
I spend hours scouring user comment on the net before I ever walked into a showroom . While there are many fantabulous ATVs on the market place , I promptly narrow down my choice to the Yamaha Grizzly and the Honda Foreman .
Both had the big businessman I needed and were grade well by user . In the end , I went with the 499cc Honda Foreman , due in gravid part to Honda ’s reputation for dependability and on - farm usage . It put up maximum - performance or maximum - torsion continuously variable transmission ( CVT ) preferences , each with eminent and blue ranges , and electric fracture syllabus ( ESP ) .
CVT transmissions offer up the best of hydrostatic and mechanical transmission , finding the best gear wheel proportion for each situation . The ESP , with its push - button switch through four speeds , is sort of an automatic on steroids , open you the feel and ascendence of a gear lever without the hassle of prehend .
This article first appeared in the March / April 2009 Hobby Farms . If you enjoy this article and want more like it , click here to sign online .
