I recommend an all-terrain Segway
:p
Get an old diesel Unimog
My and the lads are off to get some hay from our local honor system hay barn in Triune now but will answer later anyone who replies
thank you
*imagine an honor system hay barn...great place I’m lucky enough to live eh?
A belt high fastball for FR's comedians.
We have had three of these things, they are great.
First a 1991 MULE by Kawasaki. A family member still has it.
Second a Kubota RTV with one bench seat.
Third and finally a Kubota RTV 1140 with two bench seats.
Neighbors have many different brands, we prefer diesel to gas and don’t want to go sixty miles per hour in any of them.
Look around see which dealer will treat you right then get one of them. The MULE could easily transport a pallet of fertilizer or a large round bale of hay. The Kubotas are way beyond that. Hydraulics are not a luxury, well worth paying for.
Caddis the Elder
I have a small herd of alpacas (17) and have used a JD gator for the last 6 years for manure management. The gator has a bed with hydrolic dump feature and is easy to manuever inside and out of the barn. I have a snow plow that goes on in winter and is sufficient to plow my half mile drive in two passes if the snow is 6” or less. I go down one side and up the other and the whole thing is plowed in less than a half hour. The bed is fine for carrying a few bales of hay, but no more than a half dozen will fit easily. It’s a tough little vehicle with more power than you would imagine and it has run very reliably for the past 6 years. I would imagine that a similar vehicle by Kubota or Polaris would perform well, also.
You might want to consider adding alpacas to your farm. They are sweet and gentle and easy to keep and their fiber makes yummy garments, similar to cashmere.
I don’t know anything about utility vehicles because I always either walked or drove a regular tractor, or sometimes ran around in a golf cart depending on the errand and the size of the land. But there is one thing I do feel comfortable commenting on: Respectfully, with other uses of your land—other critters, house, well, barn, garden, driveway and parking, possible riding ring, and other et ceteras requiring space—good sustained pasture management doesn’t really allow for your planned five or six horses on such a small acreage. Sorry, I know you didn’t ask.
Not much beats a Ford 8N or NAA Jubilee utility tractor. Sixty-plus years old, but they have been rebuilt what seems to be an infinite number of times. Aftermarket repair still seems to be available, they are sturdy, reliable, and they have what is one of the original 3-point hitches. Relatively low center of gravity (important if you get into steep country), yet narrow enough to get into cramped places that would confound larger tractors. Still plenty of attachments available, such as moldboard plows, disk harrows, rotary PTO mowers, even loader scoops, but the latter is really hard on the drive line and hydraulics - tends to be the primary reason old Fords end up getting rebuilt. With a light 2-wheel trailer, great for small hauling jobs, like hauling tools out to the back to build fences.
If one has the old Sherman step-up auxilary gearbox (installed right in the drive line, with external engagement lever between direct and overdrive), capable of 25+ miles per hour over the road, and effectively doubles the number of ground speed ratios available.
These are definitely ONE-PASSENGER vehicles, there is room for the operator only, no hauling kids around without a safely fixed seat. Handy as a team of horses for skidding logs or pulling out fence posts, even have used one as a way to round up cows and bring them to the barn.
For one in decent condition, you could spend upwards of $5,000, probably competitive in price with the latest models of a John Deere Gator of comparable power.
You might as well get a dune buggy. It would be a lot more economical than a large UTV.
I use a 420cc Honda ATV with a trailer for the vast majority of my farm chores. It's not perfect due to the light weight, but it does a good job.
I worked with everything you listed and will always stand by John Deere. I know they are expensive but they are worth it.
Everything else is just a JD wannabe.
I know I don’t need to remind you that you get what you pay for.
Gas or Diesel?
Diesel because gas goes bad swiftly.
Tough to beat the Ranger for power/value, IMO.
We also have a Yamaha Grizzly 600 4x4. I use it to pull the little 25bu manure spreader, a 44 inch powered rough cut mower, and a push blade to clear the driveway in the snow months. And, it’s great for deer hunting, coyote hunting, etc.
With eight horses, we clean stalls every day, and the small Pequea 25 bushel, ground engaged manure spreader has been great. It is stout, solid, and has rot-proof floor boards, good paint, and beefy parts. We spread manure on the pastures during the summer, and on the hay grass through the winter months (saves on fertilizer). The manure breaks down quickly enough that we don’t have accumulation issues, and no flies in the summer.
We do our own hay, and the Grizzly or the Ranger will pull the tedder or the rake, if needed, but I usually use the old Ford Jubilee (1953) for that kind of stuff, and for heavy mowing.
Sounds to me like you need a tractor first and think about a UTV later. I bought a Jeep Cherokee instead of a UTV; IT WAS $3300 INSTEAD OF $10,000 PLUS! It pulls a bigger trailer and you can take it to town...
Bobcat (UTV) is built by Polaris. Their tractors are Koyti.
Tractor or UTV, diesel is best...
Acquire 2 to 4 - 55 gal metal drums, a hand pump for extra diesel to keep on hand.
I’ve got a small farm. I don’t have an ATV or a “mule”. What I do have are two tractors, both diesel. A 1972 MF 135 and a Ford 1961 841. Both can do the farming and logging chores and they are easy to maintain. Parts are plentiful and easy to obtain. I have a diesel storage tank with 300 gallons of fuel. Gasoline won’t store as long and gets water easily. Farm implements for these are fairly cheap and also easy to obtain. I have one tractor hitched to a small wagon that I use to carry my chainsaws, axes, and lubricants. I can use the wagon to transport firewood and limbs and to carry riders also. I thought about draft horses but the tractors are easier to maintain (and I am a veterinarian). Old tractors like these are easily found in and around the Nashville area...the MF 35, 135, and Ford 801/841 diesels can be purchased in good shape for $2500 to $5000. I didn’t care if the metal was rough if the engine, transmission and PTO was in good shape.
don’t anybody laugh but couldn’t I simply drag a decent TSC chain harrow behind my RAM 1500 for now just to spread the horse manure?
it’s dry here in Middle Tn for now?
I ain’t gonna lie...I’ve found my calling
if I didn’t have to work to pay for all these kids and extended family stuff
I would like to just deal with horses...just like my TWH breeder grandpa was
better late than never
I really do enjoy it and so do my boys
just going out tonight and getting a load of hay on a frosty clear nite and betting which one would run up to start eating outta the back of the truck before we could even get it unloaded was just plain fun..Old America fun
and we were right...the abused Thoroughbred we’re nursing up...first in line buddy,,at least you can’t see his ribs now
i do appreciate all the help