Take the money you would spend on an ATV ($7-$9K), and you can get a decent tractor, possibly with a loader and a few attachments. Then as the budget permits, start accumulating attachments. And you'll get a lot more use out of the tractor than the ATV. Especially if you plan on doing "a couple acres". ATVs will work, but they aren't made to work anything big enough to be measured in acres. ATVs are made for joy riding. Tractors are made for work. I'm still honestly amazed that ATVs and UTVs are still so popular with hunters while compact tractors are not. Not as much fun to ride, maybe, but a lot more practical and generally a better investment. Damage from overheating, broken axles, and fried transmissions can all happen when an ATV is used for something it was never really designed to do.
If you are dead set on an ATV, I can't say anything other than I've had a Yamaha Grizzly since 2002, and other than replacing a throttle cable, haven't done much to it, although I've not used it to try and plow. The throttle cable failure I think stemmed from using it to spot spray mesquites. Moving a little ways, stopping and spraying, then moving a little more, stopping and spraying again kept air from really moving over the engine good. When combined with the heat of summer, it got hot on some of the rubber/plastic portions of the cable, causing it to fail and become stuck. ATVs are really designed to have air moving through them, and at speeds of under 5 MPH, they don't get much. If you do try to plow or shred on one, make sure you wash it out good each day after you use it. Dust and grass can really compromise the engine's ability to cool.