Atv or small tractor?
 

I was going to buy a new atv(polaris 700)next year for hunting,but I have been thinking that I might be better off buying a small tractor for doing food plots,trails and for snow removal around the house.What would you guys suggest?I would get a plow ora snowblower for the atv and the tractor would have a snowblower and a front end loader bucket,thesnow removalpart of it isnt a big factor because both will work.I also like to do alot of ice fishing and that is why I am torn between the two,I would look funny driving a tractor out on the ice:).My freind has a four wheeler and we usualy fish together so I wont be driving the tractor on the ice.I dont joy ride and I can leave the tractor at my freinds farm to retrieve deer with during the seasonso I wont have to trailer it everyday and the place I hunt with up north has a brand new john deere compact that we use.

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

Get the tractor. The versatility of a tractor for food plots, projects, dead deer hauling, snow removal, etc... far outweighs the strengths of an ATV. Tractor Implements are heavier duty, less expensive, and more readily available on the used market than ATV attachments. ATV's are not very good in deep snow.

I sold my ATV after watching how deer react - even at long distances. The deer go on high alert whenever an ATV is running. We don't use them at all on the properties we hunt, just tractors.

Tractors can also handle greater abuse and are easier to repair. You already have a ride on the ice - go for the tractor. Happy Hunting!!

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

id get the tractor!!............... then try to find a decent used atv

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

Get the tactor. I have both and the only time the ATV works better is for cross dragging with the harrow because it is faster and suspension in nice for crossing the furrows (sp). A tractor with a loader is about the most versitile piece of equipment you can own.

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

I got them both and by far if I was just getting one it would be the tractor. You can get an old used tractor pretty cheap. They are a basic machine just an engine and drive train. Easy to work on if you need to. You don't need to get a 4 wheel drive tractor or spend alot on it. Shop wisely and you'll find a good deal. I've picked up all the impliments I need for putting in food plots a bit at a time. I have a disc, spring tooth, brush hog and a blade, also a length of chain link fence to drag with. Ipicked them up cheep also. Check at farm auctions for them or in rural papers

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

definitely go with the tractor. there are so many more uses for them than an atv. like others have said, implements for tractors are plentiful, strong, and don't cost an arm and a leg.

i've got a 35 hp deere, with a 2 row corn planter, 10' boom sprayer, bush hog, 2 bottom plow, boxblade, disk, and grooming mower; plus i can rent fertilizer spreaders and a 250 gallon sprayer from the co-op. it'll do just about anything except take hostages.

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

Since your ATV choice is a Polaris you might want to consider both , the tractor would come in real handy for towing too ... ;) j/k dude !

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

:D:D:D

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

HA HA HA HA HA HA:)

RE: Atv or small tractor?
 

Like several others in here, I have both and use them in tandem. My tractor is too big for for my "home" use because my yard is not that large. I use a Massey-Ferguson 42 hp out at my 100 acre hunting area and a small atv here at my home to plow snow in the winter. The rest of the yearthe atvis out at the hunting property used as a utility machine to help with all aspects of the property maintenance and food plot preparation. So my suggestion would be to work towards a goal of having both.

My tractor is an old (1986) diesel that I bought at an auction after years and years of saving and looking. At 42 hp it is big enough to do most jobs, but not too big to maneuver through the woods etc. It alsocame witha 1 yard bucket that is handy for a lot of things. But, the other tractor 3 point hitch attachments are what have really made it worth its weight in gold for food plot preparation. I found a very good used 20 foot boom sprayer that hooks on the 3 point hitch. That takes care of spraying in no time. ThenI bought a 6 foot wide,3 point plow that covers the tractor tracks and that plow was the best thing that ever happened to food plot preparation. It turns unmanageable, virgin topsoil into powder in a single run. I can do a 2 acre food plot in about an hour (sandy loam, but not clay). After tilling I then use the atv with a drag harrow to level it out and then seed followed by the drag harrow and, whallahhhhh, it is complete. I am now saving up for a cultipacker which I believe will help with my germination on certain plantings.

In summary, my suggestion would be to have a goal and work towards that goal over a period of years. With an unlimited budget it would be nice to just go out and buy, buy, buy. But that is just not possible for most people. So, maybe start with the atv because that gives you the most versatility and work up to the tractor later as financial resources become available. But I definitely believe that for food plot preparation, you can't beat a tractor. Good luck!