Easy Rider, Hard Worker

First off, these mongrel machines are designed with trail riding in mind. Even the name “all-terrain vehicle” implies a bit of adventure, peeling out on an uncharted ride, leaving your chores in the dust. Just remember:

In addition to providing the thrill of the hunt, an ATV can also bring a feeling of satisfaction in getting you daily to-do list accomplished.

Today’s ATVs have an arsenal of work-inspired features — from rack systems to attachment hitches — and everyone from Polaris and Arctic Cat has their arms elbow-deep in the work-equipment honey pot. With pull-behind attachments such as mowers, spreaders, sprayers and cultivators, front winch attachments such as snow blades and brushes and versatile rack systems, it’s no surprise to see more ATVs hard at work.

It’s easy to get excited about the possibility of cutting the time it takes to complete your workload in half with a lightning-quick ATV. Before flying off the ATV handle and running to the dealer to snatch up as many attachments as possible, there are a few things to consider such as the size of your ATV, the compatibility of attachments and what you’ll need to get your jobs completed.

All-Terrain Attachment Vehicle

When looking at your ATV with a work-focused eye, you have to look past the potential of supping up the engine and improving the suspension to reach speeds upward of 75 mph for the next ATV motocross race. Sport ATVs such as the Yamaha Raptor, Polaris Outlaw and Suzuki Z400 are primarily focused on clocking the best time on the circuit, while utility ATVs work as hard as they play. Hard-working ATV riders look for a rear-mounting system, a sturdy front winch and an adaptable rack system. First, you’ll want to make sure that your ATV is ready for the paces you want to put it through.

“When working with attachments, you want to pay attention to the size [of the ATV] and the engine. You don’t want to try to pull a large attachment like a cultivator with a mid-range ATV [with a 450- to 500-cc engine], you’ll just be spinning your tires,” says Steve Nessl, press relations manager for Yamaha’s ATV and SxS department. “You want to match the unit size with the weight of the implement. Ninety percent of the time a mid-range ATV will have you covered, but in the other 10 percent of extreme circumstances, you’re going to need a bigger machine. For example, pulling a cultivator attachment that digs into the ground, you’re probably going to need an ATV in the 700-cc engine range.”

“If you have a heavier weight on the machine, you’ll want a heavier suspension. That way the back [of the ATV] isn’t dragging on the ground,” adds Donna Beadle, external relations specialist for Polaris Industries. “Also, a stronger rear axle will keep the attachment engaging the ground.”

The most common attachments such as mowers, cargo trailers, sprayers and spreaders wouldn’t require a heavy-duty utility ATV. To harness the power of these attachments, most ATVs utilize a ball hitch receiver (2 in. on Arctic Cat and Yamaha ATVs and 1 1/4 in. on Polaris ATVs). Some ATVs also use a pin-style attachment for more generic attachments. Pin-style attachments are the simplest system in which a single pin is used to attach the working appendage to the ATV. Hitch attachments work much the same as they do for a truck. If your ATV uses a 2-in. ball hitch, then you could pop the hitch off your pickup and slap it on your ATV.

If you don’t have a receiver, a 2-in. ball hitch would run you about $80.

In addition to the pin and ball hitches, Arctic Cat also offers its SPEEDpoint system. The system attaches to the ATV via the machine’s pin-style hitch to produce an attachment coupler that now features two pin-style hitches, which connect the specially designed SPEEDpoint attachments to the ATV. The result is a quick-attach system that keeps the attachment more stable and ground engaging, say Arctic Cat officials.

Aside from speeding up the attachment process, the system’s other greatest asset is the availability of a three-point hitch that connects to the SPEEDpoint system. This system, which acts much like a tractor’s three-point hitch, plugs into the 2-in. receive hitch and the speed rack to apply upward of 600 lbs of down pressure on the attachment.

With a self-contained, 12-volt actuator, the three-point hitch takes the pressure and downward force of the attachment off of the ATV’s suspension, leaving it free to haul a cultivator, single or tandem disc or drag harrow without compromising the integrity of the unit. Although SPEEDpoints is a bit more expensive at $800, it makes up for wear and tear on the rear suspension that other attachment systems produce.

To extend ATV attachments even further, the front of the ATV should not be neglected. The most common attachment staple in the ATV catalog is the winch. The versatility of the winch is twofold — you can pull yourself or another piece of equipment out of a sticky situation or use it as the mounting system for a snow plow, broom or dozer blade. Winches are usually available as optional equipment from the manufacturer, but sometimes come standard on certain models. If bought separately, a winch usually sells between $350 and $400.

“ATVs are super versatile for plowing snow and pushing material. Most front attachments will either come with an attachment system or have winch mounting points,” says Nessl.

“And if you’re operating a blade attachment in the front, use the adjustability [of the blade] to get the most out of your job. Almost all plow blades can be angled for windrow plowing,” adds Jeff Lane, Arctic Cat’s ATV accessories coordinator.

Nice Rack

Aside from the push and pull of typical attachments, an ATV’s rack will make users stand up and take notice. Available in all shapes, sizes and uses, rack systems are as unique as each manufacturer’s ATVs. Most today come with a system for not only easily storing backpacks, coolers and riding gear, but also snapping on work tools like chainsaw mounts, cargo bins and a gun scabbard, just to name a few.

“Speed is the greatest aspect. You can put the attachments on and pull them off in about 10 seconds,” says Lane. “So, you can slap on a chainsaw mount for cutting wood across your property. When you get back, you can have the mount off in a matter of seconds and take off for some trail riding.”

Polaris, for instance, offers its Lock and Ride rack system on its Sportsman and Hawkeye ATVs, which utilizes a specially designed mounting latch to allow accessories to be attached and detached into pre-designed anchor holes, without the use of tools. Polaris offers a variety of Lock and Ride accessories, including a windshield for $115, cargo box for $180, driver backrest for $180, gun scabbard mount for $90 and a gun boot for $60.

On Yamaha racks, you’ll find a rubberish material called DuraGrip, which makes sure loads don’t slip around. DuraGrip comes standard on all of Yamaha’s utility ATVs. Yamaha also incorporates a four-bolt mounting system on its Grizzly 700 in which the stock bolts can be removed and the rack can be swapped out for an enclosed cargo box, bench rack, luggage utility table or gun boot. While a bolt system might not be as quick as flipping a switch, the bolts ensure that anything attached to the rack will become a part of the ATV, which means it won’t affect the machine’s center of gravity.

Similarly, Arctic Cat offers its SPEEDrack system that allows the user to pin in attachments at will. While Arctic Cat offers the standard rear rack for $260 and cargo box for $400, it also has a rack-mounted sprayer system for $350 and a 120-in. SPEEDrack sprayer boom for $170. For precision spraying, a spot sprayer installs into a cargo box, available for $170.

The Ride to Work

Once your attachments are hitched to your ATV, you’ll have to ride your lean, mean, trail-blazing machine with more caution than you would during an afternoon romp through the wilderness. Typically, the type of job you’re doing will dictate the speed of travel.

“ATVs go faster than a mower or compact tractor, so you want to make sure that you are going the proper speed for the job. If you’re breaking sod with the disc attachment, it helps to go a bit faster. For mowing, if you’re trying to cut 2-in. trees, you’ll want to go pretty slow,” says Lane. “For rough cut and finish cut mowing, 7 mph is a good speed. Fifteen miles per hour is the maximum speed you’ll want to go with any attachment, and even that is too fast.”

Whenever you are pushing or pulling your attachment, you’ll want to take notice of the material you are pushing around or pulling through. With a snow blade, you’ll want to make sure that you aren’t pushing too much snow too fast or you could wind up face first in the pile.

“You’re going to find your limits pretty fast if you are in over your head,” says Nessl. “A bigger ATV generally means that you have more pushing power. But the best advice is to start small and don’t try to do anything that is over your riding ability or job requirements.”

As your experience with ATV attachments grows, so will your ability. Soon those pesky chores that cut into your trail riding time will be just another reason to hop onto your trusty stead. Just be sure to detach your implements before another thrill-seeking wild ride.

Jason Morgan is assistant editor of Compact Equipment.