TRACTORS VS ATV VS SKIDSTEER FOR SMALL ACREAGE HOMESTEADING.
Folks how we doing have an interesting Scenario for you today let's say you Have a new Homestead it could be a few Acres maybe up to 40 acres like what we Have out here and you're just starting Out you're on a budget money's tight you Need one piece of equipment because you Have a lot of stuff to do how do you Make the best decision so we're going to Talk about the three most popular types Of equipment out there you got a an ATV Or a UTV like what we have with our Ranger over there you got a tractor like The summit tx25 you got a skid steer Like the John Deere 333g these are just Here to have something in the background To kind of represent it so these models It's not specifically that it could be a Smaller ATV it could be an open station It could be a cab it could be a small Skid steer tractor or whatever use your Imagination you're going to have a Budget that's going to come into play as Well that's going to be a big factor but There's a lot of other variables to Consider that maybe you haven't thought About before and so I've been in this Position before you know I didn't start out with a lot of Equipment and it kind of went that way Partly because of my business I sell Attachments for tractors skid steers Utvs all that but I find myself now Actually getting rid of some equipment I
Just sold my Manitou which is a big Telehandler My mini skid steer that is for sale Pending sale probably out of here soon Too I'm finding that no matter what you Decide before or after this video you're Probably going to change something down The road all right and and nothing is Forever typically you're going to have Circumstances that change maybe projects That change and whatever else it is so You know you wanna you wanna simplify And have as few pieces of equipment as You can but sometimes it does make sense To have a separate one like I've got a Zero turn for mowing that just makes Sense for me with where I'm at right now Okay so the big factor again is going to Be price and I think you need to Consider the price of the the machine Itself and then the price of the Attachments that go along with it to Complete all the jobs that you have at Hand and so again you can go crazy with A with a ranger or UTV like this and pay Over 30 grand you certainly don't have To you can get You know a regular four-wheeler for I Don't know these days maybe maybe under 10 grand still I mean they're still Expensive but they're typically going to Start out as the cheapest price point And then the next cheapest would be a Tractor most typically all right if you
Get a subcompact tractor with a loader You know you're you're under 20 grand You know I mean it just depends on what Brand and what other attachments you get With it but kind of a relative price Point and then you go to a skid steer And and a smaller skid steer hey hey June let's not dig a hole okay no I'm Not digging a hole No no thank you Okay and so then a skid steer is going To be a lot more hey A lot more A lot more than a tractor would be okay Sorry I'm losing my train of thought Here but the point is cheapest more Expensive most expensive depending on How you have it configured a cab no cab I've done a whole video on cab versus no Cab I mean it's you're paying a lot of Money for something that you're not Doing work with but having a cab you Know this time of year in the cold and The heat dust allergies uh bees All sorts of things you know even even The sun just beating down it lets you Get more work done you can stay out in The field out in the in the yard doing Whatever you need to a lot longer now Talking about attachments attachments For ATV UTV are cheaper and more Expensive that sounds weird you can get Some some simple tow behind stuff that Can be pretty cheap you know we we
Advertise for a pull type box blade Electrically raising it and lowering it That can go behind an ATV that's pretty Darn cheap you can get a front mount Just a simple winch up and down snowplow Pretty cheap right but if you want to Get a snow blower like what we sell or a Nice fancy Flail Mower or a brush hog or Even a finish mower for the front from Ramy those are more expensive than Getting a brush hog A finished mower a snow blower for a Tractor so anyway the reason that some Of those attachments like the snow Blowers like the brush Hogs whether They're a front mount you can get pull Type brush Hogs and finish mowers too But the reason those are more expensive Is because you have to add on an extra Engine to operate those so you don't Just have the engine on your ATV UTV You've got the engine for the attachment As well and that goes into that cost Driving it way up so a tractor on the Back side is going to use a three-point Hitch that comes on their standard to Raise and lower and then it's got a rear PTO and a mid PTO oftentimes to operate That brush hog or that snow blower or That belly mower or wherever it is and So they don't require an extra engine It's a lot more a simple design and so Those costs typically are cheaper and so You can get a lot of these attachments
Cheaper than you can for the UTV now on The front side of the tractor you're Going to have hydraulics for like a Grapple if you want to open and close a Grapple you can do so there A skid steer is going to be entirely Hydraulic okay so you got all these Hoses right here like these are side Shifting hydraulic Forks if you get a a Front mount brush hog on there again Trying to keep apples to apples you have A hydraulic motor that's on here and so Those are just very costly hoses and Fittings even add up to that too and Hydraulic pumps and systems that are on Skid steers in general While they just drive the cost up to the Machine too to operate The equivalent equipment now as far as Availability of attachments if you're Looking to buy there's plenty of stuff Out there no matter what machine you're Looking to get if you're thinking hey Maybe I can get by and just rent when I Need to well your best bet is to go with The skid steer then because you're going To have a lot more availability at Rental yards to get skid steer Attachments than you are ATV UTV and Tractor attachments and of course Your specific area maybe you may be Fortunate to have a place to rent out Stuff for these two but Most of the time you're going to have
Availability for a skid steer an Important one is going to be Accessibility as in where can these Machines go to tackle the Jabs that need To be done and we're on semi-flat land Here with some hills but some of you Guys live in mountains just or a big Steep terrain we do have a real wet Marshy area over there too that's dry Sometimes and not dry other times and so You have different Areas that you need to get into and I Will say for Hills you know our property On the other side of town has some Pretty steep hills and I don't well let me put it this way I Feel the least safe on those Hills in my Tractor I feel the most safe in my skid Steer very wide low center of gravity And right behind that And the UTV ATV again it's just tractors In general are are narrow and they're Long with a higher center of gravity Kind of where that seed is sitting up You know and and that's why I preach About safety a lot with ballast weight And and wheel spacers and everything Else and widen your footprint lowering That center of gravity if you go with The tractor but along with that is kind Of maneuverability say you're in in the Woods too it's it's a lot easier well It can be a lot you can you can zero Turn this thing if you want to to spin
Around and ATV is normally pretty easy Too you know a tractor well like my big Kubota over there for example That's got less power than this than This smaller footprint skid steer right Here and it's a lot harder to navigate It's a lot taller hitting things and Wider whacking things this way too and So you can get more power in the skid Steer in a smaller package so It's Case by case but way all that kind Of stuff make a priority list make a Needs list a conditions list whatever it Is and go through it and kind of Rank each one of them like a one two Three scale and see what comes out on Top but another example you know we we Sunk our skid steer over what I thought Was a relatively dry area Um in the summertime and I had first Walked through it no big deal just to I Want to see if there's any kind of Hidden water standing water in the weeds Or whatever else and there wasn't then I Drove the four-wheeler through there That went through just fine and then I Was like okay I'm gonna go right to this Skid steer and take that through and That thing sunk down and that was a Whole debacle Um that was a lot of fun just getting That out you know but the lighter Machines you know like like these two Over here
Can be a lot better potentially you know When you're talking about PSI that kind Of thing too but um Those handle a lot better in certain Scenarios than a heavier skid steer or Even a wheeled steer you know this is a Track steer technically but a wheeled Skid steer those are those are brutal And I would never buy one to have around My Homestead just because I have too Many wet Mucky conditions where I'm Going to be sitting there spinning my Wheels instead of getting work done and I think an interesting one that some of You may not agree with but I think and In general would be As far as lifespan goes you're gonna Have shortest lifespan medium is Lifespan and longest lifespan right here And you know these are typically gas Engines in here which just don't last as Long as diesel engines do you can get Like the gator with a diesel engine I Wouldn't recommend that but it's it's a Possibility then you go to a tractor Which isn't a commercial grade piece of Equipment per se but does have a diesel Engine you know they are a very simple They are durable they will last you know You hear lots of stories that these Machines lasting well over ten thousand Hours with proper maintenance not that You're not going to Blow a hose or have to have something
Rebuilt at some point typically if you Bought one of these tractors new for Most homeowners is going to outlast The purchaser on the skid steer though These are just straight commercial grade Construction pieces of equipment and so They are built very heavy duty very Robust Um they're going to last the longest Compared to anything else that you're Considering but because it is to a Construction grade level you are going To pay a premium for that folks I want To take just a second to tell you about Our Channel sponsor rim guard they are a Liquid ballast solution they line up With exactly what we do here on Good Works which is talking about tractors And tractor safety we see it as simple As this if you own a tractor you need Rim guard in fact some attractors Include rim guard as standard out of the Factory liquid ballast is simply weight All right and this weight hides inside Your tires it stays there all the time It's a safety concern because tractors Are almost always too light and too Tippy out of the factory the number one Attachment used by every tractor owner Is their front end loader so when you Pick up something heavy on the front end Your back end wants to pick up off the Ground rim guard liquid ballast helps Keep your back end planted to the ground
But beyond safety is going to help Maintain traction because if those rear Tires those power driving tires are on The ground you have traction to go where You need to you're going to operate more Efficiently because if those rear tires Aren't on the ground you're not going to Pick up as much as you need to or take It where you need to go rim guard is all Natural that means it's safe it is the Heaviest per gallon all-natural product On the market it's not going to freeze It's not going to corrode and it's Available at over a thousand dealers Nationwide to find a dealer visit Rimguardsolutions.com to make your Tractor safer today something that's Often overlooked is if you do have the Requirement to transport your equipment From point A to point B Going to be the easiest to do so with an ATV UTV you need the lightest trailer Probably the shortest trailer to get That done gonna need something a little Bit bigger a little bit heavier you know Longer that kind of thing supporting More weight potentially a bigger tow Vehicle for that too depending on how Big of a tractor you go with and then of Course with the skid steer You just keep going up you know larger And larger heavier maybe not space Requirements so much as far as length Goes you know like on a on a tractor
With a brush hog on the back of it and a Loader on the front like this it's like You're eating up 20 foot pretty darn Quick and you don't really want to max Out your your trailer length just with That you know you want to have some Flexibility to position it correctly and Maybe carry some other attachments with You so you know the longest trailer Maybe maybe the most expensive because Of that would be with the tractor but You know a skid steer like this not Saying you're going to go this big this Is about 12 000 pounds give or take Another thousand pounds or whatever for Forks and you need a big honking trailer To carry that around and think about When you're you're looking at a 14 000 Pound GVWR trailer you got to subtract The weight of the trailer maybe four Thousand pounds out of that for your Carrying capacity and so that would Maybe be like a 10 000 pound load that You could put on there maximum so a Little tangent there but think about how That cost is going to affect you storage Is another consideration probably not a Whole lot of a difference here you're Going to need a decent amount of space No matter what you have and depends if You want to store your attachments Inside or not you know and again if we Talk about the trailer example on the Tractor where if you're going to leave
Your brush hog on you want to store the Whole thing in in a garage stall well That's a solid you know 20 feet right There and you got to think about that so You can of course get by with with less Space on on these outer two depending on What attachments you have in your setup But with a little bit of a consideration There too I mean they're typically All smaller than like a you know super Duty truck Um if you guys are using that to haul Things around but a consideration Nonetheless for you folks that are Buying in the used Market just to be Aware of ATVs utvs and Most states are going to Have titles on them Wisconsin actually I Don't believe that they title their ATVs And utvs and like Boat Trailers I don't Know there's some each state varies but Most states are going to have to have a Title on there tractors do not have Titles all right so you want to make Sure it's free of any lean so if you're Buying it from the original owner you Know like a John Deere Kubota where they Got zero percent financing make sure That it's paid off that they have the Paper proving that you can check with The state to see if there's any uh Record of lean or loan on on file with Them too and the same thing can be said For skid steers no no titles for these
Guys either so similar to the Tractor do Your search that way as far as Maintenance goes another consideration I Don't think any of these are a high Maintenance machine you know you do have A lot of I guess maintenance on the Loader here but it's simple maintenance Just greasing and the skid steer two Normally about every 10 hours of loader Use you want to hit all those zerks with A grease gun Loop shuttle say five Percent with code GWT but Um none of them are high maintenance Probably as far as normal maintenance Goes the skid steer is has the longest Intervals in between like oil changes For example however if you have to start To get into repairs well these are also Going to be the most expensive to repair Just again kind of getting back to that Whole commercial construction grade Piece of equipment it's just heavier Duty parts that are in here as far as These guys here go probably depends on The brand that you go with some of those Parts can and labor costs can can vary Quite a bit depending on on what route You go but that's a decision you'll have To make last one's a pretty big one as Far as the diversity of jobs that these Things can tackle and you know just by The nature of it you're going to have The the fewest amount of jobs not to Mean that it can't do a lot but the
Fewest amount of jobs that you can Tackle with a four-wheeler of some kind These two guys right here can do a heck Of a lot of different stuff you can get A backhoe right on the front of your Skid steer if you want to you can get a Backhoe of course on on your tractor too You know the loaders that they have on Here just allow you to do whatever you Want you know but you can move snow with Any of these you can grade a driveway With any of them you can find Attachments to work the ground if you Need to with these if you want to plant A garden or a food plot that kind of Thing too so you know a lot of the Basics that you're going to do around Your homestead You can tackle these you know you can Move logs right you can either tow them Behind on on an ATV or you can put them In your graph or you can tow them behind On on your tractor too whatever you want To do I would probably really look at Some of those Well it comes back to making a list look At your your main jobs that you need to Do and then kind of research it a bit to See if the tools are available and the Capacity is available in whatever Machine you want to go with because if You're doing a lot of really heavy log Lifting and log moving around then And ATV is going to be kind of a pain in
The butt and even a really small tractor Might struggle with that you might have To upsize your tractor which could maybe Put you in a closer washer battle Between these two machines here and so Make that list you know add all this Stuff up put it all on there and rank All of it because at the end of the day You're going to have some paralysis by Analysis and there's going to be Shortcomings no matter which one you go With it could be price it could be Maneuverability it could be Accessibility maybe it means that There's just a job or two you can't do And you're going to have to rent like a Mini excavator for example to get a Certain couple of jobs done and you can Handle everything else with an ATV for Example you know but at the end of the Day get the one that checks the most Boxes that's highest up on that list There meeting the needs and that's going To be the right choice so folks no Matter what one you choose we'd love to Help you out with some attachments Whether we sell them or we work with Vendors that do and you get a discount Check out goodworkstrractors.com and 75 Percent of you folks watching are not Subscribed to our Channel but you do Check in regularly so hit that subscribe Button down below and follow along turn On the notifications I want to thank you
For taking time out of your day to stop By and until next time stay safe we'll See you soon
