For many commercial growers an ATV or quad bike is a long way down their shopping list, but a lightweight utility vehicle could be more useful.
ATVs provide efficient personal transport for travelling over a large area and their light weight carried on fat, low pressure tyres causes much less soil damage than a Land Rover or tractor, but they also have some disadvantages. Most ATV engines run on petrol, bringing higher fuel costs for farmers and growers who qualify to use lower priced ‘red’ diesel, load capacities are small and only a tiny minority of ATVs can carry a passenger.
The utilities - sometimes called ‘side-by-side’ vehicles because of the seat layout - look like a cross between an ATV and a mini-sized truck. They share the ATVs’ virtues including light weight and balloon tyres that are soft on the soil, but they also carry a bigger load in a proper container with a tipping action, they have two seats and many are diesel powered.
Other utility attractions include a car type driving position with a steering wheel and gear lever, which many operators find more familiar than the motorbike style controls on an ATV. There is also a safety frame offering rollover protection, and on some utility models a roof keeps off the worst of the weather. Some utilities are designed with the emphasis on speed and styling, but others are more workhorse than racehorse and are quite capable of earning their keep.
Load carrying utilities have been available for almost 20 years, but sales were small initially and it is only in the last few years that demand has grown rapidly, attracting more companies into the market including some of the best known farm equipment names. Recent arrivals include Kubota and Massey Ferguson, while John Deere was among the first companies to offer a vehicle of this type.
The RTV900, announced in 2005, is the first lightweight utility vehicle to carry the Kubota badge. It is powered by a three-cylinder Kubota diesel engine with liquid cooling and 898cc capacity plus overhead valves and 21.9hp output at 3200 rpm. For an £8,750 plus VAT base price the specification includes selectable two/four-wheel drive and power steering plus a hydrostatic drive providing stepless speed control in each of three ranges with a top speed of 25 mph.
On the standard version the load compartment carries up to 500kg and has a manually operated tipping mechanism, but a hydraulic tipping kit is on the options list. Floor area in the load compartment is 1,320mm by 1,194mm with an 800mm loading height and the maximum approved towing load is 590kg.
Massey Ferguson moved into the market last summer with its new 20MD load carrier. Powered by a 20hp diesel engine, it has a constantly variable transmission or CVT with high and low ranges and the operator can select two or four-wheel drive. There is a limited slip differential at the front and tow hitches at the front and the rear and the ground clearance is 267cm. Like most vehicles of this type, the 20MD is equipped with seat belts for the driver and passenger.
The rear load compartment has a removable tailgate and carries a 408kg maximum payload, and the towing load is also 408kg. The list price is £8,750.
Kawasaki, a Japanese based manufacturer better known for its motorbikes and ATVs, was among the first companies to offer a lightweight load carrier when they launched the first of their Mule series vehicles, and their current range offers the biggest choice in this sector of the market. The two new models announced for 2007 are a four-wheel drive version of the Mule 610 at the lower end of the price range plus, further up the scale, the unique Mule Trans4x4 3010.
The Trans4X4 takes versatility a stage further by having two rows of seats with space for the driver and three passengers - all with seat belts - plus a small load space at the rear, but it can also be quickly converted to carry a bigger load by removing the rear row of seats and fitting a larger load compartment. The list price is £8,745 and Kawasaki claims the convertibility feature will attract buyers who want the load carrying capability of a 4X4 utility vehicle but also need to transport people to and from the work site - which could include some growers.
A 23hp Daihatsu three-cylinder diesel engine with liquid cooling provides the power for the new 3010, which can carry a 499kg payload when operating in its two-seater format. Like all models in the Mule range, the Trans4X4 has a constantly variable torque converter transmission.
The new 610 4X4 is petrol powered, using a 400cc single cylinder Kawasaki engine. The engine is air-cooled and produces 14hp and the CVT provides a 25 mph top speed. Weight capacity in the load compartment is a modest 181kg and the price is £5,750.
If utility vehicles are a cross between a truck and an ATV, it was the ATV that had the dominant genes when the Yamaha Rhino was produced at the end of 2005. Yamaha is another of the leading names in the ATV market and the Rhino shares many of the features of the top Yamaha quad bike. Both use the same type of high performance petrol engine with a single 660cc capacity cylinder and five valves. Maximum power is about 44hp, which should give a lively performance, and a vee-belt transmission provides high and low ranges with a push-button selecting two or four-wheel drive.
For a £7,599 list price the Rhino offers 181kg maximum load capacity and the recommended towing weight is 545kg. The Rhino’s rough-terrain credentials are helped by the generous 307mm ground clearance.
Some of the previous models in John Deere’s Gator range of utility vehicles were aimed at amenity users rather than growers, but the new HPX 4X4 model, launched last summer, is designed for a wider range of applications and is sold through the company’s agricultural equipment dealers. The engine is a 20hp Yanmar diesel and the specification includes on-demand four-wheel drive with an auto-locking front differential controlled by a switch.
The price of the HPX 4X4 is £8,619 with a specification that includes a dual range CVT with a 25 mph top speed, while stopping power is provided by hydraulic disc brakes front and rear. The load box on the rear can carry 409kg and the maximum towing load is 590kg. The options list includes a fully glazed cab plus a highway kit allowing limited use on public roads.
The Arctic Cat utility vehicle and range of ATVs are well known in America, where they are built, but the company’s UK distribution company was set up last year and there are still some gaps in its dealer network. The utility vehicle is the Prowler XT, a two-seater powered by a 641cc petrol engine with liquid cooling plus a CVT transmission with electronically controlled selectable 2/4WD and a front diff lock. The price for the standard version is £7,500 or £8,835 with the full road legal kit.
Arctic Cat does not quote horsepower figures, but the Prowler appears to have plenty of output to cope with the 272kg maximum load and 680kg towing weight. Ground clearance is 33cm, probably the highest available in this type of vehicle, giving it more rough-terrain capability than most growers are likely to need. l
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