Tractors are "street legal", if they have that triangle on the back.
I have a red tractor, with a "slow moving vehicle" trangle on the back.
It's 4 ft wide. 4 wheel drive.
800cc. And, it can go 65 mph.
I have a flashing led light on it.
It has over 5500 land survey miles on it...
James Vianna, post: 422836, member: 120 wrote: The question to me boils down to where most of your work is performed. I would prefer a side by side but have gone with the smallest, lightest weight ATV I could find. Being able to actually drive in the woods where there are no trails and fit between the trees is paramount. Light enough to lift over logs and out of mud holes. Did just that Saturday carrying heavy tools to set corners that would have been out of the question walking and impossible to get to with a side by side.
James has this 100%, just look at your workload. If you are in the open country, or mostly construction surveying, then a UTV is acceptable, so find one you can get on-off easily. If you are intending on crawling through the woods, or a lot of hills/mountains then a ATV is by far the best choice. Go with a small one, and preferably with independant suspension and winch. Metal racks are a must.
We have one of the Polaris Big Boss 6x6. They turn like a whale! The two real axles pushing fights the front wheels making the turn. But it will sure power through lots of stuff, and carrys a lots of stuff in the bed. It will climb a hill so steep the carberator can't keep fuel going to the motor. (it is a late 90's model). We used to have a polaris ranger, but we always had trouble with the radiator getting stopped up with grass seed, and it caused overheating issues, daily between may and september. The other issue with a side by side was it was just sometimes too wide to go where we needed. And it always took a trailer to get it to the field. An ATV I can carry in the back of the truck, and it fits in more places. (yeah, ya'll all know my prefrence is a horse, but that wasn't asked)
My recommendation is buy a good, small, lightweight, cheap one.
Something in the 250 cc to 500cc range.
Try it out. Figure it out. If you LIKE it, then get a big one. Either side by side, or regular. But, the little one can be a backup, and a great not too expensive one to get your feet wet on. (Literally) cause, if it's 2wd, you will have wet feet!
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The biggest problem that I have with our side X side, (Kawasaki Mule 4 seater) is that it's just too big get into tight areas if need be. Also; it's tough to transport from office to job site because of the size of the trailer that is needed. It's quite scary how some guys get behind the wheel of a truck and trailer and have virtually no experience doing so.
On the plus side, it is safe for your employees, and you can carry everything needed. Re-sale is much better on a side x side then an ATV as well if you decide that it's not for you. Like [USER=7070]@StLSurveyor[/USER] posted, that looks like the perfect size that would fit all your land surveying needs.
Texian, post: 422779, member: 10243 wrote: Looking at getting utv. Pro's/Con's? I'm leaning towards the Kawasaki Mule.[/QUOTE
Do Not buy a mule, I use a Polaris 700 side by side
