Tractor or UTV?

[Shaun]

My father had a fair amount of problems with his diesel John Deere. Not engine related but it left him walking home a few times. It is really loud and rattles. Not really enjoyable to ride in IMO. It is also leaves ruts as big as a small tractor.

[buckeye gold]

I'm not sure if my SIL's is gas or diesel, my kubota is diesel

[Pdiamond]

Did you put a down payment on it for them to hold it for you? ha ha

[buckeye gold]

You can find left over models or demos if your patient and check a lot of dealers. We bought our Kubota that way it was a whole model year off, but they had used it as a demo and it had less than 10 hrs on it. We bought it for $2500.00 off sticker and still got full warranty. I had to drive over an hour to the dealer, but I'll drive an hour for $2500.00 anytime. That's probably what the JD is. They don't last long so decide fast or it'll be gone.

[ADK_XJ]

You can find left over models or demos if your patient and check a lot of dealers. We bought our Kubota that way it was a whole model year off, but they had used it as a demo and it had less than 10 hrs on it. We bought it for $2500.00 off sticker and still got full warranty. I had to drive over an hour to the dealer, but I'll drive an hour for $2500.00 anytime. That's probably what the JD is. They don't last long so decide fast or it'll be gone.

good advice

[ADK_XJ]

We tapped out new sugar bush today for the first time and only a tiny portion of it at that, all on buckets.

I paid close attention to the different areas we were navigating and, with a couple inches of wet, loose snow, it was tough going in my ATV with even the dry weight of buckets, kids and tools in my tow behind trailer.

We have several spots in our 30 acres that have fairly steep inclines for short sections and the only vehicle that really had it easy was my neighbor's snowmobile.

For all those who have recommended various utility side-by-sides, are you easily traversing any steep sections? I'm assuming that is both with and without payload. I read several people who mentioned the heavier / diesel machines get bogged down due to their own weight in wet conditions.

We had 9 people out in the woods today and only 3 could ride out with equipment on our individual atvs and snowmobiles. I'd at least want to be able to bring my kids along for the ride as they get better - right now they right up front of me on the quad.

[buckeye gold]

There is nothing that does well in the slop. The point where the snow is slushy, the ground has frost in it and the ground surface is just greasy. A 4wd tractor will go, but will tear the living heck out of things, a UTV will struggle and spin a lot but not make the ruts. A little weight in the UTV helps. Just put them in low range and go slower. There's a reason many sugaring people call it mud season as well as syrup season. That is one of the big advantages of tubing, you can collect all the sap in one spot and hopefully on solid ground. There are days you just have to avoid going in the bush. If I have to go I go early in the day when it's still stiff from the cold night. When I done buckets I collected as soon as I could see, while it was froze, if I didn't my woods would be destroyed. I just stay out once the sun turns it to slop.

[ADK_XJ]

There is nothing that does well in the slop. The point where the snow is slushy, the ground has frost in it and the ground surface is just greasy. A 4wd tractor will go, but will tear the living heck out of things, a UTV will struggle and spin a lot but not make the ruts. A little weight in the UTV helps. Just put them in low range and go slower. There's a reason many sugaring people call it mud season as well as syrup season. That is one of the big advantages of tubing, you can collect all the sap in one spot and hopefully on solid ground. There are days you just have to avoid going in the bush. If I have to go I go early in the day when it's still stiff from the cold night. When I done buckets I collected as soon as I could see, while it was froze, if I didn't my woods would be destroyed. I just stay out once the sun turns it to slop.

Thanks, all good points - my work / life schedule doesn't allow me to get out into the woods early but it's a good point that you need to try to focus your efforts when the ground is sloppy. My long-term thinking is that I will tap for tubing and try to centralize the collection point to a single place as close to the sugar shack (TBD) as possible...maybe even pump from it / to it.

But, if I'm going to drop $15-20k on a machine for the woods, I'd want to be sure I can get out there.

[fisheatingbagel]

Another option to consider is a Japanese Kei truck. Last fall I bought a 1994 Suzuki Carry for less than $6000. These are essentially the same size as a large UTV. Advantages of these are: inexpensive compared to UTV; greater hauling capacity, both in terms of space and weight; if 25 years or older, can be licensed for the street. Cons are: not as much articulation as a UTV; very limited interior room.

So far it's worked out great for our operation. We tap trees on commercial property owned by a university and managed by a commercial real estate firm. The area I have to drive on to collect sap is mostly grass, but there are areas that are deeply shaded and not much grass so those areas get really wet and muddy during sap season. Because I'm just a "guest" on the property I want to tread as lightly as possible. The Carry does a pretty good job of treading lightly, better than my Kubota and trailer did.
garry-m.jpg

[eseerup]

Those Suzuki carrys are cool I was just looking into them an NY is cracking down on their road legal status.

The other option for spreading weight and gaining traction is a set of tracks for a utv/atv.