Voice of experience

I’m glad to see you did an article on utility vehicles (“More Horsepower,” Tack & Gear, EQUUS 488). However, you left out some key buying points. There is more to buying a utility vehicle than horsepower, towing capacity and bed load. For ranch purposes you need to know ground clearance, ride quality and accessory options for the front, roof, sides and back.

Utility vehicles can be equipped to do multiple functions around the ranch besides throwing hay or moving things from one place to another. And they are so much more comfortable for seniors, disabled persons and anyone with back, hip or knee problems wanting to keep their horses but needing a little help to do work around the property.

A lot of people buy quads because they are much less expensive than the utility vehicles. But not only is the ride quality poorer, the posture of bending forward is very hard on your back. Quads are also very limited in their use around a ranch.

Others go for a golf cart, but here again they are very low to the ground, lack horsepower and have very limited use around the ranch. Sure they can shuttle you from place to place, and you can put a small bed on the back to use to feed hay. But you can’t pull a weed sprayer, chain harrow, manure spreader, etc., nor can you put a snowplow on the front.

Utility vehicles aren’t just for offroaders or hunters. They can be very useful around the farm. I am 60 years old and have a Polaris EFI 800 that I have owned for five years, and I use it every single day. Trish Geer Temecula, California