What to look for when buying an ATV for your farm

ATV manufacturer representation in Australia has contracted enormously following the legislative requirement that an operator protector device (OPD) must be fitted to every adult-sized ‘general use’ machine sold from October 11, 2021.

As a result, acting on oft-mentioned pledges that they’d withdraw if an OPD device became mandatory, previous heavy hitters such as Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Polaris withdrew post haste from the local market.

Of those marques, some have retained a local quad presence in the youth (Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and Can-Am) and sports (Yamaha) categories which don’t require an OPD device when sold (although they still have to meet other requirements in the legislation). However, the reality is the landscape has gone through a seismic, irrevocable change.

After the upheaval, only three manufacturers remain in the Australian general-use ATV market: CFMOTO, Kymco and Segway, all owned by independent importers rather than fully owned Australian subsidiaries.

A quick scan through the ATV showroom on our sister website, bikesales.com.au, is now a sobering exercise. There are only over 20 models listed, including youth and sports models. However, today’s article isn’t so much an exercise in lament but rather a look at the multitude of things to consider when buying an ATV to make sure you make the right choice and are not left short-changed.

And those fundamentals of determining your needs have never changed, irrespective of market size, so let’s get started.

A while ago, we published a piece offering some tips on what to look for when buying a UTV, and we think it'd be worth a read just in case you may be barking up the wrong tree and a UTV may in fact be better suited to your needs.

If you're sure an ATV is what you need and you’re buying one for the first time, the best place to start is deciding what you want your ATV to do.

How much do you carry or tow? Do you work solo or with others? Do you go over particularly hard or unforgiving terrain? Is storage important? Is recreational registration imperative? What about maintenance? Does power matter? What about looks? Could you get by with just 2WD and do you require the latest tech features?

Every ATV has loading and carrying capacities, which are clearly outlined by the manufacturer.

If the ATV you have your eye on is only rated to 550kg and you regularly haul 700kg loads around in a trailer, then you’ll be well short of the mark. Sure, the ATV will grit its teeth and get it done, but at risk of damage to the CVT and other parts and components. And if problems do occur, there may be warranty issues down the track.

Same deal for carrying, so make sure you have a strong grasp of numbers before you walk into your local dealer.

Towing capacities of ATVs start around the 200kg mark for 300cc models, and then head north to well over 500kg for the larger capacity variants – although CFMOTO claims a whopping 621kg for its new range of 400 and 520 machines.

Are you a lone ranger on the farm or work with an offsider? If your answer is the latter, does your ATV need to carry both at once? If so, both Segway and CMOTO have long-wheelbase two-seater models, complete with backrests for pillions. Comfort plus!

However, if zigging and zagging through tight spots is a regular occurrence, be mindful that a long-wheelbase ATV may not have the turning circle of a more fleet-of-foot single-seat model. The last thing you want to be doing is six-point turns when you don’t have to.

This is a very important factor to consider, as it could be the difference between an ATV helping you earn bucks or sitting in the shed waiting for replacement parts.

If you live on undulating or rocky terrain, decent ground clearance and suspension travel are paramount. Of course, the odd bump or scrape on the undercarriage is always going to happen but you don’t want to make it a regular occurrence and start to damage A-arms on the steering or even find yourself grounded and trying to wrestle a machine that weighs over 300kg.

CFMOTO also has arched A-arms to help stay clear of potential obstacles, and brake guards are also becoming commonplace on lots of models which not only help minimise damage but also provide a bulwark against grit and grime causing premature brake pad wear.

If you’ve done the sums and you’re still concerned, you may want to consider purchasing an optional skid plate assembly which Kymco, CFMOTO and Segway all have in their catalogues.

Extending the topic of usage just a little further, also consider whether you’ll be regularly making water crossings or perhaps riding in extremely dusty terrain. To that end, the positioning of the air intake is vital – too low and you’ll be living on the razor’s edge with every water crossing! At the same time, you don’t want the engine sucking in too much dust. More questions to fire at your dealer!

My father-in-law was once a dairy farmer, and his idea of storage was very casual, which often meant even the simplest tasks were preceded by finding the right tools for the job. Great for getting the daily steps tally past 10,000, but not much else…

If storage is high on your list of importance, some ATVs do it better than others and also offer optional solutions such as cargo bags, pods, hard cases and baskets.

Is your ATV required for inter-farm duties? If you have to ride it on public roads to complete the shuttle, you’ll be making a beeline to your local vehicle registry office to organise conditional (or recreational) registration.

Of course, requirements vary between jurisdictions, but at a minimum the ATV will require features like brake and turn lights, rear reflectors, mirrors and a horn – and that’s just for daylight hours use.

The great news is that some models come standard with ‘rego packs’ that include all those specs. Beats doing the conversion yourself!

Also, if the farms are a fair way apart and/or long days are commonplace, fuel capacity of the ATV should be a prime focus – you don’t want to be refuelling regularly or running out and having to make the mercy call.

Vehicle maintenance isn’t the most exciting of endeavours, but a necessity if you want to keep your steed in premium condition and ready for action anytime.

Find a unit that provides easy or tool-less access to daily check points such as coolant and oil levels, fuses and filters.

Sales figures have shown ATVs with a capacity of between 400-600cc are the sweet spot for Aussie farmers, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

However, there are large capacity parallel-twin ATVs which punch out horsepower aplenty and offer oodles of satisfaction. If you like to let your hair down at the end of a working day, then perhaps you should be eyeing off one of these beefy units instead of something smaller. They come with a price premium, but some opposite-lock action is priceless!

Finally, what about looks? By virtue of their utility status, function should always take precedence over form for farm-ready ATVs, but over the last few years we’ve seen some more streamlined and holistic designs – and wild liveries such as orange. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though…

Speaking of beauty, if you want to keep your machine spick and span then you may want to look at an ATV which has mud guards in its accessories catalogue. If you regularly churn through mud, having the guards mean you’re keeping most of the mud off your vehicle and you spend less time cleaning.

If you’re a regular in steep and boggy conditions, you may want to consider an ATV with a winch as well as power steering. A big fat tread on the tyres is also handy, but not so much fun on smoother terrain.

Who doesn’t love the thrill of buying a new vehicle? It’s the same for an ATV, but like a UTV it simply has to meet your requirements otherwise the ownership experience is quickly going to wear thin.

Preparation’s the key, and if you have a solid idea of what you want your ATV to do, and how you are going to go about it, you’ve already won half the battle.

After that, it’s time to scroll through the catalogues. You won’t look back!

Things to consider when buying an ATV for your farm operation:

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