All purpose country buggy

[cisco]

I've 7.5 acres of country property that my wife and I are, very gradually and with much "sweat equity", converting to a reasonably landscaped family compound. The query involves intra-property transportation. We can currently walk for miles (and do), but that won't continue indefinately, and for transporting around 50 lb bags of mulch, nursery purchased trees for planting, gardening stuff and the like, I either have to use the FEL on my tractor, or the pick-up - neither of which I wish to use for the simple task of retrieving the morning newspaper down a 1000 foot driveway at 6am on a cold, dark morning.
So, what do you folks recommend for all around personal transportation on country property?
1. a glorified golf cart (larger, knobby tires; 4WD; tilt rear bed are EZ-GO options)
2. a Kubota (yup, just announced new product), Deere or Kawasaki "mule"
3. a couple of ATV's with a wagon attachment option

 

[thcri]

Option #2 looks pretty good. You and your wife could ride around together or one in your tractor and one in the ATV Mule type.

But personally I like opton #3. Now there you and your wife can ride around together but if you want to go through the mud you can, if you want to climb the large steep hill you can while you wife just kind of watches and cringes thinking your gonna get hurt.

But then option #3 would be more expensive than #2. I would go #2 in your case but make sure you get a good one. Do do a glorified golf cart. Look at the Kubota, the Mule or the Polaris makes one also. Get something tough.


murph

 

[Tractors4u]

I am not sure whether it would be classified as an "all purpose" but it definately is a "country buggy. I have seen these for the last 3 or 4 years at a local antique tractor show. They are built of oak or poplar and typically use the drive train from a Murray HST lawn tractor. Most all of the mechanical parts are store bought or mail order. I bought a set of the plans so that we can build one some day. See the attached picture.

 

[Tractors4u]

Another view

 

[Tractors4u]

Another one. This one is a light oak. This guy built and sold them. I think he said he got around $3000 for one. You'd look good fetching the paper in it!

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

We have an older EZ-Go elect golf cart with a bench seat on the back. It is very quiet. Easy to sneak up on critters.

Wifey uses it all the time to garden with. Pins a trailer to the back alot. Hauls the grand kids around alot. It has a very wide foot print and very stable. Has never tipped on the hills we go up and down.

This thing gets used alot. I have had 6 adults on it with no problem. I have hauled 10- 40lb bags of salt on the bench seat and rear deck at a time.

We also have a Polaris Sportsman 500 and a BX2200. Everything has it's place and use.

The Electric Easy-Go was my first "4-wheeler" and it is still going strong.

I would post a picture if I could just down size one.

Tom

 

[PineRidge]

If money is not an issue those John Deere Gators are pretty sweet looking. Especially the diesel ones. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

If money and a top speed of about 25 mph are not issues, then your option #2 is the only way to go, in my opinion.

 

[Slamfire]

There is an outfit in GA that sells chinese trucks it imports. They don't meet hwy safety standards, but are perfectly ok for off road use. The cost is very much in line with the various 4 wheelers on the market. You can get them up to 10,000 lbs gvwr.

 

[OkeeDon]

I really like that country buggy. Do you remember where you bought the plans? I've had city friends drop over to see the property, and they usually poop out before we get halfway around. That would be perfect for "tours". Lots of fun for parades, too.

But, for my work buggy, for hauling plants and fertilizer and tools, etc., around the property, I'm gong to take a page from the auto salvage yards I like to prowl in, and convert a car. Our land is flat and pretty well groomed, so I won't need 4WD. I have an old (1980) VW Cabriolet (convertible) I picked up somewhere, cheap, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to use that. I plan to remove the doors (the Cabrio has frame reinforcements so it won't go swaybacked without the doors), cut off the windshield, cut down the rear quarter panels and build a flat bed in the back. I'll use some larger wheels and tires to get more ground clearance. I was thinking of building a bench seat for it so both of my little helpers (my granddaughters) could ride with my wife or me.

It currently has a stick shift and gas engine, but if I find a VW diesel cheap enough I'll switch to it so I can refuel with my offroad diesel; and I'll probably switch to an automatic so I won't have to worry about clutching it. I plan to set it up so it will only use low range, neutral and reverse to keep the speed down, and I found a lower differential gear to get a little more torque.

When I'm done I'll paint it in some funky color, and may put a surrey top on it to keep out the Florida sun. It should look something like a Gator or Mule on steroids when I'm done.

If you need 4WD, it might be fun to convert one of the older Subarus; the flat engine wouldn't get in the way, much. If I did that, and cut the roof off, I'd use a roll cage type structure to add structural integrity, and mount the surrey top on the cage.