Why do you own a quad or side-by-side? We often answer by simply saying they’re “fun” or they’re “useful.”
But that’s not doing them justice. We made this list to show you how ATVs and UTVs can fit into every part of your work and recreation lifestyle. Their applications stretch into every corner of chores, farming, and having fun. Here’s are list of 13 great uses for an ATV/UTV.
It seems like sticks pile up in your yard like mana from heaven. Don’t walk around and pick them up. Just hop on your ATV or UTV and load them up with fallen branches. You can clear your yard in no time and it’s less of a chore.
Put it to work again when the leaves start falling. Using your UTV’s bed (even the bed on a RZR or Maverick) is one of our favorite UTV uses. Rake them up, bag them, throw them in the bed, and take them to the curb or compost pile.
No matter what kind of low-impact yard work you’re doing, using your ATV or UTV makes it easier and more fun.
If you want to have your best shot at scoring a trophy kill, you’ve got to get way out there. The farther away from civilization and roads, the better. That’s what makes hunting one of the very best UTV and ATV uses.
They take you where your feet can’t. Get miles off the beaten path where there’s nobody but you and your prey. It also makes field dressing and hauling your kill that much easier.
Bonus points for using an electric UTV.
If you’ve got a big yard or field and a UTV, you might not need a $5,000 lawn mower. One of the most practical UTV uses is lawn care. Just buy a tow-behind mower and save a few bucks and, more importantly, space.
If you manage a herd of livestock that graze over diverse terrain, you can make great use of an ATV or narrow UTV checking fences. They have a few advantages over horses, like their ability to get through muddy, rocky, or uneven terrain without risk. Plus, you can push them nonstop for hundreds of miles.
The cargo space on ATVs and UTVs makes a huge difference. You can carry tools, some spare posts, and a coil of wire to fix any problems. They can turn an all-day job into a two-hour job.
By far the most popular way to move cattle, sheep, and other livestock is by using an ATV. If you’re not using one yet, you should get on it. They have endurance and versatility that horses can’t match. You can check hundreds of cattle and drive them from pasture to pasture without taking a break.
It does take a little work to get your animals used to a noisy vehicle. You can panic livestock if you introduce an ATV suddenly. Instead, introduce it slowly with feedings and other positive interactions.
Pretty soon, you’ll have the easiest cattle drives of your life.
Clear your driveway in minutes with a snow plow on your ATV or UTV. Heck, clear all the driveways on your street in under an hour. Get those sidewalks too!
While you’ll want to leave larger roads to the professionals, the smaller, more nimble stance of an off-road vehicle makes it much better at clearing snow from everywhere else. You can surgically plow around parked cars and lamp posts to get a better driving surface than anyone else.
We have lots of tips and tricks for plowing snow that will make this winter chore even easier.
The perfect partner to plowing is spreading salt. There are loads of different salt spreaders you can attach to your receiver hitch or bed. Using your ATV or UTV is much easier than lugging 30 pound bags of salt around by hand, and they can get on the smaller, narrower paths that the city salt trucks can’t get to.
If you live somewhere where UTVs are street legal (or can be made street legal), they can really save your bacon in a big snow storm. Instead of taking your front-heavy truck or your woefully inadequate compact out on nasty roads, hop in your side-by-side.
The aggressive tires and limited slip differentials on most UTVs make them uniquely suited to handle the weather. You could even be a hero and pick up some of your coworkers on the way.
ATVs and UTVs aren’t just great at avoiding snow, they make getting out into nature that much more fun. They’re perfect for navigating the tricky, snow-covered trails that lead to the best remote ice fishing spots.
The best part is that they’re pack mules. Imagine carrying your auger, fishing gear, drinks, and food through miles of snow and ice. Not happening, right? Now strap them to an off-road vehicle and go. Ice fishing is one of our favorite ATV uses for winter recreation.
We love camping with our quads and UTVs so much that we wrote a whole article about it. You can cover more ground and get to more remote camping spots. And we know we sound like a broken record at this point, but the ability to load up your food, drinks, tent, clothes, stove, fishing poles, and other gear is great.
It minimizes the tedious parts of going on an adventure so you can enjoy the good parts—the fresh air, starry skies, and company around the campfire—all the more.
Right along with camping comes sightseeing. North America is filled with long meandering trails that give you breathtaking vistas and take you through the most primeval wilderness on the continent.
These types of locations can be very difficult to reach on foot unless you carve out a week of hiking and camping. When you use a UTV or ATV, you can find that rare, remote beauty on a weekend trip. And you don’t have to worry about the kids’ legs getting tired on mile seven.
Use your ATV or UTV to let your competitive side out. Racing is a great way to hone your driving skills and raise the stakes just enough to really get your blood pumping. That’s what makes it so addicting.
When you think of racing, you probably just think of short track racing. But there’s a huge variety of races to get into.
Almost every event at a mud park has a mud bounty hole open to amateurs and pros alike. Fastest one to the other side takes home the prize.
Hill climbing is also a common event competition. This one can really be rough on your machine so make sure you know what you’re getting into before joining this one.
For more traditional races, you can get into a short track series. You should be able to find one for any skill level at a park near you.
Take it to the next level with an endurance race like King of the Hammers. A 100+ mile race like this demands a big commitment and investment, but finishing this grueling race will give you a rush like no other.
There’s a race suited for anyone of any skill level. Give it a try—you might get addicted.
Of course we can’t make a list of ATV and UTV uses without mentioning plain old recreation. Whether you do it in the woods, dunes, desert, or mud, having fun on a side-by-side is what this hobby’s all about.
The side-by-side and four-wheeler community is built around getting together and making memories. We can’t recommend getting out to popular ride spots and making friends enough. Recreation is more than just hitting the gas and getting your adrenaline pumping—it’s about making connections over a shared love of off-roading.
If you haven’t noticed, ATVs and UTVs can fit into just about any part of your life. They’re great tools and toys all year round. Let us know what odd jobs or exciting excursions you like to use your ATV or UTV for. The next time you feel like you’re out of things to do, pull up this list and try something new on your favorite off-road vehicle.
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