Overview: The case study will spotlight how Polaris utility vehicles allow farmers, ranchers and growers to operate their businesses more efficiently in diverse applications and regions. It examines how farmers can use utility vehicles to reduce costs on their operations.
Utility Vehicles: An Integral Part of the Equipment Mix on Today’s Farm
Whether it’s horsepower that equals the power of a subcompact tractor or maneuverability that gets you into tight places you can’t get to with trucks or tractors, utility vehicles are standard equipment for most ag operations throughout North America.
In fact, most operations now have more than one ATV or side-by-side. Why? Since they were introduced more than five decades ago, utility and off road vehicles have become more versatile, more powerful and more comfortable to operate.
“We started using them in the ‘60s when they were called ATVs. We’ve been trading and upgrading ever since. These vehicles have just gotten better and better. Now, we have three utility vehicles. One is for spraying. One is for field spot checks on our pivot irrigation fields. We use the third one with the cab to check the livestock in our lots and up in the pastures. It makes checks a lot easier in bad weather,” said one Nebraska farmer, who owns and manages a large operation in the center of the state.
There are a variety of different manufacturers who’ve entered the utility vehicle market over the years.
Minnesota-based Polaris Industries has distinguished itself with a number of industry-leading innovations that make its utility and off-road vehicles attractive for the ag market. For example, Polaris innovations include:
- PVT variable transmission, which eliminates shifting -- an industry first.
- True AWD on-demand all-wheel drive system automatically engages 4WD when you need it.
- First independent rear suspension for smoother riding.
- Electronic Fuel injection for better cold-weather starting and performance.
- The broadest line-up of off-road vehicles including gas, diesel and electric models with value and premium offerings.
Polaris utility vehicles are industry-leading designed to deliver power, reliability and ease of maintenance. They’re engineered to handle a multitude of tasks including: towing, hauling, transportation, spraying, plowing snow, pushing feed and more.
“Almost every one of my neighbors has an ATV. Polaris is definitely the dominant brand around here. For a couple of reasons -- the quality of the unit and the dealer is second to none.” - Michigan Grain Farmer
A Multitude of Uses –– A Part of the Daily Routine of Work on the Farm
So what is the true value of utility vehicles to North American farmers? Is it convenience? Is it cost savings? Is it power? To find out, several large growers in North American were interviewed.
One beef producer from Missouri put it this way. “I don’t know what I’d do without my Polaris RANGER. I just use the heck out of it. We’ll run out to check up on the cows and the fence every day. We tag the cows and use it to spray. I also haul wood and have a little trailer to haul the mower behind.”
A Michigan dairy farmer said, “I don’t buy them for recreation. They are an important tool that makes us more efficient in our day-to-day operations.”
“When you need to get to places tight places fast, utility vehicles are a great solution. The side-by-side and multiple passenger ones are really great for our field crews. There’s no shifting back and forth. They also don’t compact the soil which is important for no-till operations like ours,” said one farmer based in central Nebraska.
Utility vehicle transmission and engine improvements that increase torque and horsepower have dramatically improved power and performance. For example, Polaris vehicles can pull loads of up to a ton and carry payloads of up to 1,500 pounds. The vehicles’ engines provide more power to the ground and class-leading low-end torque to work harder.
“We’re pushing feed around a 400-foot dairy barn and the RANGER is just better. It’s so much faster and easier to use in the barn than the skid steer,” said one dairy farmer in Michigan.
A Minnesota seed grower commented, “"We moved to the RANGER for all-terrain, more capacity and more power. We can pull things with it and we can put more people on it. I pull a bogey behind the RANGER, and we have four workers sitting on the back of it spraying weeds... Also, we go out and we do a topography work with it... set up our satellites and GPS units with the RANGER. And then we go around and every 40-feet we go across our property and gather topography points for tiling or ditching.”
“It’s been the most challenging spring we’ve ever had … when conditions are wet these RANGERS are a light weight utility vehicles and you can go places where you can’t go with a pickup. You can out to the fields check a tile and not rough anything up.” - Michigan Grain Farmer
Cost Efficiencies Help Growers Make Money
Polaris utility vehicles have earned their way onto the farm – literally and figuratively. Its vehicles are lightweight, fuel efficient and easy to operate. Available with a wide variety of attachments and engine horsepower options that handle everything from light duty to the heavy lifting, Polaris vehicles and accessories fit the way you farm.
According to one Michigan farmer who grows grain, “Absolutely saves me money. Saves time and it’s just more efficient. Easy be-bop around vehicle –– you’re not climbing in and out of pickup all the time…”
A Michigan grain farmer commented, “Heck yes, it’s saving wear and tear on your pickups, tractors and such. You don’t wear out the tires and you keep the hours down.”
It pays to reduce wear and tear on tractors, pickups and other implement by putting the power of Polaris utility vehicles to work on your farm.
No matter whether you are hauling seed, setting up GPS points, picking up rocks, moving irrigation legs or checking on pest infestations, germination and other field conditions, utility vehicles get you there with less hassle, a lighter footprint and a lower overall costs than most any other farm vehicle.
“We’re always out in the field checking our crops and pivots. We have to use utility vehicles. We can’t do this with pickups because they’ll tear up the field roads. Fewer miles on our pickups mean less maintenance and wear and tear. That’s savings we can count on,” said one farmer from Nebraska.
Click here to see more...