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It is funny how markets change, evolve and end up full circle. Over the last few dry years some farm users have been tempted by vehicles designed primarily for Golf Course work such as All Terrain Utility Vehicles for reasons including an Integral Load Bed, and a Passenger Seat. In dry operating conditions these can work in fields and operate on muddy tracks reasonably well, but in more typical wet Autumn and Winter conditions the weight of up to four times that of a conventional ATV, mean that getting stuck is a frequent hazard, and their use results in rutting and ground damage. Getting stuck often involves a complex operation, often involving a tractor, this costs time, manpower and productivity.
Other problems have included operating where access is restricted. Keepers in particular love the manoeuvrability of the ATV, the narrow width allowing access between trees and the ability to operate away from permanent tracks being a major benefit. The Golf Buggy type machines are restricted in that being much wider they really need to be operated on maintained access tracks, or in wide spaced plantations. “We have received lots of calls from keepers from all over the country asking us for a value on Golf Vehicles as trade-ins” said David Williams, “but the problem is that whilst expensive to buy new , these machines have a very limited market second hand, and at auction demand for them is low”. This means that often dealers don’t want to buy them in, and the return to a more useful and more reliable conventional ATV will cost more than expected.
One solution Fieldens have suggested to those thinking of buying a Golf Utility Vehicle is to ask the supplying dealer for a guaranteed buy-back price in advance. This means that if the user finds the vehicle not suitable for any reason then they have the option to sell it back to the dealer and can budget this cost in advance, knowing that they can then purchase a conventional ATV again if necessary. “We find this works quite well”, said David “and it helps protect the investment made by the farmer or estate manager, and in some situations shows just how expensive owning a Golf / Utility Vehicle is in terms of depreciation, while compared to a make like a Honda ATV, which is always in demand”.
Our best advice to ATV users would be to stick with what they know works best from many years of experience with their Honda, but sometimes a new product can look tempting, and one has to try it to appreciate what one already had.
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