Nippy ATV earns its keep

14 December 2001




Nippy ATV earns its keep

By Andy Collings

KAWASAKIS range topping ATV – the KVF650-A – took a working holiday on farmers weeklys Easton Lodge farm recently, and gave manager John Lambkin and his staff a chance to put the machine through its paces.

"The first thing we noted was the inordinate amount of power the ATV has," says Mr Lambkin. "Opening the throttle was to experience an acceleration akin to that of a jet airliner on its take off roll."

Having instantly detected the fun element of the 41hp, V-twin KVF650 it was a while, he concedes, before the machines use as a true farm vehicle was entirely appreciated. It was, he says, not unlike when we had our first telehandler – we thought it was just a replacement for a tractor loader before we discovered its full potential.

General run-about

And so it was with the ATV with tasks such as taking feed out to the farms flock of sheep and their lambs, slug pelleting and using it for a general farm run about.

"I do not honestly believe we really appreciated just how quickly an ATV could become an accepted part of our daily chores," says Mr Lambkin. "Taking feed to the sheep using the KVFs ample front and rear carrying frames was just so straightforward. It was quick and the machine did not do the damage to the ground our normal tractor and box system would have inflicted."

Mr Lambkin also points out the merit of being able to "shepherd" his sheep from the seat of the ATV: "You can cover so much more ground," he says.

As for the controls of the KVF650, he believes the machines automatic transmission makes for simplicity itself – select high or low range and just open the throttle. Selecting reverse, though, called for a little more caution.

"There is an override switch on the handle bars which increases the amount of available power when riding in reverse. Not being aware of the sudden acceleration that can be achieved in reverse can be a daunting experience," he says.

The ATV arrived just too late to contribute greatly to the farms slug pelleting operation, but Mr Lambkin is convinced the ability to be more selective where the pellets are applied means the ATV could pay dividends.

"With our tractor-mounted spreader we have little choice but to stay in the crops tramlines with the result that we tend to apply slug pellets to the whole of the crop – irrespective of the needs of specific areas," he says. "With a bit more field area selection we could save a significant amount of money."

There is also the amount of time needed to clean down a large spreader rather than a small ATV slug pellet applicator.

Time saved

Used as a general farm run-around, the Kawasaki appeared to earn its keep both in time saved and its ability to keep the farms Land Rover Discovery cleaner and under the shed. Using the Discovery just to run round the farm with bits and pieces does not make economical sense, he says.

In terms of fuel used, the 95km (60 miles) clocked up by the KVF650 during its stay at Easton Lodge consumed 20 litres of petrol – about 15 miles/gal.

Place on farm

Pleased as Mr Lambkin undoubtedly is with the performance of the ATV it could, however, be some time before he dips more than his toe in the water and purchases an ATV. "There is no doubt there is a place for it on this farm – as with most others, I would say, but we shall have to do our homework and see how the sums add up. We would probably be happy with a machine which was not quite so powerful as the KVF650," he says. &#42

Easton Lodge farm manager, John Lambkin, loads the Kawasaki KVF650-A ATV with sheep feed. "So much easier and quicker than using our tractor and box system," he says. "But perhaps the machine has too much power."


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