What Is an ATV Used For? (Functions ATVs Are Capable Of)

What is an ATV used for? When you buy an ATV, you are unlocking a world of functionality, far beyond the joy of riding for adventure. These machines are powerful but narrow, able to get into spaces where larger vehicles might not.

With creativity and accessories, your ATV can become a powerful, multipurpose tool. They are excellent for landscaping and building, hardcore adventuring, and professional applications in some of the world’s harshest environments. Check out these functions ATVs are capable of so you can make the most of your own machine.

What an ATV is Used For: Landscaping and Building

An ATV can easily be used for snow plowing. With a simple plow attachment, an ATV is an invaluable part of your winter routine. Forget about shoveling snow by hand or paying someone to come in with snow removal equipment. Instead, fire up your faithful ATV to clear your driveway with ease. You can also install a snowblower attachment and use an ATV to spread salt or sand.

In the warmer months, you can use an ATV for cultivating your garden, just like a tractor. There are countless farming and landscaping implements easily attached to your ATV’s trailer hitch. From spraying for weeds to spreading manure to raking, landscaping is faster and more efficient with an ATV.

Haul gravel and dirt to create a trail or road. Attach a grading device to make it smooth. Prepare the earth for grass seed, spread, and fertilize it, all with the ATV. Whether you are creating a new, beautiful space or ensuring the longevity of existing landscaping, an ATV is a huge help.

What about larger-scale jobs? An ATV is ideal for chopping logs, skidding them, and even towing a splitter to a job site. ATVs are ideal for getting to any kind of landscaping or worksite as they can get to places a truck won’t go. If it has to do with outdoor repair, upgrading, or maintenance, an ATV is a multipurpose tool any time of year.

What an ATV is Used For: Bigger Adventures

Many ATV owners pick up a winch as one of their first accessories, ideal for dealing with muddy adventures. Those winches add to the functionality of ATVs in many other ways, such as retrieving and hoisting game while hunting or dragging boats to shore.

ATVs are great for camping, especially if you have an ATV trailer. Get further away from the hustle and bustle of urban living with an ATV that can get you further than car camping could ever take you. For those who don’t have — or don’t want — a trailer, the ATV alone can carry a lot of gear to make camping more exciting. Remember that winch? You can even use it for a clothesline during your adventure.

Again, in colder weather, an ATV is a great machine to have, including for recreation. ATVs with tracks are perfect for grooming winter trails and preparing ski tracks. You can use accessories like an auger mount and flotation device to create a safe, helpful ice fishing vehicle.

What an ATV is Used For: Professionally

In the professional world, ATVs have an important role to play. Firefighters use these machines to get in and out of remote locations, setting fire lines safely. They are also used to transport heavy equipment, including water pumps and hoses, getting to where fire trucks cannot reach.

Those same off-road, maneuverable qualities make ATVs a good fit for search and rescue operations. All over the country, and indeed all over the world, SAR professionals use ATVs to search for missing people.

Farmers use ATVs for many of the landscaping uses mentioned above, and more. ATVs can also be used to help with livestock on a farm, such as rounding up cattle. If you visit any kind of farm equipment store, you are sure to find ATV attachments for every purpose.

If you think about near inaccessible places a professional needs to go, you can think of roles for an ATV. Beyond firefighting and search and rescue, ATVs are used by the armed forces as personnel carriers. They are used in railroad work, emergency repairs, construction, and many other industries.

Perhaps you have used your ATV for some of these purposes, or maybe your ATV’s potential is a surprise. We hope we have expanded your view of all that an ATV can do so that you can make more of your machine. It truly is a multipurpose, multi-season vehicle that offers something for everyone to enjoy.