Quote:
Originally Posted by MAXUM
PIG
ATV would be my recommendation to you. So long as it's 4WD and you invest in some chains in case you need them for traction. You don't have to go very far to get to your place so it's a short ride, usually coming out of Sheps there is a decent snowmobile trail packed down out between Bear and Pine, usually made by me, which will get you 90% of the way to your place. Rarely have I ever been out on the lake where the snow was so deep using an ATV would have been a problem. Plus... ATVs can be used year round for other stuff.
UTVs are kind of cool but I think they are way to expensive, bulky and heavy. I could see where you may get into a little trouble with one of those on the ice under the right conditions. One thing to think about big and heavy are not good attributes in the snow especially when they get stuck for whatever reason.
You could always get one of each which is a thought I have been mulling since I have 2 sleds and no ATV.
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Ice fishing on Winni led to my passion for ATVing but, there have been too many times where there was a foot of powder snow on top of a foot of slush and water, on a foot of ice. It was slow or impossible to move on my atv at those times (even with tire chains). Tracks will go where tires won't, just slower.
I really envied those people with UTV's that had tracks instead of tires. With a canvas enclosure, heat, stereo, GPS and a cargo bed; it seems like the perfect solution for a winter island visitor. (I'm pretty sure the UTV comes with wheels and the track kit is a lug-wrench bolt-on seasonal conversion.)
There is a long time forum member (from Welch's Island I believe) that has posted pictures of his rig. He could always get to his ice shanty when I couldn't. In 60 mph winds at 5 degrees, he was cruisin with tunes in his pajamas while I was suffering in my eskimo gear. He had two seats in his cabin and I had no cabin.
The UTV's are a bit heavier but, weight is better distributed by the tracks to provide more square inches for your pounds per square inch. {If you go through the ice; an ATV will float (upside down), a UTV without air filled tires just don't.} In some cases, an ATV/UTV with tracks can be used and registered as a snowmobile for some sled trails but this isn't universal. The tracked quad may not tear up the trails like tires might but, you'll be travelling much slower and present a traffic hazard to the sledders.
No matter what surface vehicle you choose, you'll still be limited to approx. 6-8 weeks of good ice per year.
It's been a while since I priced them but, a new full sized utility atv can be bought for $5-8 thousand and a UTV for $10-13 thousand, stock. The track conversion kits run about $2-4 thousand more if I recall.
If I had a modest lottery win, I'd rather be towing one of these new tracked UTV rigs behind my 12 yr. old pickup truck, than to buy a nice new pickup.