Choosing the best utility vehicle

Utility Vehicle | Buyer's Guide

Start by gathering information on your expected driving terrain, including what type of surfaces, hills, and weather. A low horsepower vehicle is more economical and more than capable of ferrying personnel around a warehouse – but it would be insufficient for a hilly campus.

Estimate the weight you need it to carry: some burden carriers can haul up to 5,000 pounds. Decide how many passengers it needs to carry, as well: you’ll have to balance the number of seats with the available space for cargo. A related feature is the type of bed you want for hauling: a simple low-walled box, a bed with rails, or even one that dumps.

Once you settle on the basics, there's a wide range of options to choose from, including lights, different types of tires, tops, sides, and windshields, and more. Your decisions on these extras should be based on your intended application.

Types of utility vehicles
Many of the major manufacturers produce multiple lines of utility vehicles for different purposes, so knowing the basic types can help you as you begin shopping.

Basic utility vehicles are used in a variety of ways. Facilities with extensive landscaping needs, like colleges, universities, office parks, sports complexes, and cemeteries, use them to carry tools, sod, and fertilizer.

Maintenance personnel in large manufacturing plants use utility vehicles to haul tools, parts and get to far-flung locations quickly. Foremen and managers use them as a quick way to get around and keep operations running smoothly.

Heavy utility vehicles called burden carriers can be used to complement other types of material handling equipment, like fork trucks. The biggest models can carry several thousand pounds of cargo and tow even more, yet they’re small enough to go spaces fork trucks can’t.

Trail utility vehicles carry hay, seed, and other essentials around large farms or ranches. Like ATVs, they can get around on the dirt tracks of the back woods. While they can’t go 40 mph like an ATV, they can carry two people and a large load – a huge improvement over ATVs for farming work.

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