Can a UTV be used successfully for road condition?

[Thornapple]

I need to get and keep my dogs in physical shape and provide the same cardiovascular work out i require. I am in the process of evaluating purchasing either an ATV or UTV to do this. The limitation is my property has narrow trails (all woods) that both will maneuver, but not all. The roading rigs sold are designed for four dogs (side bars attached to the front of the ATV) and will not clear many of the trails. Has anyone had experience using a UTV with the dogs running ahead instead ? I did see a training DVD that had a UTV ( by George Hickox) with four pointers running ahead and attached. I am not sure how my dogs will react to running ahead of a machine however. That is versus along side where I have more direct contact and control. Another advantage of the UTV would be to provide greater utility and ease in carrying equipment (bird launchers, birds cages, dog silhouettes, winger zingers, etc.) as well as a helper. What are your collective thoughts and or experience on this? Having both of course would be nice, but my budget does not allow for that.
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[JakeDD]

A guy I know has this setup on front of his Ranger.

Not sure it would handle tight trails in the woods very well, but it's a sweet setup nonetheless.
No question, UTVs are excellent for hauling gear (and kennels if needed). They win that category hands down.

[Neil]

Before ATV/UTVs, we used to road 4 - 5 dogs from horseback from a single rope. Dogs will road fine in front.

[Thornapple]

Neil,
this is an excellent idea, thanks.
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[Neil]

Wow, i really did mean to say what I think I did. A 4 wheeler/UTV goes much faster and does not stop as quicky as a horse, so you need some type of single tree to keep the dog away from the tires. It just not need to be the inline tandem as shown, as it would be very heavy and most likely need a support from the roll cage.

So you need more than a rope to get a full range of motion, from very slow, hard pull to a fast lope.

[Thornapple]

Agreed. Even though I have seen dogs running in front of a UTV I am not sure how safe it is for the reasons you just mentioned, let alone the lack of visibility right in front. Which would not be great if a dog were to stop suddenly. In retrospect the ATV outfitted with a road runner from Lion Country Dog Supply or a 1 inch square perforated tube cut and attached to the front of the ATV would work. I would have instant contact with the dogs with an ATV, and can make the tube long enough so that with a short leash the dog would not interfere with the turning wheels.
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