All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are often used for off-road recreation, though these four-wheeled, motorized vehicles can be used for other, more practical purposes as well. ATV accessories can be purchased to make the vehicle a more utilitarian tool, such as plows for moving snow, lawnmower attachments, spreader attachments for seeding lawns, or even racks for carrying heavy loads. With a hitch mounted on the back of the ATV, a wide range of ATV accessories can be affixed to the vehicle, making it a great option for doing work around the house or farm, as well as performing tasks in the wilderness.
Perhaps one of the most useful ATV accessories one can purchase is a winch that mounts to the front of the vehicle. This device consists of a long length of steel cable, often with a hook at the end of it, that is attached to a motor that feeds cable out or pulls it in. The winch is useful for freeing the ATV from mud or snow, or for pulling heavy objects. The hook at the end of the cable can be affixed to a solid object to help lift the ATV out of mud or snow should it get stuck, or it can be used to pull heavy objects such as logs, rocks, or other vehicles both around the house or out in the wilderness.
ATV accessories that are useful at home include snow plows and mowers. Snow plows are smaller versions of the plow blades seen on full-sized plow trucks; when affixed to the front of the ATV, the plow is useful for plowing driveways and wider walkways. The blade is usually fairly lightweight, making it easy to install or remove when needed. For traction when plowing, many owners will purchase tire chains, which are metal chains that wrap around each tire to provide grip in icy or snowy conditions.
A pull-behind mower is another of the most useful ATV accessories for around the house. These lawn mower decks attach to a ball hitch mounted on the back of the ATV. When pulled behind the vehicle, the mower cuts grass just like any other mower, though the ATV version is often much wider than a typical consumer lawnmower. It is more akin to an industrial mower, both in power and in size. The wider deck allows for cutting of large swaths of land in less time than it would take with a typical, hand-pushed mower.
