NEED YOUR HELP! ATV Towing System

35-acre

5 year old buck +
I'm trying to design (light fabrication) something that I can use for towing a short/slow distance that will:
1. Keep just my front ATV tires off the ground.
2. That will allow me to connect it to the trailer ball/or sleeve on my truck .
3. Allow ONLY the back wheels on the ground.
4. No modifications to my ATV.

I know it sounds a little sketchy but this is about 300 yards (straight, I don't have to turn). It allows me to not break the law by riding my ATV on the road (a nice $85 fine).

Here's the starting point:
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I tried using another hitch and some punched metal tubes (square) and a ratchet strap to hold it up on the setup. However because of the ball, the setup just allowed the metal tubes to make contact with the ground (If I cut them shorter, the setup will go almost vertical) - as shown here:

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Should I be looking for something like a cargo tray and just use that?

I know that this sounds silly. Yes, I have a pickup with the capability of putting the ATV inside it. But I hunt alone and that can get fairly dangerous once the snow flies when the ramps can slide around on the ground. When I actually put this into the bed of my truck, I have a hill that my tailgate lines up to at my camp - just not where I hunt. So I'm trying to figure out something like this.
 

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A couple of pics that might help.

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This didn't work as described above but gives you an idea of size:
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You better make sure "dollying" an ATV like that wont get you a bigger fine that driving it on the road!? Looks like a safety issue possibly. For 300 yards you cant ride it in the ditch? Or use a legit trailer?

Theres gotta be a better way......
 
Good point. I definitely was hoping the hitch idea that I was crafting was a solid piece that would allow for a stable connection. I plan on putting detachable lights to it running from the truck so brakes, signals, etc. would work.

I was hoping for something small enough to just toss in the truck when I leave. If I left a trailer there, it would likely be stolen or damages by porcupines.

I know that I have to be "off the improved roadway" (meaning other side of the ditch). The problem is that's not my land/no permission and there isn't actually a ditch. I could risk running it up the road, but it's coming out of the woods at dark that I could run into problems.

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Do they make a Reese hitch for the fron of your quad?
 
I can't find a Reese hitch. I looked at trying to bolt a receiver in there. I can't see a way to do it.

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I would just drive the ATV the 300 yards on the road. What are the chances that at police officer drives by in the 30 seconds it takes to drive that distance? If you explained you are only driving 300 yards I think a good % of the cops would let you off with only a warning anyway.

The ATV towing idea could go wrong in a number of ways, so I think driving on the road is the best option. But if you weld something up and start towing the ATV definitely post some pictures!
 
If you fabricate something and factor your time, how much will that costs? Not to mention damaging the ATV. Ride the 300 yards!
 
Some states allow you to mount slow moving farm equipment triangle on back to make legal.
 
I've paid the $85 ticket for riding the "highway" (and by that, this is a dirt road with a dead end and it's seasonally maintained). Riding the road isn't really much of an option for me at this point. Been there/done that. Now I'm trying to come up with something that complies with the "don't ride on the road" law. I didn't think about dollying laws - gotta do some digging.

I will have to look at the state laws for dollying the slow vehicle with the triangle on it. That might be an extra thing that I have to do.

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You could use a winch to pull the ATV into the bed of the truck instead of driving it up the ramps.
 
I have a winch. I have a Silverado. What do you hook it to in order to pull it into the truck? I can't find anything in the front of the bed that would work.


I also have a cap on the truck - but my atv fits under it.

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Wow that’s crazy. 4 wheelers and side by sides are considered farm vehicles in N MO. (I think)

We need an orange triangle on the back. But I’ve literally driven to town. And I’m not close to the only one.

I actually wouldn’t even know how to respond for being pulled over. If I ever do get pulled over I hope they don’t ask me about the AK in the gun rack ;).
 
But that’s MO. At home. They would haul me in.
Amazing how different America is.
 
Why are you needing to go 300 yards? Is this your land? There might be a technicality you can use if you’re going between your own land.
 
I think if you really need to move your ATV safely down the road instead of just riding it I would consider a small ATV trailer. Find something used on CL or FB Marketplace for $300 or so. You'll be on and off in under a minute. Winching your ATV into your bed under a cap...you will frustrate yourself to no end monkeying with it when you could be hunting.
 
That's funny Bill! I wish I had that luxury.

Buckly - I lease the land at the end of my 3-mile dead end road but I own property (35 acres) on the road. Many people probably have driveways in better condition than this road.

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I did get a ticket for driving on the shoulder/slowly one year. Considering it's a 90 minute drive to get to my place, I wasn't going to drive that same 90 minutes (3 hours round trip) to fight the ticket in court (which how do you really fight a ticket in court aside from taking a lawyer?). So I'm looking for a tow-bar or something like that but I fear if my front wheels are on the ground they may not stay straight. That to me is the dangerous part.

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I am somewhat stubborn and want to see what I can do instead of trailering. Trailers for me mean hauling it in the snow for the same 90 minutes (each way). If I leave a trailer, if there is any wood (and sometimes rubber and aluminum), porcupines will eat it. I guess they like the taste - something with the glue in the boards. If the porcupines don't get it, there is the possibility that it gets stolen - which puts me right back in the same position (riding up the road).

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Im just blown away by the fact that youve actually gotten a ticket for slowly riding an ATV on a dead-end gravel road....
 
Yeah the DEC/ECO gave it to me. Nothing else they could find wrong, so because I wasn't "off the improved road" he gave me one for riding on the highway. I was fairly pissed but it's the law. I tried to get out of it considering the road is only seasonally maintained (and it was like a week before the road is no longer snow-plowed) but he didn't care. Likely a new guy on the job, needing to prove his worth.
 
What the chances you caught on that dead end road again? Maybe once in five more years? I’d risk it for $85.

Your mistake was driving slowly. Should Have had her wide open and been out of dodge before he could have turned around or caught up to you. :)
 
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