Work and Play – Covering The Market
November 21, 2009 by John Prusak
Don’t forget about us!
It’s a cry we’ve heard for all of our 13 years here at ATV Magazine, from
various segments of the ATV-owning market. We’ve heard it from the
rock-crawlers and the mud runners, the desert rats and the trail riders.
“What about us?!”
More than anybody, however, we’ve heard it from folks who use their ATVs for
utility-based purposes. Sales statistics show that the majority of people who purchase ATVs are
buying them with some work purposes in mind – mowing, landscaping, plowing,
pulling trailers, working on hobby farms or ranches, hauling a deer out of
the woods, etc.
A lot of those people – maybe you and your friends and relatives – later
discover all of the recreational aspects of the sport, and end up becoming
the trail riders, desert rats, mud runners and rock crawlers mentioned
earlier. But the driveway still needs to be plowed, the back 40 still needs
to be mowed and hunters still need to get out to their tree stands every
fall and then haul back their harvest at the end of the day.
One of our primary missions at ATV Magazine is to encourage varied usage by
our readers, including recreation, of course. Our thought is, once you’ve
made the investment to buy a machine, we’re going to try to help you get the
most out of it – work and/or play related. That’s why you’ll find stories
about riding destinations (like Tom Kaiser’s Black Hills adventure on page
38 and the Rhino adventure story on page 30) and fun riding (like Jerrod
Kelley’s Sport Side article on page 46) in every issue.
Yet, unlike some other media, we’re never going to forget the other primary
purposes of an ATV – the task work that it makes so much easier, and at
times more fun. That’s why you’ll find reviews and tests on implements (like
Tim Erickson’s plow review on page 22) and tools (see the tow behind trailer
buyers guide on page 32) in every issue as well.
When we review new ATVs or decide on which products we’re going to evaluate,
we always remind ourselves of the various aspects of the market. Yes, we’ll
review performance parts and high-performance ATVs – for many folks, the
recreational side of the sport is the center of the action and, trust me,
our staff and contributors are all about having motorized fun.
But we’re also outdoors people like you, with real projects. Within the last
year, our staff has used our ATVs and UTVs to help us build retaining walls,
go hunting, plow snow, put in a small crop, smooth a gravel driveway, aerate
and dethach lawns, cut trees, mow grass, go ice fishing, haul wood, mark and
maintain trails, prepare deer stands, clean up storm damage, reach a remote
fishing destination, pull a drag, move rock and even pull a float in a local
parade.
Oh yeah, and we’ve also ridden on trails, crawled on rocks, challenged mud
pits, charged through deserts and participated in events in 16 U.S. states
and had freelancers in a half-dozen more, plus we’ve made some forays into
Canada and Mexico.
We like to think our ATVs and this magazine are reflections of our lives –
we work hard, we play hard, and always keep coming back for more. So don’t
worry, fellow ATV owners, we won’t forget about you, no matter how you use
your machine.
Last 5 posts by John Prusak
- DIRT BLOG: ATV or UTV? Suddenly, It's A Tough Call! - August 27th, 2010
- DIRT BLOG: Take The Time To Humiliate Your Friends! - August 20th, 2010
- DIRT BLOG: How do you use your utility ATV? - August 12th, 2010
- DIRT BLOG: New Honda ATVs Are Here, And They're Begging For Attention - August 6th, 2010
- DIRT BLOG: Does what wins on Sunday truly sell on Monday? - July 30th, 2010
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That’s a relief… As a fellow recreational ridier (evidence by the website I run) it is interesting to know a little behind the statistics of ATV’s and how/why people purchase them. Hopefully we can help retain the involvement and loyalty of the “rock-crawlers and the mud runners, the desert rats and the trail riders” by continuing your publication and blog posts. Keep up the good work.