The Honda Pioneer uTV: an Agricultural Revolution
Reliability is one of the key factors when deciding what machine to buy. And that’s why, since ATVs were launched more than thirty years ago, farmers and gamekeepers have relied on Honda utility vehicles to get the job done.
Just like its cars, the reliability of Honda products is what keeps customers coming back, in some cases for generations, time after time. But it’s not just reliability that’s key, the products are known to perform in the harshest of environments, often without the degree of maintenance that other products demand.
Two such environments that require Honda’s renowned reliability and grunt in the UK are farming and gamekeepering. In both sectors, all-terrain vehicles like quads and side-by-sides have made a huge contribution in making everyday tasks simpler, safer and a lot quicker.
For over thirty years Gareth Wyn Jones and his family have been relying on Honda ATVs for the brunt of day-to-day work at Tyn Llwyfan in the Carneddau Mountains. “In the morning, there’s never the fear that the bike’s not going to start, or not be capable of doing the job that I set out to do, which for any piece of machinery is pretty rare,” explains Gareth, who works alongside his father, uncles and cousins on the 800ha (2000 acre) sheep and beef farm.
The family graze 3500 Welsh Mountain sheep on the common land of the mountain for six months of the year as part of a communal grazing system that has operated in the same way for centuries. Each sheep is identified with the farm’s mark and animals are split when they come off the mountain in preparation for lambing outdoors in the spring.
The farm runs six ATVs - five Honda TRX420s and one Honda TRX520. “We bought our first three-wheeler Honda, like most farmers, in the early 80s. It was a great piece of kit and it revolutionised farming in these parts. I’ve actually bought our original model back and sent it off for refurbishment. The four wheelers soon followed, and were a lot more stable for our terrain, but the three wheeler was a lot of fun!”
Meanwhile, when it comes to countryside management and gamekeepering, an ATV is invaluable for traversing the numerous miles it takes to maintain and manage wildlife and game. A gamekeeper is a custodian who is charged with such management, and Scotsman Alex Hogg has been one for more than four decades.
“I’ve seen every type of transport in my career: ponies, tractors, four wheel drives, three-wheelers, quads and now side-by-sides,” says Alex, now a keeper on a 7000-acre estate in Peebleshire.
The land Alex manages ranges in altitude from 800ft to 2200ft or ‘well up into the snowline’ as he describes it. “The ‘big hoose’ is at 1000ft, and we tend to get any snow that’s around up here, which makes for interesting conditions at times.”
The estate has walked-up grouse and driven pheasant shooting as well as fallow and roe stalking. “Everything is run for the family, it’s not a commercial shoot as such, but there’s always plenty to do on 7000 acres.”
Alex is also Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, an organisation that defends the interests of gamekeepers, land and river ghillies, stalkers, wildlife managers and rangers in Scotland both politically and in the media.
“We already had a Honda ATV, so it was a natural decision to go for a Honda Pioneer when it came to a side-by-side. It’s the reliability that did it for us, Honda’s are just second-to-none when it comes to starting first time, whatever the weather, which is what you need up here,”- Alex Hogg
As well as Honda ATVs, both men now use Honda Pioneers alongside their ATVs for everyday tasks. Gareth Wynn Jones has had a Honda Pioneer side-by-side, or utility vehicle, for two years now.
“We use it every day without fail, just as we would the ATVs. But the difference is that you don’t get wet and you’re a lot more comfortable. When it arrived, my 80-year-old father said: 'What on earth do we need that for?' in true Welsh hill farmer style", Gareth jokes.
“Now, he and we would really miss it. He can go out with the snacker and feed 500 sheep in less than an hour, which he simply wouldn’t be able to do on an ATV in that time. It’s loads easier to get on and off for gates and I also know he’s safe, dry and comfortable. It’s important for him to be involved, and the Pioneer allows him to be.”
Given the terrain Alex Hogg has to cover in Scotland, he was at first apprehensive as to whether a side-by-side would be as nimble as his existing ATV but, like Gareth, he’s been pleasantly surprised. “I’m very happy with how the Pioneer performs, it’s well-geared for the hills and it’s just as grippy as a bike, if not more so. I hardly ever use four-wheel drive mode, even on our hills.”
“We already had a Honda ATV, so it was a natural decision to go for a Honda Pioneer when it came to a side-by-side. It’s the reliability that did it for us, Honda’s are just second-to-none when it comes to starting first time, whatever the weather, which is what you need up here.”
“In the morning, there’s never the fear that the bike’s not going to start, or not be capable of doing the job that I set out to do, which for any piece of machinery is pretty rare” - Gareth Wyn Jones.
The Pioneer is powered by a 675cc single-cylinder EFI Honda engine and has a three-speed automatic transmission with three drive modes: 2wd, 4wd and 4wd Diff. “The engine braking on the Pioneer is second-to-none. On some of our slopes I just couldn’t be without it. And the back-up and service is fantastic, our dealers have known these bikes inside out for as long as we’ve been buying them.”
Because of its compact design and the fact that it’s a petrol, the Pioneer performs much as you would expect an ATV would, which is great on the sheep as you need to be able to turn tightly and quickly, explains Gareth. “Despite all the terrain and miles we cover, I haven’t managed to get it properly stuck yet, which can be easy up on the mountain in the winter. I hardly ever have it out of 2wd most of the time, and have only had to resort to using the Diff a couple of times.”
In Scotland, Alex did opt for a full cab, as well as the luxury of a heater, which he says is a blessing not only for keeping warm but also for demisting both the windscreen and the all-important binoculars whilst out stalking. “When you’re getting in and out in wet weather it’s inevitable that any vehicle would steam up, but with the heater steamy windows are no longer a problem.”
In Scotland, Alex did opt for a full cab, as well as the luxury of a heater, which he says is a blessing not only for keeping warm but also for demisting both the windscreen and the all-important binoculars whilst out stalking. “When you’re getting in and out in wet weather it’s inevitable that any vehicle would steam up, but with the heater steamy windows are no longer a problem.”
Gareth Wyn Jones is also pleasantly surprised at how fuel efficient the EFI engine has been. “Because we run quads, we always have to have petrol around, and to be honest I’m not filling up the Pioneer any more so than any of the quads with smaller engines.”
The farm also has a suckler herd of 300 cows and followers which grazes land over the mountain from Tyn Llwyfan during the summer months. “In order to check these animals, I could go the road way which would take the whole morning, or I can take the Pioneer straight over the top of the mountain and down the other side, which takes about twenty minutes each way,” explains Gareth.
The farm’s Pioneer is a four-seater, which allows Gareth to take extra help up the mountain if and when required. “When we move the cows back to the farm from the other side of the mountain, I take three guys and leave them at different points to help with the move, which I just wouldn’t be able to do with a quad and we can’t get a 4x4 vehicle over the mountain.
When not required, the back seats fold down individually into the floor of the cargo bed. “The grazing up on the hill isn’t very good quality, and so we supplement the sheep with high energy feed and mineral blocks. I can get three of these 100kg Crystalyx blocks in the back of the Pioneer, which I just wouldn’t be able to get on an ATV,” explains Gareth.
“The mountain is as inhospitable a place for vehicles as you can imagine. We can’t get to many places in a regular 4wd vehicle, or even tractor in some cases. But with the Pioneer, we can load up the back with fence posts, tools and a couple of us and get there quickly and safely.”
Alex also chose to have extra seating. “We have the four-seater model, which is just great for taking up to three guns out to their pegs easily and quickly, especially for those that might be a bit older. For us oldies, the Pioneer is also very comfortable to drive, you don’t get tired even driving it most of the day, unlike an ATV, which when you get older can take a bit of getting off and on.”
The estate’s Pioneer also has a load carrier in the back, helping keep the seats that fold up in the load bay clean, whatever the Pioneer is used for in the meantime. “We often use it to clear up fallen trees, so pack it full of wood and tools, so it’s great to be able to take the load liner out and still have clean seats for the guns.”
“It’s also used to bring deer carcasses down off the hill, so having something that’s easy to wash down quickly is great.”
One of the main advantages of running a vehicle like the Pioneer is how light the vehicle’s footprint is, adds Alex. “We used to run Land Rovers, but in wet weather they can really scar the ground. The good thing with the Honda is it hardly leaves a mark, just like an ATV, yet has the room to carry folk and plenty more.”
Land management and the environment obviously runs in this family’s blood, as Alex’s son is a keeper, his daughter a biologist and her husband an ecologist. “I’ve high hopes that my three-year old grandson will follow in our footsteps, he’s already showing a keen interest in keepering!”
“I’m totally happy with how the Pioneer performs, it’s well-geared for the hills and it’s just as grippy as a bike, if not more so. I hardly ever use four-wheel drive, even on our hills.”
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