Vt. Maple Products

Hi everyone! Sorry I have not posted in a while, but you know how crazy summer gets. I was out on my ATV the other day going over my maple syrup lines and I thought they would make a good post. Now just in case you did not know, ATV stands for All Terrain Vehicle. They have four off road tires, a high ground clearance and most are four wheel drive.

Vermont is rugged country, with hills, woods, rocks, swamps and streams. Did I mention rocks? There are a lot of dirt, small roads that go up and over the hills and valleys. There also are lots of small logging roads, farm pastures and so on that are perfect for an ATV to drive around. Almost every farm has one or several ATV’s.

ATV’s can carry a lot of stuff as you can buy small pull behind carts or wagons to put tools, rolls of fencing, signs, salt blocks for cows and so much more. They also happen to be perfect for working and checking your maple syrup lines and tubing. Most Vermont maple syrup operations make small roads, more like paths, in the woods to the maple trees that will be tapped. An ATV is perfect to check the maple syrup tubing and carry tools.

ATV’s also are great in the mud and snow we have here in Vermont. They can cross a good size stream and go through shallow swamps. Ice fishermen love them to carry out all their fishing gear onto the ice and even pull fishing shanties out with them. The only thing they are not good in is deep snow. But even then they have some that you can install skis and a track on them!

Of course kids love to ride ATV’s, often going way too fast and making you worry to death! I’m not sure how fast they can go, but 60 miles per hour seems about right, maybe faster. A lot of teenagers try to show off on them and get hurt, sometimes even killed on them. Wearing a helmet is always a good idea, but not very popular with kids.

Vermont hunters and campers also love ATV’s, as they can go way into the woods with them on old logging roads and carry the supplies. Dragging out a deer or bear is much easier with an all terrain vehicle. Sometimes you wonder how we managed without ATV’s! They really fit the way Vermonters work and play, and the terrain that makes up Vermont.

If you come up for a visit you can even rent them and go on trails that some places have for them. They are lots of fun, just don’t go too fast! They have a lot of power and can dump you off fast if you hit the gas to hard. I don’t know what I’d do without mine on my maple sugar syrup line. I go for miles checking tubing, wires, taps, clearing branches and trees. ATV’s are a real work horse and makes collecting that Vermont pure maple syrup so much easier!