‘Old Yellow’ ATV Gets An Upgrade

‘Old Yellow’ ATV Gets An Upgrade Jim Ruen, La Crescent, Minn.: “One of my best buys ever has been my 2004 Honda Foreman Rubicon. Readers of FARM SHOW may recall the stories I’ve written about Old Yellow and the various attachments I’ve added and used over the years. “I originally bought it for use as a mini-tractor after writing a 2002 article about Concord Equipment’s two-way hydraulic loader system for ATVs. In 2006, I described my purchase of the loader system and how I used it. “A 2007 FARM SHOW story about Delbert Luna’s ATV push trailer and a story I wrote about Ashland Industries’ push-type scraper for skid loaders gave me a dangerous idea. I asked a local fabricator to build a 4 by 8-ft push trailer that matched my loader arms. I reported on it that fall. The caster wheels I had mounted couldn’t handle the job. I considered adding larger wheels, but I noticed the loader arms were showing strain. It was repurposed as a tow-behind. “In 2008, I described prepping an 8-acre cornfield for planting hardwood trees. I hooked the Rubicon to a 57-in. rough-cut mower to chop up the stubble and the field’s edge weeds and brush. Then I switched to a 43-in. chisel plow. The implements had been provided by Matt Kunz of Kunz Engineering for field testing.  “Matt drove up from his Illinois headquarters with the mower, two chisel plows and his own ATV. We double-ganged the ATVs with chisel plows in the corn stubble. “I was so impressed with the Kunz mower that I ended up buying one and have used it ever since. It’s built tough, with a frame that won’t say no. I’ve never feared following Matt’s advice when mowing down 2 to 3 in. saplings: ‘If you don’t get it the first time, back up and hit it harder.’ “In 2020, I described upgrading my loader system. The company had changed its name to Wild Hare. At the time, readers might have noted that the Old Yellow Rubicon handled the larger, more powerful loader system just fine. “Just 2 years ago, I did a ‘Best Buy’ on a set of forks for the Wild Hare system. They’re multipurpose, and I find I use them more than either the bucket or the blade. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Wild Hare closed their doors this past December. They were a good company to work with and always responsive. I guess I waited too long to purchase some of their other attachments, like the box blade and rear 3-pt. “A few weeks ago, my Rubicon closed down as well. The driveshaft was shot. I have a crackerjack ATV mechanic in the area, and he delivered the bad news. “The 2004 driveshaft was a one-year item and is no longer available from Honda. An aftermarket replacement would cost $1,100, plus the labor to rip apart the engine and transmission. ‘If you do it, you might as well rebuild the engine, given its age,’ suggested Matt Jeff of Hedgehog ATV. ‘You’re looking at $3,000 to $4,000, and you still have a 22-year-old ATV with other things that could fail.’ “His advice was to buy a new one, and I followed it. I knew what I wanted. My 2026 Honda Foreman Rubicon has a few changes from the 2004 model. What hasn’t changed is the rock-solid Honda engine and a transmission that has changed names several times but is mechanically about the same as it was in my Old Yellow. I just have to get used to the Hero Red color. “With any luck at all, FARM SHOW readers will be seeing articles featuring the new Rubicon for at least another 22 years.”

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