60 lessons · $24 · 14-day money-back guarantee
The Landowner's Ride Guide — Volume One cover
Digital books from the Russ Kettering ATV channel

The Landowner's Ride Guide

60 lessons on buying an ATV or side-by-side for your land
“Buy the machine for the work you've got, not the work you wish you had.”— Russ's rule of thumb

Sixty lessons in six parts on choosing an ATV or side-by-side for your land: writing a chore list, reading a spec sheet, pricing a machine out the door, inspecting a used one in order, hauling and towing within limits, and working out what a year of owning one costs. Every lesson has a drawing, named mistakes with their fixes, and a plain note on where its advice stops. A failure index and a numbers reference sit at the back. You don't need a shop or any experience with machines.

60 NUMBERED LESSONSCHECKED AGAINST MAKERS' MANUALSBUILT FOR LANDOWNERS
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PDF · 172 pages · 60 illustrated lessons · read on phone, tablet or computer, or print it

60Numbered lessons
6Parts
261Problems in the index
14 daysMoney-back guarantee
Before you pay

For the day you stand in front of a machine and don't know what to check

You're on a dealer's lot or a stranger's driveway, and the machine looks fine. This book gives you the order to check it in, the spec lines worth reading, and the questions to ask, so you decide on your own land's needs and your own budget before any money changes hands.

What you needThe tools, numbers and information to gather before you start.
How it goesNumbered steps in the order to do them, with plain measurements.
Why it worksThe reason behind the method, so you can adapt it to your place.
How people ruin itThe common mistakes, named, each with the sign it's happening and the fix
Where it doesn't holdThe honest limits, and when to rent, ask a shop, or use other equipment.
What makes it different

Built for the day it goes wrong

Look up the failure

The back of the book indexes 261 problems by symptom. If a machine is bogging, smells hot or pulls to one side, find the symptom and it sends you to the lesson that covers it.

Every mistake named, with its fix

The lessons name 206 mistakes. Each comes with the sign that it's happening and what to do instead, so you can catch it on the lot instead of after you've signed.

The numbers in one place

The reference section collects 198 values, such as weights, ratios, ranges and thresholds, so you aren't hunting through lessons while standing next to a machine.

Honest about its limits

Every lesson ends by saying where it stops. Sometimes the answer is to rent by the day, ask a shop for a compression test, or use a tractor or truck instead.

THE ARITHMETIC

Own it, or rent it when you need it?

Lesson 51 builds a yearly cost ledger: fuel, service, insurance, wear parts and depreciation, divided by your hours to give a cost per hour. Lesson 9 has you set that against a rental day. Say a rental runs about $150 a day and you'd need it six days a year: that's about $900. The ledger shows whether owning beats that for your hours, and if you have fewer than three regular jobs, it may not.

Figures are typical and round. Rental rates, fuel prices, insurance and depreciation vary by region and machine, so use your own quotes in the ledger.

What you'll be able to do

After the book

  • Write a chore list that sets the machine's size, load and seating before you shop
  • Read a spec sheet and tell engine size, torque, payload and towing rating apart
  • Get an itemized out-the-door quote from each dealer and compare the bottom lines
  • Inspect a used machine in order, from a true cold start through the test drive
  • Work out real tow weight and tongue weight, and build a yearly cost ledger
VOLUME ONE · SIX PARTS

From your chore list to winter storage

Six parts and sixty lessons: matching machine to acreage, reading specs, buying new or used, inspecting a used machine, hauling and towing, and the real cost of owning. Take them in order, or jump to the part you need.

Part OneMatching Machine to AcreageChore lists, ATV versus side-by-side, seats, terrain, slopes, gate widths, brands and renting first.
Part TwoReading Specs PlainlyEngine size, torque, CVT belts, drive modes, clearance, payload, towing, racks, fuel system, suspension and weight.
Part ThreeBuying New or UsedOut-the-door price, used value, where to buy, hours, listings, comps, warranty, financing and paperwork.
Part FourInspecting a Used MachineCold start, walk-around, frame, oil, belt, axles, steering, brakes, flood signs and the test drive.
Part FiveHauling, Plowing, and TowingTow weight, hitches, dump beds, blades, winches, sprayers, drags, braking, tires and rollover safety.
Part SixReal Cost of OwningYearly cost, insurance, fuel, oil, grease, wear parts, storage, battery, washing and resale.
From inside the book

Every lesson has a drawing

All 60 lessons come with a drawing that shows the check, the measurement or the setup, so you can see what to look at before you go looking.

Lesson 6 drawing
Lesson 6 · page 17 · Mud, Rock, or Sand
Lesson 16 drawing
Lesson 16 · page 44 · Payload Versus Towing
Lesson 26 drawing
Lesson 26 · page 68 · Price Check First
Lesson 36 drawing
Lesson 36 · page 95 · Axle Boots and Play
Lesson 46 drawing
Lesson 46 · page 125 · Sprayers and Spreaders
Lesson 56 drawing
Lesson 56 · page 151 · Wear Parts Budget
A page from the bookA page from the bookA page from the book
WHY THIS GOT WRITTEN DOWN
"Check it in the right order, and the machine tells you most of what you need."

This channel kept getting the same questions. How do I tell what size machine I need? What's a fair price? What do I look at on a used one before I hand over cash? Each answer fit in a video, but people watched on a phone in a driveway and couldn't flip back to the part they wanted.

So the answers went onto paper, in order. The chore list comes first because it decides everything after it. The inspection comes in the sequence you'd do it standing next to the machine, with the cold start first, before a seller can warm it up.

The lessons are checked against makers' manuals and official safety guidance. What this book does is put a plain method in front of you, with the limits stated, and tell you when a job belongs to a trained technician.

That's all this is: the checks written down, so you can carry them to the lot.

— Russ

WHO'S TALKING

Russ Kettering

Russ Kettering

Russ Kettering speaks as a plain-spoken owner's guide: slow, fair, and more interested in saving you money than selling you anything.

He is not a mechanic or a dealer. The lessons are researched and checked against makers' manuals and official safety guidance.

When a job needs a trained technician, such as a compression test, a brake repair or a frame weld you doubt, he says so.

“Buy the machine for the work you've got, not the work you wish you had.”

All 60

What's inside

    Matching Machine to Acreage

  1. 1Write Your Chore List
  2. 2Acres Versus Terrain
  3. 3The Four-Wheeler Case
  4. 4The Side-by-Side Case
  5. 5Seats You'll Actually Fill
  6. 6Mud, Rock, or Sand
  7. 7Hills and Tip-Over Math
  8. 8Measure Your Gates
  9. 9Rent Before You Buy
  10. 10Dealer Within Thirty Miles

    Reading Specs Plainly

  1. 11Engine Size Isn't Power
  2. 12Torque Beats Horsepower
  3. 13What the CVT Does
  4. 142WD, 4WD, and Locks
  5. 15Ground Clearance in Inches
  6. 16Payload Versus Towing
  7. 17Rack and Bed Limits
  8. 18Fuel Injection or Carburetor
  9. 19Suspension Travel Plainly
  10. 20Dry Weight Fibs

    Buying New or Used

  1. 21Out-the-Door Price
  2. 22When Used Wins
  3. 23Dealer, Private, or Auction
  4. 24Hours Versus Miles
  5. 25Reading a Listing
  6. 26Price Check First
  7. 27Warranty Fine Print
  8. 28Extended Plans, Worth It?
  9. 29Financing Without Regret
  10. 30Title, VIN, and Paperwork

    Inspecting a Used Machine

  1. 31The Cold Start
  2. 32Walk-Around Order
  3. 33Frame Weld Check
  4. 34Oil Tells the Story
  5. 35Belt and Clutch Smell
  6. 36Axle Boots and Play
  7. 37Steering Slop Test
  8. 38Brake Pedal Feel
  9. 39The Water Line
  10. 40The Test Drive Route

    Hauling, Plowing, and Towing

  1. 41Real Tow Weight
  2. 42Hitch and Receiver
  3. 43Dump Bed Loads
  4. 44Plow Blade Basics
  5. 45Winch Rating Rule
  6. 46Sprayers and Spreaders
  7. 47Pulling a Drag
  8. 48Braking Loaded Downhill
  9. 49Tires for Work
  10. 50Helmets and Rollover Rules

    Real Cost of Owning

  1. 51Yearly Cost Ledger
  2. 52Insurance and Liability
  3. 53Ethanol Fuel Trouble
  4. 54Oil and Filter Schedule
  5. 55Grease the Fittings
  6. 56Wear Parts Budget
  7. 57Winter Storage Steps
  8. 58The Battery Tender Habit
  9. 59Washing Without Wrecking
  10. 60Keeping Resale Value
Straight answer

Who this book is for

It's for you if

  • You own a few acres to several hundred and are weighing your first ATV or side-by-side
  • You're deciding between a four-wheeler and a side-by-side for hauling, plowing snow, towing, fence work or feeding stock
  • You've found a used machine online and want to know what to check before you drive out
  • You have dealer quotes that don't line up and want to compare them fairly
  • You already own one and want to tow within its limits and budget a year of upkeep
  • You'd like to know whether renting by the day would serve you better than owning

It's not for you if

  • You want a repair manual. This book helps you buy, check and use a machine, and it sends repair work to a technician.
  • You tow loads past a ton regularly. The book says plainly that a tractor or truck is the right tool for that.
  • You want brand rankings or a pick of the best model. The book teaches you to judge a machine against your own land and budget.
Before you buy

Questions

What do I get?

One book of 60 lessons in six parts, as a PDF. Every lesson has a drawing. The back of the book has an index of 261 problems by symptom and a reference of 198 numbers.

How do I get it after I pay?

Checkout runs through Stripe, and the download page opens right after payment. The PDF links work from that page.

How do I pay?

By card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe checkout. The price is $24.

Can I print it?

Yes. It's a PDF, so you can print the pages you want for your own use, such as the inspection lessons to take to a lot.

Is the advice safe?

The lessons include safety steps, such as helmets and rollover rules, loaded-downhill braking and test-drive precautions, and every lesson states where its advice stops. The book is not a substitute for your machine's manual or a trained technician, and it says when to call one.

What if it isn't useful to me?

You have 14 days to ask for your money back. If the book doesn't help, ask and you'll get a refund.

Know before you hand over a dollar

Sixty lessons, $24, and 14 days to decide whether it earns its place on your shelf. Start with the chore list.

Get the book60 illustrated lessons · PDF
$24

By buying you agree to the Terms of Sale and Refund Policy.

$2460 lessons · PDF
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