"It's a lot less expensive than conventional self-propelled auger movers and there's nothing on it to maintain. People are amazed at how simple it is to operate," says Andrew Dennis, Brookdale, Man., about his new "Quad Link" auger mover. It lets you use your 4-wheel ATV to move any grain auger up to 52 ft. long and 10 in. in diameter.

The unit works somewhat like a motorcycle sidecar. The ATV's hitch clamps onto the auger axle. A 10-in. steel plate, with a ball welded into the center of it, bolts onto the ATV's front rack. The ball hitches to a steel arm that bolts onto the side of the auger tube.

The auger is cranked up or down by a hand-operated winch that mounts on the driver's right side. Because the auger is balanced -- like a teeter totter -- it moves easily. The arm on front keeps the auger's frame rigid, acting as a fulcrum. "It takes less than a minute to hook up or unhook, so you can still use your ATV for other jobs," says Dennis. "I've used it on my farm for the past two years. My kids used to hate moving our auger. Now it has become a fun job for them and they fight over who gets to ride the ATV. The unit is equipped with a jack, but it doesn't do any lifting. It simply provides a range control for how high you want to raise the auger."