How yard work has become fun.

Remember what they said about Jack and what made him a dull boy? If you're retired, you may be looking for just the right toy to keep you busy. Eighty-five year old Robert Ernst, of Bayside, N.S., has had a tractor ever since he retired 30 years ago.

"Before I retired, I worked in Halifax, so there really was no advantage to having one," says Ernst. The avid gardener wouldn't have had time to keep up the large vegetable plot he now grows to feed two families year round.

His current tractor is a 35-horsepower Kubota L3400 that he's owned for the last three years. "This is the best one yet," says Ernst. "It's a beautiful machine. I'm really satisfied. We've never had one moment's trouble with it."

Ernst uses the tractor for everything from plowing the garden to plowing snow off his 250-metre driveway. His son is also using it to dig out the foundation for a garage.

Ernst also owns a Kubota RTV500 recreational vehicle, a side-by-side four-wheel drive, that he uses for plowing snow as well.

"I used to have an ATV," says Ernst, "but I have a bad knee and I found it hard to get my leg over that hump in the middle. In this one, you don't have to worry about that. I use it to get up to the garden and it has a box on the back for carrying things around."

Ernst could use the RTV500 for mowing his lawn too, but he has a ride-on mower for that. In fact, Ernst is a perfect example of retired man who enjoys his big-boy toys.

Bryson Parsons, a sales representative at Green Diamond, says these things are all toys now.

"People who are moving out to the country want these toys to have fun with," says Parsons. "It makes the jobs they want to do around the property easier and seem more fun. That's why people are so drawn to them now I think."

Parsons says that the John Deere Gator, a side-by-side recreational vehicle with a power dump bed at the back, is the most popular "toy" among their customers.

"The Gator is a nice machine that replaces a Jeep for going into the woods and getting around places," says Parsons. "It replaces an ATV or a four-wheeler."

Gators have many attachments to choose from: blades for plowing snow; enclosures to keep riders out of the cold; heaters; and winches to make pulling logs out of the woods a cinch-to name a few. Prices for a new Gator can range anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000 depending on the selection of accessories.

Stephen Joudry, a government employee who's approaching retirement age, lives part-time in Halifax and part-time on eight-acres of land at Molega Lake in what will someday be his retirement home. Joudry purchased the 620i Special Edition Gator in August 2009 and says he does just about everything with it.

"I use it to haul wood for the wood stove and I'm making a trail in the woods," says Joudry. "I use it to carry rocks and gravel and transport things around the yard like heavy lawn furniture or beach furniture or any pieces of equipment. We're currently doing some landscaping so we use it for yard clean-up too."

One of the other major uses for Joudry's Gator is pulling motorboats, even his 16-foot speedboat, out of the lake.

He says one of the Gator's major selling features was the hydraulic box on the back.

"That's quite convenient. You can load it up with brush or rocks, back it up and just press the button to dump it out." He gave his wife a crash course on the Gator and she operates it as well.

"We joke that she's now licensed to drive a Gator," says Joudry. "It's automatic and very easy to operate. It can do just about anything."

He had his Gator fully outfitted with the "Deluxe Outdoorsman" package and says that the cushy, adjustable driver's seats, seat belts, and wide wheelbase make it safe and comfortable to drive.

"The body armour package means I can scrape over stumps and rocks without damaging it and I also purchased the heavy-duty bush guard for the front and have the windshield OPS."

Another popular toy that goes hand-in-hand with the Gator is the utility trailer.

"People used to have pick-up trucks for everything," says Parsons, "but with the price of gas today, people are getting rid of their pick-up trucks. A utility trailer gives you the capacity to move big, awkward loads, including your Gator, around without a truck."

Trailers are available for all sizes of vehicles, including small cars.

"The sky's the limit as far as trailers go," says Parsons. "You can go as large or small as you like."

Frank Merry, a sales representative at Kubota, says their most popular toy is the BX25 tractor. "They are popular with the retired crowd or anyone who wants to do work around their home," says Merry. "Almost everyone who has one uses it for snow removal."

At around $20,000, Merry says the BX25 is considered an affordable tool because it can do so many things.

"Many people with large properties want to do some landscaping," says Merry. "Some of it is backbreaking. So they rent gear or hire someone and can spend anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000. This machine can lift 600lbs of material, remove stumps and everything else. Even a second hand machine like this is worth $15,000 so you can consider it an investment."

Dozens of attachments and accessories are available including tillers, finish mowers, rotary cutters, sweepers, snow blowers, and backhoes. "These tractors are so versatile," says Merry. "You can take a tractor from the Kubota factory and it shows up in a crate without tires, loader, or a backhoe. It's just a tractor body that you build from there. Everyone who comes through the door has a different need and it can be customized to suit your use of it."

Merry says most BX25 owners are using them at home or buying them for a cottage they've been upgrading and plan to move to in retirement.

If you're looking for more of a recreational toy, you may enjoy an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

Peter Dunsworth, sales manager at Pro Cycle, says "ATVs do have applications around the hobby or tree farm, but they are certainly not all for business. "…It's really handy for farm or cottage use. We do get people using them with a trailer on the back for hauling shrubs and planting. They can actually use the trailer that the ATV itself is towed on."

Pro Cycle sells various brands of ATVs both new and used. They can range in price from $5,100 for a used 2007 Honda TRX420 to $15,000 for a brand new Yamaha Grizzly 700 with all the bells and whistles.

"Most of the ATVs we sell have winches," says Dunsworth. "This gives them the ability to operate plow kits or dig themselves out of a hole or a tricky situation. Most have storage units on the back for carrying gear like safety or work equipment and there are some comfortable features like heated hand-grips, power-steering, and independent rear suspension."

Dunsworth says the snow plow blades work well all year round for plowing soil in the garden and gravel on new roadways or paths.

"It's a great tool," he says. "A lot of guys prefer the ATV because it gives them a little better control. You can do a more careful job around your property and it has all kinds of practical purposes."

No matter what job you need to do, there is a perfect toy-and an accessory-to help you get it done. The best part of all is that you don't need to be retired to buy it. Retired folks just have more time to play.