/Pine - If you really mean 35% = 19˚ (and you weren't talking about 35˚) that's not exactly ideal, but certainly do-able with care. I would not back down something like that. Steering is different when backing, and my reflexes just aren't as quick in that direction. In good conditions, I'd just put my rounds in a trailer and drive down. My trailer is usually hooked to the logging winch, which I can drop to create some drag if needed, or I can lower the bucket on the FEL in an emergency. If conditions were less than good, I'd put on my v-bar tire chains. If it was too slippery for that, I probably wouldn't be driving on it, but would consider dragging the logs in a pinch. As mentioned earlier, I tend to avoid dragging when possible, especially going straight down a steep trail. That's a recipe for erosion problems around here, especially with some of the gully-washing storms we've had in recent years.
If you want to know the exact slope, there are some great smartphone apps. I use Theodolite and Clinometer. I got them for when I was working with a solar installer, since they were useful to determine the pitch of a roof, but I've been using them a lot when laying out trails through my woods. When I can, I try to lay trails out at 7% or less, since that lets me use broad-based dips as erosion control measures (which are easy to drive through), rather than putting in waterbars. I'm in the process of clearing a new trail to bypass one that was too steep on some group-owned land that I'm a part of. We used a dedicated clinometer as well as the clinometer app on my phone to lay it out. The new trail should minimize erosion, and thus the need to go back in and touch up the trail so often. (It's also more of a please to hike or ski.)
