Snow Equipment Buying/Pricing Snowblowing setup for a long, steep driveway

[fishhead]

That was hard to watch, with chains that would have been done so much faster and safer. Chains are common here as are studs, had a propane truck come up the plowed drive today because the main road wasn't plowed- no big deal. Only really does damage if the wheels spin.
And what was up with the bucket being fully raised so much- that really isn't very smart if sliding was a risk.

This video shows a guy plowing a steep and twisting driveway with a CUT, FEL, boxblade, R4 tires, NO chains, and oh crap moments at 3:50 and 6:30. Does he not use chains to protect the pavement but digging the bucket in to stop is ok?

 

[ruffdog]

That was hard to watch, with chains that would have been done so much faster and safer. Chains are common here as are studs, had a propane truck come up the plowed drive today because the main road wasn't plowed- no big deal. Only really does damage if the wheels spin.
And what was up with the bucket being fully raised so much- that really isn't very smart if sliding was a risk.

Yes, hard to watch. Did the guy buy a tractor thinking he would get rich clearing driveways? I was waiting for him to go through one of the houses. :laughing:

 

[CobyRupert]

Did he plow a path about 1 box blade wide and then called it a day?

 

[LouNY]

I don't know were it was but it was definitely an inexperienced operator,
with insufficient equipment for the job he was doing.

 

[pmsmechanic]

What struck me about the video was how noisy the tractor was for being in a cab.

 

[oosik]

OK - Mark, I'm going to pass on some personal experiences that you probably will not like hearing. But you should really be considering these factors.

With that steep driveway and even with extensive improvements - the local fire department will not be able to access any structure "up on top". The local police probably will have great difficulties also. So .... especially without fire protection, you won't be able to get homeowners insurance on any structure now there or that you may build in the future. Also - without homeowners insurance there will be no bank that will loan money for home construction. This also means that should you desire to sell in the future - no prospective buyer would be able to secure a loan to purchase the property/home. You would have to find a buyer who has the cash or enter into a private contract.

I would have a serious discussion with your preferred lending institution before considering the construction of a permanent residence at the top of the road.

I built a cabin in Alaska. The closest road maintained by the government was 24 miles away. Same for power. There was no way the fire dept could have ever got to the cabin in the summer or winter. The State Police would have accessed the cabin by helicopter or ATV. But only in case of a homicide. There was not a single insurance company that would write a policy on the cabin or land. When we left Alaska I sold the property/cabin to a friend and we had a private contract.

We were going to retire on this land and expand on the cabin. These difficulties put a stop to this.

 

[LouNY]

There are a lot of driveways here that that fire and rescue (mine included) if they have not been plowed and sanded they can not access.
The rescue squad has snowmobiles and utv's they can call on.
I have had no trouble getting insurance on my place and back when I got the mortgage the driveway wasn't even discussed.
My insurance agent has been to the house, comes by every couple of years.

 

[TractorTYMe]

This video shows a guy plowing a steep and twisting driveway with a CUT, FEL, boxblade, R4 tires, NO chains, and oh crap moments at 3:50 and 6:30. Does he not use chains to protect the pavement but digging the bucket in to stop is ok?

That tractor would have studded Trygg chains up the wazoo if I had to deal with such a nasty driveway. Tarmac or no tarmac.

 

[PILOON]

In my city permits are refused based on accessibility or lack thereof.
They determined that they could be sued if emergency vehicles could not access a building.
By the same token not plowing a drive could annul your insurance coverage.

 

[MarkFromWA]

oosik, I appreciate your concerns. We have homeowners insurance on the current cabin (which is a real home: on-grid, septic, etc). State Farm's inspector even visited during the winter last year and was unfazed by the access. I'm much more worried about wildfires, in regards to both physical danger and the risk of being dropped by insurance. Both winter access and wildfire risks are manageable.