1/2 mile drive in Michigan through a swamp

[Shawn T. W]

How much snow at a time?

How deep are the ruts?

The cheaper way, but not a cheap way to deal with the ruts, is once they form, is to fill them with rocks! Then a 3"-4" layer of 2" gravel (2" down to "fines") the driveway needs to be higher than the surrounding area, driveway needs the center to be higher than the edges, called a "crown."

I'd trade the box blade for a land plane on your list, and add a offset rear blade, which can also be used for snow removal ...

Depending on the amount of snow you gotta deal with at a time, a snowblower may be the best for your situation if your not there to deal with it as it comes down ... A rear 3pt mounted blower is cheaper than a front mount, but you gotta drive it going backwards for most of them, if you get a forward pull "inverse" rear 3pt mower you pull it forward while blowing, but they are pretty pricey!

I use a rear blade and bucket to clear the occasional snow I get in Missouri ...





I got a "swamp" as my gravel guy called it and got 4"-10" rocks delivered ...

This was during a "dry spell" , so the water table wasn't down very far ...



First load of rock ...



Got 1" of rain ... New pond!



I told him to keep bringing me rock until I couldn't see any more water! Then covered it with 2" rock, then 2" gravel ... Up to 30" total here, culvert is 12", have since added 4" of 1" base gravel ...



You wouldn't need to go to this extreme, but I regularly bring my semi-truck home!

I did all this with a SCUT sized tractor, similar to a BX, a L would do it better being heavier and larger tires ...

Not sure if you plan on financing, but a very nice used MX sized tractor could be had for the same price as a new L2502 ... Which would be much more capable of deep snow ... What did your neighbor have for a tractor?

You can filter out for more if what you want, also enter your zip code ... https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/search?Category=1110&ModelGroup=MX4700|MX4800|MX|MX5000|MX5100|MX5200|MX5400|MX5800|MX6000&Manufacturer=KUBOTA

 

[Workerbee]

If the only reason you go there in the winter is to check on the heat, why not drain the water system and shut the heat off. That’ll eliminate any needs and expenses to move snow. Theres thousands of people do it like that here in MN. They winterize it in late October, turn the key, and come back in May.

 

[sifuback]

You won’t be happy with a SCUT with tiny wheels and low ground clearance. You will want a utility tractor 80-100HP with large front wheels and ground clearance. Get studded Euro chains on all four wheels.

While I appreciate the need for power, that seems completely overpowered for my 30 acres., I assume you are facetious.

 

[sifuback]

How much snow at a time?

How deep are the ruts?

The cheaper way, but not a cheap way to deal with the ruts, is once they form, is to fill them with rocks! Then a 3"-4" layer of 2" gravel (2" down to "fines") the driveway needs to be higher than the surrounding area, driveway needs the center to be higher than the edges, called a "crown."

I'd trade the box blade for a land plane on your list, and add a offset rear blade, which can also be used for snow removal ...

Depending on the amount of snow you gotta deal with at a time, a snowblower may be the best for your situation if your not there to deal with it as it comes down ... A rear 3pt mounted blower is cheaper than a front mount, but you gotta drive it going backwards for most of them, if you get a forward pull "inverse" rear 3pt mower you pull it forward while blowing, but they are pretty pricey!

I use a rear blade and bucket to clear the occasional snow I get in Missouri ...

View attachment 174791

View attachment 174792

I got a "swamp" as my gravel guy called it and got 4"-10" rocks delivered ...

This was during a "dry spell" , so the water table wasn't down very far ...

View attachment 174787

First load of rock ...

View attachment 174788

Got 1" of rain ... New pond!

View attachment 174789

I told him to keep bringing me rock until I couldn't see any more water! Then covered it with 2" rock, then 2" gravel ... Up to 30" total here, culvert is 12", have since added 4" of 1" base gravel ...

View attachment 174790

You wouldn't need to go to this extreme, but I regularly bring my semi-truck home!

I did all this with a SCUT sized tractor, similar to a BX, a L would do it better being heavier and larger tires ...

Not sure if you plan on financing, but a very nice used MX sized tractor could be had for the same price as a new L2502 ... Which would be much more capable of deep snow ... What did your neighbor have for a tractor?

You can filter out for more if what you want, also enter your zip code ... https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/search?Category=1110&ModelGroup=MX4700|MX4800|MX|MX5000|MX5100|MX5200|MX5400|MX5800|MX6000&Manufacturer=KUBOTA

Thanks for the feedback. Ironically my father was an independent truck driver so keeping the drive maintained was critical.

 

[sifuback]

If the only reason you go there in the winter is to check on the heat, why not drain the water system and shut the heat off. That’ll eliminate any needs and expenses to move snow. There's thousands of people do it like that here in MN. They winterize it in late October, turn the key, and come back in May.

I go to the cabin at least once a month through out the year. I winterize every time obviously over the winter, but utilize the cabin year round.

 

[Trustable]

I am currently looking to purchase a Kubota L2502HST tractor but need to choose implements carefully. I have a 1/2 mile two track back to my off the grid cabin through a swamp with sandy soil. Ruts readily develop, especially spring and fall, and it is narrow as trees are on both sides. I also need to be able to clear the snow in the winter to maintain my cabin as four season. Current thinking is a box blade, an articulating snow blade for the front with hydraulics, and a grappler for dealing with lumber. Question is for four season road maintenance, have I selected the best implements?

IDK where you are in michigan but if you have sandy soil im assuming northern lower peninsula. I would highly recommend getting a snowblower or plow truck for the winter. After my first winter up here coming from mid and SE michigan, I quickly learned I had a hard time pushing snow, let alone pulling the backblade to clear the 3+ feet that would drift up every snow storm. In my experience the tractor was not heavy enough to handle that snow on a long driveway, even on a small 5 ft rear blade. It got to the point where I literally could barely get my vehicle through and frequently had to move buckets of snow other places for 1200ft of the drive. I ended up buying a snowblower midway through the winter. Even with all that, if that builds up the l2502 is not gonna cut it. Once the drifts hit 6+ ft, your pretty much stuck unless you have a larger machine (or a lot of free time).

I was snowed in during march with that snowstorm that dropped 3 feet and drifted to 6-9ft along the length of my driveway. I had to hire someone with a huge TLB to clear it, and even he had a hell of a time.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

How much snow at a time?

We call getting this much snow, a light frost.