# Equipment Recommendations for a long steep driveway



## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

I am purchasing a property in New Hampshire that has a driveway that is 1200 feet long, 22 feet wide at a consistent grade of 8.33% (4.76 degrees) and at the top of the driveway is an additional level elevation of 800 feet. The steep portion of the driveway rises 100 feet in elevation over a length of 1200 feet. The New Hampshire location receives 70 to 125 inches of snow a year with occasional concerns of ice. 

I am considering a plow truck or skid steer or midsize tractor to plow the bulk of the steep portion of the driveway and possibly a snow blower and/or ATV for smaller snow removal tasks. An alternative for snow removal could be a wheel loader. 

Does the truck, skid steer (track or wheel), tractor, or loader do a better job at plowing steep driveways? i am considering tire chains for all equipment options.

What combination or combinations of equipment are best? salting and sanding will need to be done as well when needed.

Other considerations include hiring a snow removal company to keep the driveway plowed. I do not know if companies would plow this driveway or what it would cost to plow the driveway.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.


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## seville009 (Sep 9, 2002)

Many "steep driveway" threads; here are a few

https://www.plowsite.com/threads/plowing-steep-driveway-any-ideas.172041/

https://www.plowsite.com/threads/snow-removal-for-steep-driveway.163619/


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## zlssefi (Dec 29, 2011)

id steer clear of wheel loaders for steep, icy terrain. that has disaster written all over it. id say a truck with good studded snow tires or chains should do the trick. if you need to apply sand a good tailgate spreader should be able to spread any bagged materials.


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## White_Gold11 (Jan 4, 2016)

I use my wheel loaders with sno tyres to do all of our” steep work”.. we also have skids, trucks, tractors with sno tyres.. Not trying to be rude but if I had a 1/4 mile of steep road that gets tons of snow I would want a loader with sno tyres and a blade that could angle. My 2c


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## ByDesign (Sep 2, 2011)

Ill play, my driveway is an 11% grade and I get about 400" of snow a year. I have a skid steer w/plow & blower, truck plow and a wheel loader. The wheel loader will move the most, but its the slowest. Also, I had to buy $6k worth of chains to keep the thing on the road...snow tires only wont do it. 

The truck gets used until the snow banks are too tall to push snow over the side of the road...usually late December. Then the skid w/blower comes in and I use that till about the end of March. Then I use the wheel loader to push everything back and help accelerate the melting. That being said...last year on June 23 we got an additional 2' of snow...so no plan is ever perfect.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

I read that a snowblower wasn't a good idea because it compacts the snow and makes it more difficult to move...


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## prezek (Dec 16, 2010)

ByDesign said:


> and I get about 400" of snow a year.


About the same here.


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

Mark Oomkes said:


> I read that a snowblower wasn't a good idea because it compacts the snow and makes it more difficult to move...


A snowblower removes the air from the snow and makes it more dense. If you had to 'move' the snow with the snowblower more than once for a wide driveway it could be problematic.


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

seville009 said:


> Many "steep driveway" threads; here are a few
> 
> https://www.plowsite.com/threads/plowing-steep-driveway-any-ideas.172041/
> 
> https://www.plowsite.com/threads/snow-removal-for-steep-driveway.163619/


Thank you for the threads.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

Not only does it compact it knocking the air out. The Energy that is used to move the snow also heats up the snow it breaks up the snow Crystal creating more water so it actually re-freezes into a more solid mass.


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

zlssefi said:


> id steer clear of wheel loaders for steep, icy terrain. that has disaster written all over it. id say a truck with good studded snow tires or chains should do the trick. if you need to apply sand a good tailgate spreader should be able to spread any bagged materials.


I am looking at buying a truck (3/4 or 1 ton) with a spreader and a skid steer/or tractor. An ATV or UTV with a plow will be considered for the walkways.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Plow novice said:


> A snowblower removes the air from the snow and makes it more dense. If you had to 'move' the snow with the snowblower more than once for a wide driveway it could be problematic.


Fully aware of that, but generally when you move it once with a blower, that's it.



Hydromaster said:


> Not only does it compact it knocking the air out. The Energy that is used to move the snow also heats up the snow it breaks up the snow Crystal creating more water so it actually re-freezes into a more solid mass.


Thanks Sherman.

I'm a flatlander and willing to try just about anything once. Doesn't seem that steep to me. But most of my employees think I'm crazy too.


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## LapeerLandscape (Dec 29, 2012)

I would think a plow either windrowing or pushing straight ahead to a pile would pack and make it much more dense than what a blower would do.


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

My thought is a large skid steer with a blower and studded tires. First run would be downhill from the house, where you can use the snow to aid your decent speed.

One good thing about the blower is it will remove the air from the snow. Four inches of fluff turns into one inch of compacted cement. If the banks get out of hand, I'm sure someone in the region could rectify the problem with a wheel loader. What are other homeowners using?

You plan on sanding at all? There are some slick skid mounted sanders available these days. Drive into the pile of sand and spread.


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

White_Gold11 said:


> I use my wheel loaders with sno tyres to do all of our" steep work".. we also have skids, trucks, tractors with sno tyres.. Not trying to be rude but if I had a 1/4 mile of steep road that gets tons of snow I would want a loader with sno tyres and a blade that could angle. My 2c


I have a JD dealer 3 miles away and a Cat dealer 20 miles away. I would need to figure out if I drive it to the dealer for maintenance/repair or find a vehicle for transportation.

Is the Cat 930M or JD 544L too big (about 30,000 pounds)? Would it be an issue if the loader was not used in the summer?

I may take a look at renting a loader initially when needed to see what option works the best for the driveway.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Plow novice said:


> I have a JD dealer 3 miles away and a Cat dealer 20 miles away. I would need to figure out if I drive it to the dealer for maintenance/repair or find a vehicle for transportation.
> 
> Is the Cat 930M or JD 544L too big (about 30,000 pounds)? Would it be an issue if the loader was not used in the summer?
> 
> I may take a look at renting a loader initially when needed to see what option works the best for the driveway.


You must have one heck of a budget.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

With that kind of a budget why don’t you just get rid of the headache altogether and hire it out ?


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

ByDesign said:


> Ill play, my driveway is an 11% grade and I get about 400" of snow a year. I have a skid steer w/plow & blower, truck plow and a wheel loader. The wheel loader will move the most, but its the slowest. Also, I had to buy $6k worth of chains to keep the thing on the road...snow tires only wont do it.
> 
> The truck gets used until the snow banks are too tall to push snow over the side of the road...usually late December. Then the skid w/blower comes in and I use that till about the end of March. Then I use the wheel loader to push everything back and help accelerate the melting. That being said...last year on June 23 we got an additional 2' of snow...so no plan is ever perfect.


I am leaning toward a truck with plow and sander and a skid steer, both with chains. Should the skid steer be wheeled or tracked? The truck could also be used to transport the skid steer if it needs to go in repair/service.

Initially, I may rent a loader to push the snow back and will purchase if needed. I have about 20-30 feet cleared of trees on each side of the 22 foot driveway.


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

DAFFMOBILEWASH said:


> My thought is a large skid steer with a blower and studded tires. First run would be downhill from the house, where you can use the snow to aid your decent speed.
> 
> One good thing about the blower is it will remove the air from the snow. Four inches of fluff turns into one inch of compacted cement. If the banks get out of hand, I'm sure someone in the region could rectify the problem with a wheel loader. What are other homeowners using?
> 
> You plan on sanding at all? There are some slick skid mounted sanders available these days. Drive into the pile of sand and spread.


The property is unique in the area for steep driveways, it is not in a subdivision either with other like houses. Most driveways locally are flat or have a slight incline. The previous owner hired a professional plow company but ended up doing it himself after the plow company refused to plow it anymore. The previous owner used a truck and either a skid steer or tractor. All the equipment was sold in an estate sale.

I will look at the skid mounted sanders.


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

Hydromaster said:


> With that kind of a budget why don't you just get rid of the headache altogether and hire it out ?


Hiring it out does seem like the best option. I have had plow company interest until they see the driveway.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

( I was writing my post as the OP posted above, one company failed there’s more than one snow removal professional out there.
lfor the outlay of money of a truck ,sander a bobcat a snowblower attachment having salt and sand delivered to your property And maintenance for the truck and bobcat you could have your driveway plowed for the next 40 years or more, by professional. Jmo



But I guess that isn’t an option. If you get a bobcat I don’t know why you’re getting a truck and a sander?

You can get a plow attachment ,snowblower attachment, salt spreader all with quick disconnect to go on the bobcat.

But that’s my opinion and it’s your money so go get a truck amd a bobcat and you should be able to hire someone to come to your home to fix them for you so you don’t have to worry about bringing them to the dealer.

How are you presently removing the snow as we were entering winter and you don’t seem to have your equipment at home yet?


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## Plow novice (Nov 27, 2019)

Hydromaster said:


> ( I was writing my post as the OP posted above, one company failed there's more than one snow removal professional out there.
> lfor the outlay of money of a truck ,sander a bobcat a snowblower attachment having salt and sand delivered to your property And maintenance for the truck and bobcat you could have your driveway plowed for the next 40 years or more, by professional. Jmo
> 
> But I guess that isn't an option. If you get a bobcat I don't know why you're getting a truck and a sander?
> ...


I am receiving a consistent no from plow companies and two maybe responses. I am also getting consistent responses from plow companies that there are too many easy driveways and parking lots in the area to take this job. The driveway could be steeper than the 8% grade I originally posted, I extracted the grade from Google Earth Pro.

I just checked and the Bobcat dealer in my area would come to my property to fix the skid steer. Thank you for the information, I did not know this was an option for residential owners.

I have not moved into the property yet. I was originally planning to hire a company but due to the lack of interest I am looking at doing the job myself.


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

I can Understand the Plow companies reluctance, the time to call for a service provider was back in September. 
When they could take a look at the drive and give you a bid.

Well, I wish you luck, I was just trying to explore some different avenues.


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## seville009 (Sep 9, 2002)

Plow novice said:


> I am leaning toward a truck with plow and sander and a skid steer, both with chains. Should the skid steer be wheeled or tracked?


I'd think a wheeled skidsteer with chains would be better than tracks based on how steep you describe the driveway. With tracks, it'd be tough when the base is icey.

do you know how the sellers handled snow removal? Did they do it themselves?


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## Jguck25 (Oct 30, 2009)

Where in NH are you located?


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## White_Gold11 (Jan 4, 2016)

930 or 544 would be plenty big. At 25 mph it’s not that far of a drive at 3 miles. You have a decent area to splash/push snow over to! Good luck with whatever you purchase sounds like an awesome secluded property!


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## Four Seasons (Jan 7, 2008)

ByDesign said:


> Ill play, my driveway is an 11% grade and I get about 400" of snow a year. I have a skid steer w/plow & blower, truck plow and a wheel loader. The wheel loader will move the most, but its the slowest. Also, I had to buy $6k worth of chains to keep the thing on the road...snow tires only wont do it.
> 
> The truck gets used until the snow banks are too tall to push snow over the side of the road...usually late December. Then the skid w/blower comes in and I use that till about the end of March. Then I use the wheel loader to push everything back and help accelerate the melting. That being said...last year on June 23 we got an additional 2' of snow...so no plan is ever perfect.


What type and where did you get the chains from? I've seen a range of options searching online. I'm probably going to be doing the same for the mountain road that I do.


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