How to deal with thick ice

[SpaceBus]

This rain event has turned into an icing event and driveway looks to be a lumpy skating rink when the temps drop tonight. I have a plow guy and he has a sander and was just in the driveway sanding the driveway. He does it as much for his safety as my traction. He cant afford to try and plow with ice underneath as if he slides and hits something it gets expensive.

I would much rather splurge on a commercial snowblower than a plow truck. Sure a commercial blower may cost $3,000 bucks but that's about what someone will pay for excise tax and a few months depreciation on a new $50,000 plow truck . Not sure where Spacebus is downeast in Maine but expect he gets a lot more snow than a typical southern New England homeowner. Unlike a plow I don't worry about my bankings getting too high as I throw the snow about 40' off the driveway. At the end of the winter I drain the fuel and maybe change the oil. It takes longer than using a plow but I know how to dress for it.

Worse case is I get a Webasto heater and install an air dryer on my Unimog SEE for cold weather and I can dig myself out of just about anything. Beats a Kubota

View attachment 239017

That Mog is gorgeous, definitely turning green on this end.

 

[SpaceBus]

Too many replies to quote, so thank you all for the advice, we are definitely learning a new way of life.

Our situation is a bit different because I have acquired a blood disorder which leaves medically retired. I am liquidating some assets I have had set aside since I was 18. I had hoped to keep it growing, but my health issue is forcing me to change my lifestyle or die. The tractor will allow me to do many things on my property without being sent to the hospital, again. My wife is the primary bread winner because of my disability. She has no issue with this and is happy to finally be the one to save the day. She's a nurse and makes decent money, soon to be more once she finishes her education.

We considered a plow for the Dually, but only after we get a third car. She has a Fiat 500 Abarth cabrio that was purchased several years ago without the intention of going to such a rough environment. I bought her a set of wheels and snow tires for this winter, but wish I had gotten them studded. I don't know if she can fit chains because we went slightly larger on diameter to give her a bit more ground clearance. By slightly I mean 3/4" on a new set. Either way, I have a third set of wheels for her car in NC that will be retrieved before next winter to have a set of wheels that have studded tires. We will swap on the studded tires before storms and swap them back out after the roads/parking area has been remediated. The third car might happen before next winter, if so that will get the studded tire treatment and the Abarth will be summer only.

After mud season we will begin constructing a pole barn, initially with just a dirt floor. It will be at least 30' wide and we will add length as we go and then summer 2020 get a slab poured after we finish the length. Eventually this will become a finished wired and heated workshop with covered parking on the sides (because I want a wood stove inside for heating and also insurance). I will also purchase a Logosol M8 landowner grade sawmill to construct said building with the trees we will be clearing in order to have space to build the structure. The tractor will make it possible for me to build this structure as if can lift and set posts, lift trusses, level the ground, etc. I want to at least get a 30x20 structure built so we can park our vehicles and have a place to put our sand for next winter. Ambitious I know, but I am retired, so I have plenty of time.

We have several buckets of sanded salt to get us by for the time being. I knew our first winter would be tough, but we have experienced setback after setback. My transfer case lever on my truck popped off of the linkage so now I'm stuck in 2H, which could be worse. The truck is parked at the bottom of the driveway because it's too steep and my bed is currently empty. It's going to the shop on Monday because I have nowhere to work on it currently, which is why the pole barn is getting built eventually. The stove that came with the house had a giant crack, plus it was way too big for the house anyway. The previously mentioned damage that was hidden from us. We plan on pursuing the seller's agent since they didn't disclose damage they were aware of. The house took three months to close, so we got here late. My wife's car is stuck, but at least my truck made it out of our skating rink to get her to work even without 4x4. Even with all of this chit that went wrong, we still love it here and plan on staying here forever.

For those that are curious, we live on the eastern side of Machiasport across the street from the water. We are less than an hour from Lubec, the most northeastern point in the continental US. Somehow Eastport claims that title as well, but that's only a longer drive because there's no direct route from where we live. The bridge is on the north side but we live south of Eastport.

You can't see the water today because of the rain, but this is from our bedroom sliding glass door.

 

[CaptSpiff]

Hey SpaceBus, sometimes life deals us lemons, you seem to be squeezing em into lemon-aid!

On the Fiat 500 Abarth cabriolet, that's a cute car, but I couldn't think of a more "out of place car" for Maine. Except for those 4 perfect weekends in the summer. She should get a nice Suby, seems like everybody up there owns one so parts & repair should be a breeze.

Re the place: Sounds like you picked up a homestead instead of a house. Blessing and a curse cause the work never ends. Wish I had one!

Re the plowing: The following YT is a bit long but it's the best "straight talk" on the business, if you are thinking about it. This kid runs his business in the Saugerties NY area. I don't know him, but I wish I had him as a nephew.

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Glad to have you on the Hearth.com forum. Post lots of pics of your accomplishments.

And oh yeah,... Nurses Rock !

 

[CaptSpiff]

thing with chains - ain't for high speed- maybe 20 mph max- one snapped crosslink and that can cause a lot of damage fast. Sure wish they hadn't banned studded tires here in WI.

That's what I explain to people when they tell me I should get chains. It just doesn't fit my need to cover great distances by highway. I'd do 45-50 tops with those s-cables. I can drive highway all the way to VT and back with studs and no worries. And they last a long time if you don't run them in the warm weather. But if you're willing to slow down and travel limited distances with purpose, those cable/chains are fine and cheap.

 

[SpaceBus]

Hey SpaceBus, sometimes life deals us lemons, you seem to be squeezing em into lemon-aid!

On the Fiat 500 Abarth cabriolet, that's a cute car, but I couldn't think of a more "out of place car" for Maine. Except for those 4 perfect weekends in the summer. She should get a nice Suby, seems like everybody up there owns one so parts & repair should be a breeze.

Re the place: Sounds like you picked up a homestead instead of a house. Blessing and a curse cause the work never ends. Wish I had one!

Re the plowing: The following YT is a bit long but it's the best "straight talk" on the business, if you are thinking about it. This kid runs his business in the Saugerties NY area. I don't know him, but I wish I had him as a nephew.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Glad to have you on the Hearth.com forum. Post lots of pics of your accomplishments.

And oh yeah,... Nurses Rock !

I really enjoy the Hearth forums and find the experience of many of the members to be very helpful with many aspects of life.

Yeah, the Abarth is not the right car for the winter, but it does have a limited slip diff so it's working. Hopefully by next winter I can find a decent Impreza Outback Sport or Suzuki SX4 with AWD for daily driver purposes. I also have a project Miata sitting in NC I want to bring up here to build into a rally car. It was my autocross car until the engine let go.

We did buy a homestead, but it was intentional. We like our privacy and we want to grow our own food. I plan on getting a few Aplaca soon ish for making clothing, plus I think they are rad. The tractor will also be a great asset when we start making our garden beds. Most of our cleared land that gets sun is a hill side, so we'll have to make terraced beds. Since I'm retired now I can just stay at home and run the farm while my wife works. She's in home care and only six miles from home. The family she works for is actually going to give me their alpaca once I build a fence and a barn/Manger for him.

I do plan on making some money in the winter plowing once I get a good remotely adjustable plow and a spreader. The spreader will happen sooner than later since it will help our property. This summer I'd also like to get certified as a sweep and chimney installer and work part time when I can. There aren't any sweeps within an hour of me and wood burning is popular here. Mostly it's for my own benefit since I would like to install a wood cook stove and a chimney for it before winter 2020.

 

[festerw]

Do a lot of research into the plowing business, it's not nearly as lucrative as most think. Between equipment, repairs, insurance, taxes, and cheap customers, it can become a money pit quickly.

 

[SpaceBus]

I should have taken a photo earlier, but I was too busy enjoying this perfect weather. It stayed above freezing most of the day and we had no clouds. The wife's car can finally make it down the drive and even though my truck is stuck in 2H for the time being I made it back up the driveway. We put down all of the wood ashes from the season so far and a bit of sand and salt mix. Everything is easily drivable now.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Nice view of the ocean. Do you own right to the coast?

 

[SpaceBus]

Nice view of the ocean. Do you own right to the coast?

No, we are across the road from the ocean. On the other side of the trees at the end of the cleared area is a main road. It's not quite the ocean either, but a bay. I'm not sad to be on a bay rather than right on the Atlantic.

 

[CaptSpiff]

Do a lot of research into the plowing business, it's not nearly as lucrative as most think. Between equipment, repairs, insurance, taxes, and cheap customers, it can become a money pit quickly.

So I could not agree more!,... you also just described the primary risk components of Real Estate.
Actually, almost every business plan list these components on the risk side.

So whether SpaceBus considers starting a Chimney Sweep business, a Snow Plowing business, or anything else,... "do the research for the local area".
And be ready to eat rice & beans for way longer than planned, because (as festerw wrote) it's seldom as lucrative as most think.

 

[SpaceBus]

So I could not agree more!,... you also just described the primary risk components of Real Estate.
Actually, almost every business plan list these components on the risk side.

So whether SpaceBus considers starting a Chimney Sweep business, a Snow Plowing business, or anything else,... "do the research for the local area".
And be ready to eat rice & beans for way longer than planned, because (as festerw wrote) it's seldom as lucrative as most think.

Indeed, I have a feeling the insurance alone might be too expensive to make money doing it part time. Taxes will be painful as well. It's difficult for the small business owner these days. Due to my health issues, I just can't work around people, my immune system is not strong enough. I'm also highly susceptible to injury and have to be extremely careful because my platelets are chronically low. I may be better off applying for social security early as much as I hate to admit it. I'm also considering petitioning the VA for a higher disability rating as I can do very little as far as a job goes.

 

[firefighterjake]

More than few folks with dirt driveways intentionally keep them iced up as the alternative is worse. My friend has a dirt driveway on clay and he intentionally drives on top of the snow to pack it down for the first few storms and only then does he plow the driveway. If he takes it down to dirt if there is warmup (forecasted for tomorrow) it just ruts up and then freezes. .

If this is your first winter in Maine you will soon learn about the 5th season which is mud season.

Often if we only have an inch to three inches of snow I'll pack it down . . . partly for icing and partly because I'm too lazy to plow.

I hate Mud Season . . . not enough snow to snowmobile and too much mud to ATV since trails are closed during Mud Season to minimize damage to the trails.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks for the advice! We did manage to thaw some sand and we filled a few large Rubbermaid bins with sand and then added five pounds of salt to each. Some of my sand didn't freeze solid and we were able to spread it and that helped immensely. I'm saving up my bucket of wood ash until it's full, but that's only one more ash pan from the stove.
As far as the tractor, that will happen in a week or two. I was thinking about putting the spreader on my truck so I can keep the front loader and rear snowblower on the tractor at all times during the winter. I also plan on building a lean to or some kind of covered area for loads of sand and salt.

Can you really just cover up the sand pile with salt to keep it from freezing? Supposedly our town provides some kind of sand and/or sand salt mix, but I have no idea where. I'm going to try and find out today.

The wife is losing her will to live here, but I keep trying to explain that next winter won't be so bad since we will be prepared. We just didn't have enough time. Our house took three months to close and the bank told us we had to take occupancy within 30 days. That put us at Nov 2nd, the day we moved in.

I love it here, but my wife thinks it's making my blood disorder worse, but it's not, it's just doing the same thing it did when I was stationed at Fort Bragg after I got back from Afghanistan when it all started. Actually she is the one that wanted to move here, I had never even been to New England until this past summer. I'm glad she brought me here, but the winter gives her regrets. After the tractor is parked next to the house, I think she will feel better.

If it's any consolation . . . it's been a long "Winter." The cold and snow came in earlier this year and while we've had cycles where it has got cold and snowed and then cycles where it has warmed up and melted away, it just seems to be dragging this year.

I think the key to surviving Winter here by the way is to find something to do outside in Winter that you enjoy . . . for me that's snowmobiling, for my wife it's enjoying the hot tub. Unfortunately, we've done very little of either this year and it's taking its toll.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hey SpaceBus, sometimes life deals us lemons, you seem to be squeezing em into lemon-aid!

On the Fiat 500 Abarth cabriolet, that's a cute car, but I couldn't think of a more "out of place car" for Maine. Except for those 4 perfect weekends in the summer. She should get a nice Suby, seems like everybody up there owns one so parts & repair should be a breeze.

. . .

I really enjoy the Hearth forums and find the experience of many of the members to be very helpful with many aspects of life.

Yeah, the Abarth is not the right car for the winter, but it does have a limited slip diff so it's working. Hopefully by next winter I can find a decent Impreza Outback Sport or Suzuki SX4 with AWD for daily driver purposes. I also have a project Miata sitting in NC I want to bring up here to build into a rally car. It was my autocross car until the engine let go.

Subaru is pretty much the official car of Maine . . . and there's a reason for it. Throw on studded tires and they can pretty much go anywhere in the Winter. Even just winter tires does wonders for them. Incidentally, if you're into rally car racing there is a rally car event in western Maine every Summer that brings in a lot of the big names -- Pastrana, Higgins, etc. It's a blast to go to.

We did buy a homestead, but it was intentional. We like our privacy and we want to grow our own food. I plan on getting a few Aplaca soon ish for making clothing, plus I think they are rad. The tractor will also be a great asset when we start making our garden beds. Most of our cleared land that gets sun is a hill side, so we'll have to make terraced beds. Since I'm retired now I can just stay at home and run the farm while my wife works. She's in home care and only six miles from home. The family she works for is actually going to give me their alpaca once I build a fence and a barn/Manger for him.

Nearby place here in Unity have been selling alpacas and alpaca products for many years. They seem to do OK with them. Cool animals.

I do plan on making some money in the winter plowing once I get a good remotely adjustable plow and a spreader. The spreader will happen sooner than later since it will help our property. This summer I'd also like to get certified as a sweep and chimney installer and work part time when I can. There aren't any sweeps within an hour of me and wood burning is popular here. Mostly it's for my own benefit since I would like to install a wood cook stove and a chimney for it before winter 2020.

Thinking being a part time sweep could work well for you.

 

[firefighterjake]

I should have taken a photo earlier, but I was too busy enjoying this perfect weather. It stayed above freezing most of the day and we had no clouds. The wife's car can finally make it down the drive and even though my truck is stuck in 2H for the time being I made it back up the driveway. We put down all of the wood ashes from the season so far and a bit of sand and salt mix. Everything is easily drivable now.

That's one thing about weather here in Maine . . . wait long enough and it changes and oftentimes the problem (icy driveway, too much snow on the shed roof, not enough rain, too much rain, etc.) resolves itself with a change in weather.

 

[SpaceBus]

If it's any consolation . . . it's been a long "Winter." The cold and snow came in earlier this year and while we've had cycles where it has got cold and snowed and then cycles where it has warmed up and melted away, it just seems to be dragging this year.

I think the key to surviving Winter here by the way is to find something to do outside in Winter that you enjoy . . . for me that's snowmobiling, for my wife it's enjoying the hot tub. Unfortunately, we've done very little of either this year and it's taking its toll.

I've been thinking about making a wood fired hot tub...

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm wondering if I could partner with an established sweep out closer to Ellsworth or Bangor that way the burden of insurance does not fall entirely on me. I doubt I could make enough money being a sweep part time to cover the insurance. I love winter stuff, I just have to find hobbies that won't break me. Apparently processing two cords this winter pushed my body over the edge and sent me to the hospital. I think clearing trails with a tractor will work well for me.

 

[PaulOinMA]

… For those that are curious, we live on the eastern side of Machiasport across the street from the water …

I was going to ask. Several of the families in my wife's former church here in MA (Hudson UMC) have cabins at the Methodist camp in Machias.

 

[SpaceBus]

I was going to ask you where you were. Several of the families in my wife's former church here in MA (Hudson UMC) have cabins at the Methodist camp in Machias.

We are pretty close to Machias, like 15-ish minutes to town, maybe a bit longer. I feel like we got lucky with with this property even with the house issues. We are halfway between Machias and Cutler.

 

[peakbagger]

Not sure if Spaces Bus's area is llike a lot of the Maine coast but out of staters buy up all the waterfront and the locals end up buying the lots inland. Used to be lobstermen lived right on the coast but these days they cannot afford the frontage and end up inland.

I went to college with a guy from Cutler Maine, he had the standard maine humor description for Culter, "it aint the end of the world but you can see it from there" .

 

[SpaceBus]

Not sure if Spaces Bus's area is llike a lot of the Maine coast but out of staters buy up all the waterfront and the locals end up buying the lots inland. Used to be lobstermen lived right on the coast but these days they cannot afford the frontage and end up inland.

I went to college with a guy from Cutler Maine, he had the standard maine humor description for Culter, "it aint the end of the world but you can see it from there" .

That quote is why we're here. We didn't buy a big fancy expensive place. This was used as a vacation home for many years by the previous owners, but we are here full time. I'm not really from anywhere and this is the first home I've ever had. My wife is from New England, so it's not like she's some foreigner to this region. She also has family here.