Buying Advice What to buy for remote Alaska property

[Snobdds]

You might get a tracked piece of equipment back there, but how do you refuel in the summer? Do they offer a water landing tanker that refuels you? Or do you have to walk back to civilization with fuel containers for refueling.

Even if I found a money tree on the property, it would still be hard to make anything work economically or logistically.

Good luck.

 

[dickfoster]

You might get a tracked piece of equipment back there, but how do you refuel in the summer? Do they offer a water landing tanker that refuels you? Or do you have to walk back to civilization with fuel containers for refueling.

Even if I found a money tree on the property, it would still be hard to make anything work economically or logistically.

Good luck.

You haul it in with an ATV of some kind of course. A quad with a small trailer for the summer and a snow machine pulling a sled for the winter. You have to suck it up and tough it just to survive up there. Sissies need not apply.

 

[DavesTractor]

I have family in McCarthy, and among other things they have a sawmill. A compact track loader is a very nice way to move material and feed logs to the mill. They use a Cat CTL and they also have a mini-excavator with a thumb. But as remote as McCarthy is, they do have a road going there and access is not nearly as difficult as where you are. I know all the bigger stuff gets moved around to their more remote locations during the winter when it is allowed and does not cause damage.

With a skid-steer or CTL, you can see the entire bucket edge or the entire grapple and very accurately pickup and place logs. That isn't quite as easy with a tractor. And they are made as a loader primarily, not as a tractor with a FEL attachment.

We have been up that way often, and I can sure agree about the mosquitos. But some years are worse than others it seems.

Obviously whatever you get will need a block heater, battery blanket, oil heater and whatever else is needed in such cold weather.

 

[mapper]

Can't speak with any authority on what your ground conditions are up there, but there was an old saying in the logging and forestry industry: An acre of ground, a cup of water and a wheel skidder equals a one acre lake of deep thin mud.
My first thought was you would need a tracked piece of equipment, compact wheeled tractors are not that great at trail building and skidding logs out of rough country.

 

[roadhunter]

Heck just go with a forwarder. It's made to move timber and made for soft ground. LOL.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Know exactly where this is, dads half brother had 2 cabins out on the west shore of the lake aways south of the channel goint to Susitna. spent week there one summe. Had to armor the doors and windows with nail peppered boards. Only way to get heavy supplies is driving on ice in winter. Oh yeh one interesting fact, toilets at lodge flushed with hot water in winter.

Have fun, big project.

David

 

[buickanddeere]

An Argo 8X8 with tracks from April 21st to Sept 21st. Arizona for the rest of the year.

 

[holeycow]

Know exactly where this is, dads half brother had 2 cabins out on the west shore of the lake aways south of the channel goint to Susitna. spent week there one summe. Had to armor the doors and windows with nail peppered boards. Only way to get heavy supplies is driving on ice in winter. Oh yeh one interesting fact, toilets at lodge flushed with hot water in winter.

Have fun, big project.

David

Nasty but necessary those nail boards...they'll only try it once.

 

[ChugiakTinkerer]

Thanks for all the feedback. For those wondering, this is a recreational cabin that we'll be putting up. With access in summer being expensive, there will be less use in summer than winter. A week or two in the summer and 10-15 weekends in the winter. Fuel will be sledded in during the winter and stored in 55 gallon drum(s). Thankfully our property is dryish, as it's on a rise above lake level. So I shouldn't have too much muck to deal with, but I am nonetheless convinced that tracks are the way to go.

I've been lax in my research though, had just assumed that my 3/4 ton truck could haul a trailer with a skid steer. Bad assumption. It's rated to tow a pukey 8650 lbs. I have never come near that before but a decent hauler trailer and track loader would be more like 10,000+ lbs. So I need to either hire out the transportation or come up with an alternative that allows me to tow with the rig I have. As much as I'd like one, a new truck isn't in the cards right now.

 

[tractchores]

Sounds like a fun project. I have spent some time in the area. I'd see what other folks up there use for equipment. You're going to be dealing with some tough conditions (extreme cold, permafrost / mush, difficult access for equipment / service / fuel, wildlife eating your equipment). One thing to consider is that if you're mostly lifting you may be better off with some kind of mechanical system VS a machine, which will be way cheaper, more reliable, but harder work.