Moving and need to buy a new TLB next year.

[SoGeorgia]

Watched your video. Nice scenery , but that is too much isolation for me. Maintenance of the gravel road before you get to your yet to be installed driveway will be a back breaker. About the only way in or out will be with a snow mobile in the winter. Calls for Medical care will require a long wait. How far away is the closest gas station? Grocery Store? Hardware Store? Shopping Mall? I saw mail boxes but don’t remember seeing them in the last minutes of the video. Will you have mail service?

What about a washing machine. Most important when there is two feet of snow on the ground how are you going to dry clothes, bed linens, etc.

Being off the grid does not mean being isolated and a hermit, it means being without electrical or phone service.

Actually we would be ok with it being a little more isolated. Closest services are 20-30 minutes away. We already have a solution in place for washing/drying clothes.

 

[SoGeorgia]

That is a VERY long road to get out in the Winter. If your neighbors arent plowing their part of it, you will have to do it all. The easiest way (but unfortunately the most expensive) is a front snow blower on a tractor with Mid PTO. There is no way I would recommend a rear 3PT for that long of a road. You will be at the chiropractor all Spring trying to get the neck straightened back out!


Looks like a nice property, congrats. Now the fun begins.

The un-maintained part is about a mile. I do have neighbors that also keep it up as well.

 

[SoGeorgia]

Watched the video. Very pretty area.
Where does the roads go past your land? Any other houses nearby?

They go on and on really. We met our closest neighbor about a half-mile farther in. There are several cabins/camps.

 

[Carl_NH]

Beautiful spot and land for sure - thanks for posting the video. You have a lot on your plate for the coming year(s)!

As others have said, buy enough tractor - a full sized TLB like the JD 310/Case 580 etc. to start, it will push snow and clear land etc. are more cost effective and will do more of what you need. You can clear land with these but it's slow tedious work vs an excavator,

Then install enough solar up front - like 7-10KW array with batteries then ground mount since you have space, so you can easily clear off the snow after a storm to keep things running vs covered in snow for a day or more. Adding panels later is OK too, providing you have the wire and inverter large enough at the beginning.

Speak with a few locals and ask who do you "go to" or recommend for things like clearing land, septic system, stone/gravel, cement work etc. People are very helpful in general and you get to know who's who in the neighborhood. In the rural communities there tends to be fewer options for specific contractors due to demand.

 

[Mud2Money]

I would either buy a TLB or farm the job out to get cleared. I just priced a dozer and a excavator to dig a pond. Trucking and rental cost were $8500 just for a week. Another $1500 in fuel at least and if you don’t have a lot of experience running larger equipment you will waste a lot of valuable time and money.

 

[crashz]

I agree with the others. You need a full size TLB. I'd budget about $25K to get a decent used machine that won't always be broke down.

If it were me, I'd hire the clearing part and driveway construction. This gets the heavy, labor intensive parts out of the way and you on the land quicker. If you walk the land (now) with the contractor, stake it and have it cleared this winter, you should be able to hit the ground in the spring and start home construction. I don't think you will want to go through winter in an RV. Plus, it gives you time to get your house in GA packed and sold. If you sell early, stay in the RV down there. Many people think that winter work can be done with just a bit more effort. Sometimes it can be true. Other times its nearly impossible.

 

[Jchonline]

How is OP going to clear snow with a TLB? Sure you can use the bucket but that gets old quick on a mile stretch in Maine. The roads are too narrow to easily pile up that much snow.

I am still going with rental for land clearing then tractor to maintain everything.

 

[SoGeorgia]

How is OP going to clear snow with a TLB? Sure you can use the bucket but that gets old quick on a mile stretch in Maine. The roads are too narrow to easily pile up that much snow.

I am still going with rental for land clearing then tractor to maintain everything.

Snow plow or snow blower, not the bucket.

 

[Jchonline]

Snow plow or snow blower, not the bucket.

You arent getting a snow blower on a full size TLB. You are also going to have a hard time finding one with SSQA that would take a plow. You would likely need to plumb 3rd function, as this is not common on a full size machine.

On a tractor backhoe, you arent going to get much done. We are talking 6000lbs vs 16000lbs (full TLB). No comparison. Weight = work.

I don't call tractors with a backhoe TLBs. It confuses people about their capabilities. A true TLB is either the Kubota B26, L47, M62 (or previous models) or a full size machine (Deere 310L, etc). There is no comparison between tractor backhoes and real TLBs.

That said, of course you can do this job with a tractor backhoe. It just may take you 20 times as long. That is fully up to you. If you have a timeline you can share it might help.

 

[Williy]

Going full solar power something to
think about????

Personalty for solar the cost of 12 volt
refrigerators is very high IMHO the small
2 door or single door refrigerators cost
less than $250 and you can also get a
small freezer for under $400. The small
refrigerators you can put them on a counter
or shelf and can see every thing in it no
bending over. These small units are easy
to fix or you can toss them and purchase
new and not break the bank on getting a
new one as you can probably get 4 small
ones for the price of a 12 volt one same
size

willy