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Yet another Driveway

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bmlekki
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 185 Upstate, NY
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2004-08-31          95083


I've searched the archives and didn’t seem to come across any provisions for getting a semi up the drive.

My logs will come on a rig and I’ll have a few curves to get back to the house.

Is there some way of determining how wide to make a curve so that he can get back there?

Also what would be the maximum slope you would want in snow country?

Thanks!




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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-08-31          95084


Yes, there is a way, unfortunately it is not exactly what you would call 'user friendly'.

There are 'templates' available for Autocad and similar programs that give you all the dimensions required for various vehicles and combinations of truck and trailer.

However the best (easiest) solution is what we do, using a light machine snowblow a straight run from driveway entrance to destination, and keep it clear all winter. This will allow the frost to penetrate to the maximum the cold weather will allow. This will freeze the ground into a natural ice bridge over the terrain. In spring when the frost comes out everything will be back to normal, save any frost heaving or 'freezer burn' that might have occurred.

The other way to do it is to find a local truck driver and have them take a look at the site, anybody with many years experience will be able to tell you at a glance if it can be done or not.

Best of luck. ....


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bmlekki
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 185 Upstate, NY
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2004-08-31          95087


If I say an average semi trailer is 52 feet long, if I can have at least 52' straight line it might work right??

A grad of one foot up by 2 feet ahead?? ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2004-08-31          95089


A grade of 1 foot up by 2 feet forward is 26.56 degrees of slope. That is way too steep. Ever notice the warnings for trucker on mountain roads with 6 or 7 degrees of slope? I'd contact a civil engineer or someone at the state or country road department to get a good grade recomendation. I'm not a civil engineer so I can't help you out. You can always take the wheelbase of your 790 tractor, divide it in two and raise the front wheels by that amount. The climb on and you'll instantly see why that's too steep. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-08-31          95090


That would work as to the trailer, not many drivers will be excited about cranking a loaded trailer off the tractor just so that the truck is not blocking traffic. A semi-trailer / truck combination should be guess-timated at 80' to be on the safe side.

You also need to be concerned with the amount of 'swing room' for something that long to turn in, and that distance varies with several factors. Is it a single trailer or a train, is it a long tractor or short? Is it a tandem axle trailer or does it have 3, 4 or even 5 axles. How wide is the road you are turning in off of? Is it a 90 degree turn or more or less than perpendicular?

There are MANY variables, as I said before, it's not really very 'user friendly'.

1' rise in 2' of run is pretty steep even for a car in snow country. If you think of it in terms of the aforementioned 80', that would mean the back off the truck would be 40' higher then the front, that's 5 stories up. I think that's a little steep for a goat.

Best of luck. ....


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bmlekki
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 185 Upstate, NY
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2004-08-31          95092


LOL I guess so!!

What is the correct way to measure this slope ? ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-08-31          95097


Rise over run is the correct way of expressing a slope. I think the problem was in your measurements.

Percentage or degrees is also acceptable forms of description. As was mentioned though, 6 or 7% is pretty steep for a roadway. For a driveway 10% over a short distance is nothing. Some of the rural roads we maintain have 30% slopes over short distances, and as long as you can get a bit of a run at it, and there are no turns in or near it it's still passable, if not exhilerating. Summertime is not a big deal, winter is, or can be, a different story.

There are other possibilities depending on how far it is from road to building site. I have seen large cranes used that merely plucked the material off the truck in the street and sat it down where needed on the foundation. Other methods include off-road fork-trucks, Zoom Booms, or even a smaller truck, usually a 5 ton with a crane on it, to carry the load in parts to the exact site.

Best of luck. ....


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bmlekki
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 185 Upstate, NY
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2004-08-31          95103


I hear ya,

I never thought of unloading the truck down by the road, but then you have concrete, and other heavy equip.

I'm just trying to get a handle on what needs to be done when I get to start this building thing. Years down the road. I plan on doing as much as I can myself and ahead of time if possible...

When I pick a log dealer they should be able to help some too.

I'm also trying to figure out where to burry the power and teleco wire, and preserve the view.....
....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-08-31          95107


The other option is to have different means of access for different things.

If you look at my picture # 1 you will see that I have several different ways of accessing the house and/or the shop. If I have to get something big into the yard out back, or to the shop, I can, as the picture shows, bring a tractor trailer in from the right side at the rear, this is a dirt driveway in from a dead-end side street (see pic. # 10). That way I don't have to worry about destroying the driveway or landscaping out front where the boss can see it. It also allows me to have a narrow 'cars only' driveway with overhanging trees, etc., without having to be concerned about clearance for my bigger 'toys'. Mulitiple entrances and/or large turning circles also means I can turn a long rig like my float (top right corner of pic. # 1) around by just making a circle around my shop. Depending on which way I start the circle I can even vary which way it ends up facing at a certain place.

A little planning of things like that can make a HUGE difference later on.

I also buried all utilities from the street all the way in, including the 100 amp. service to the shop.

Even if you don't have a corner lot, or don't want a circular driveway, you can often arrange things such that you have a second driveway along the far side of the property where it is at least far less conspicous.

If you planned a 'construction entrance' correctly in the first place it could work out and serve you later as a seperate driveway to a shop out back. This is nice in that it leaves more room behind the house for 'backyard' space.

From my backyard you have to look very carefully to see anything but grass & trees, and the boss likes it that way, LOL. The trees and landscaping conceal almost everything from view if you are looking out a back window or from the deck, or patio by the pool.

Terrain can often be utilized to conceal or disguise a lot too.

Best of luck. ....


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