steepest grade for driveway

I would not take the risk, do what you are doing or sell and buy a flat property, I got stuck many times on snow and muddy roads in Alberta oil fields, or even bob on high grade wet asphalt . Few times on hilly roads in British Columbia , once i was kind of low fuel and the motor start sucking air stopped , i had to call call refueling company . I remember a place i used to haul salmon food for fishery ,step hill and a stop sign on top into a busy road, no way to use speed and momentum,every time i stooped i couldn't move anymore engine would stop ,with 84,000 lbs, i tried hard motor stopped my torque rods snapped ,pulled the bolts through frame. Without weight on drive axles differential lock doesn't help much on snow wet muddy roads or gravel high grade; even small cars , i used to keep few bags with sand about 2-300kg in my pick up truck box all winter for traction on rear axle .

 

Steep driveway+winter is not the best combo. You probably don't want to be slinging iron to get up your driveway.

Is it possible to redo the driveway? Widen/flatten it out?

 

You are mistaken. I am the king of the hill. Copy. Lol

 

Might wanna ask if there are any CC&R's that preclude big trucks from using that road for personal use. Also, if there are shared maintenance costs on the road, etc.

 

Also check the property deed. That water tower road my be an easement that was leased from the selling property owners and that gives you a right to use it. Same with any power, gas, water, or electric company easements. If they are leased from the property owners those owners have rights to access it. We have property that has one high tension wire tower on it. We plow and grow around and under it. Get a whopping $10 a month check for it. Lol! Some deal made in the late ‘60’s.

 

A friend of mine purchased a house with few acres north of Toronto about 20 years ago, and has high tension power wire passing near the house. After they moved there got two kids, both autistic and they blame the electromagnetic field caused by wires interfering with fetus during pregnancy. They opened a lawsuit called all kind of experts and take measurements in house, still dragging through courts.

 

That land must be ridiculously cheap for you to even think about it. If it’s on Canada or north side of the US I wouldn’t bother buying the land come winter it’s going to be a PITA to get the truck home.

 

One of our guys has a similar driveway into his house. In the winter he finds just one single tire chain on a tire on a locking drive axle is enough to get in up the hill in the winter.

 

14% is nothing on a paved road. I used to pull one every week at 90K, and it had a switchback in it. Gravel can get bouncy enough to be squirrely bobtail.

If you have both interaxle and axle lockers and it's paved, I would not even worry in snow -- just ice. That would take chains.