"Seasonal Road" - What exactly does it mean? (broker, home)

[ClownShoes]

Originally Posted by Badfish740

Yes, I know, the fact that I'm from NJ probably evokes images of some hapless yuppie attempting to plow through 3' of snow in a Subaru wagon with no recovery gear and no idea of what he's getting himself into... Let's just say I have a lot more experience and sense than that, along with much better equipment. We're looking for property mostly for fall hunting and summer recreation, but we enjoy the snow as well and are just trying to get an idea of what access would be like in winter or spring. Obviously it will vary by where the property is located and the condition of the road in general, but my biggest question was whether or not the roads were closed or gated in some way.

I'm from Jersey as well. I can't send private messages thru my phone. If I remember tomorrow when I get home from work, I'll send you one. We should talk.

More then, photos in my profile.

[ClownShoes]

Originally Posted by Badfish740

In looking at various properties I see a lot that are on "seasonal roads." What exactly does this mean in Maine? Does "seasonal" simply mean that the roads aren't plowed or maintained during the winter? Or are they actually closed to passenger vehicles (but open to snow machines) during the winter? How about during mud season? Basically I'm just trying to figure out if a property on a seasonal road is completely inaccessible during winter and spring, or if you just need a 4x4, good tires, and some common sense?

Check your inbox:

[Northern Maine Land Man]

4x4, good tires and common sense are well respected in Maine.

[Submariner]

When I was shopping for land, I recall one property that I looked at that had a 'seasonal' road. For that road it meant the road washes out. Various home-owners along that road have dozers, and they will repair the road, and re-culvert them when they feel like it. With sled-trails being popular, it is likely that once there is snow on the ground then home-owners will shift to using sleds and not bother with the 'road'.

I was told that access using an automobile would depend a lot on, if those other land-owners had done work on the road recently. Or if I got my own dozer so I could fix the road when I wanted to use it.

As for plowing. I see a lot of folks with blades on their trucks. Most homes in our township have a truck with a blade on it parked in their dooryard. More often than not.

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by Submariner

As for plowing. I see a lot of folks with blades on their trucks. Most homes in our township have a truck with a blade on it parked in their dooryard. More often than not.

A few of my neighbors have "yard trucks", that is, old beater trucks too far gone to bother registering for the road, but still good enough to plow with.

Me? I don't have one, though my driveway is several hundred feet. A yard truck sounds like too much maintenance to me to keep fresh fuel in for winter, etc., but it works for them. If I did more farming on the property, well, then yes, of course I'd have one too. Some year round use would let me know it's still ready to go for snow.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by beltrams

A few of my neighbors have "yard trucks", that is, old beater trucks too far gone to bother registering for the road, but still good enough to plow with.

Me? I don't have one, though my driveway is several hundred feet. A yard truck sounds like too much maintenance to me to keep fresh fuel in for winter, etc., but it works for them. If I did more farming on the property, well, then yes, of course I'd have one too. Some year round use would let me know it's still ready to go for snow.

I thought about getting one. But we decided to go with a snow-blower on a diesel tractor instead.

I think that this way we get a much nicer result.

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I thought about getting one. But we decided to go with a snow-blower on a diesel tractor instead.

I think that this way we get a much nicer result.

I think I like the idea of blowing snow so as to move it further in one pass. Truck plows can have difficulty with deep snow and snow banks.

That said, one of my neighbors uses a yard truck and purposely pushes the snow well back out of the way, off the driveway to allow extra stacking room should a heavy snow season come along. A lot of my neighbors plow some or all of their lawns actually. I can appreciate the feeling of movement it maintains and I clear some of the lawn too, but this man plows about 2 acres or more of his lawn all around his farm house. I mean, we're talking moving the stuff hundreds of feet away from the driveway and house.

He's been living there all his life, (it was his parents' home and he's almost 60 now.) I'm not sure I want to see the kind of snow season that is the worse case situation that he has in mind

[mainebrokerman]

anyone looking at a seasonal road,,,their is a consideration ,,,besides does the road have power,,, is... can an emergency vehicle be able to travel the road, outside of a fire, if a guy is having a heart attack, every second matters,,, and an ambulance may have a tough time going over a road that washes out..

also,, if it is a private road, is there an association, that maintains the road,,and what are the costs??

[beltrams]

I'm kind of making a bit of fun, however.

Seriously, our neighborhood is up on a windy, open ridge road and the snow seldom settles for days thanks to the wind. Moving the snow far away from the house and driveway makes it all the less likely wind off the fields is going to close the driveway and yard back up.

Edited to add: Returning to the subject at hand, another neighbor's driveway is about 1000 ft long. Of course it's basically a private road and keeping it open in the winter is serious work. If you're counting on an oil (or in his case bulk pellet) delivery while you're out of town (he's a long haul truck driver), you have things to think about.

[Badfish740]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

anyone looking at a seasonal road,,,their is a consideration ,,,besides does the road have power,,, is... can an emergency vehicle be able to travel the road, outside of a fire, if a guy is having a heart attack, every second matters,,, and an ambulance may have a tough time going over a road that washes out..

Good point. I guess in a sense these are things that anyone must think about the farther away they want to be from "civilization." Part of the reason that Maine is so appealing to me is the culture of self reliance, but relying on oneself can only go so far in a medical emergency, etc... However, I am assuming that there are folks who live in Maine who deal with these risks and realities every day.

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

also,, if it is a private road, is there an association, that maintains the road,,and what are the costs??

Also a good point.

This may sound crazy, but its something I've been thinking about. My BIL is a military vehicle enthusiast and has bought and sold a few 6x6 2.5/5 ton trucks like this one:



He mostly does shows, but he'll occasionally take the truck off road with a group out in Central PA. There just aren't enough trails for a truck like that in New Jersey. Regardless, unless you do something incredibly stupid, the things are relatively unstoppable. My thinking is this-if I were to find a camp where access was dicey during the winter/mud season, I could find a landowner/farmer/trucking company somewhere along the route near where the paved road ends, and rent some space to keep a 2.5 ton truck. That way if I headed up from home to find deep snow or bad washouts, I could simply leave my vehicle at the storage facility, hop into the 2.5 ton, and make my way to camp. I was planning on buying one anyway because obviously there are plenty of places to have fun with these trucks in Maine Thoughts? I've driven these trucks, off road and on, and I know they are loud as hell, uncomfortable, ride the axles are bolted to the frame, so I know the downsides, but if it's only 25-30 miles to get to camp, that's plenty tolerable.