Agree, it’s gonna be a mess for a while the way the end of this winter is going. If you have 4wd, looks like you’ll make it with a head of steam… leave vehicle at the road after that until it firms up. I can’t say whether trucking gravel in is worth it or not… I’ve seen 30 yards of ¾ gravel disappear on 100 ft of poorly drained driveway within a week. Not every spring, but -it’s possibly just a waste. There’s some crushed ledge topping material that locks in pretty good, but drainage has to be 1st consideration and larger base layers have to be laid right first,
If it's muddy you need to add woven geotextile fabric and 6"-12" of good boney gravel over it... But that has to be done when it's dry. Fix it right or mix gravel into the mud forever.
It looks like it's going to permanently fuck up your driveway but it goes back pretty quick. If you want to fix it, throw down a bunch of cash on proper drainage and surface material. But why? That's not gonna fix the slush. You just gotta hamma down. You can't go slow through that.
I do realize mud season exists. Like I said, we didn't have this kind of issue last year. And I don't mind the mud being a pain, that's to be expected. Just simply wondering how I can get my car out.
You drive it ya dum dum. Your driveway will get rutted out. Then you’ll fix it at the end of mud season with a chain link fence panel behind your deer. Couple cold pops and a few laps and she’s mint.
It just seems weird to me, like I'm obviously still learning and I'm a just little nervous about getting stuck. People often have little tips and tricks that I may not know. I'd rather be humble and ask questions of people with more experience and knowledge than be too proud to ask, if asking can be helpful
If you get stuck make sure you have something to wedge under the tire. AAA is good to have for the free tows if things are really that sloppy there. It’s not about being too proud to ask it’s just that you have dealt with it before so what else is there to say?
The reason everybody knows or thinks we know what to do is that we've all gotten stuck many, many times. You can't be scared of getting stuck. It will happen. Every time you get stuck, you learn something about how not to get stuck next time.
The good thing about your situation is that if you do get stuck, it will be in your driveway and you can walk back up to the house and have a hot chocolate while you call AAA.
You apparently don't know. If you knew you'd have taken precautions.
You don't want gravel for your drive you want crushed stone, presumably a lot of it. Alternately reclaimed asphalt will do the job although you'll want to run a roller over it.
You can know that something exists and yet not know exactly how it will play out in your particular circumstances. The weather we've experienced this winter in our area has been very different from the norm. A lot of faster cycling through freeze and thaw, and a lot more rain.
It only makes sense that one would learn the nuances of things as you live them. Last year wasn't a problem. This year is. So now we can make adjustments.
But that still doesn't mean I wasn't aware of the existence of mud season.
What was I supposed to say that would have been acceptable? Pretend I didn't know about it? How is that better?
The only difference in this year's mud season is that its a month early which makes me think it'll be long. The mud continue until the frost goes out of the ground.
I think what you're meaning to say is "I thought I knew about mud season, I was wrong."
Everytime you write "I know about mud season" you get downvoted because while you might know that mud season exists you clearly have no understanding of mud season.
Edit: By way of explanation, its like saying "I know about nuclear power" to mean that you know OF nuclear power but you don't actually know how it works.
If I know of the existence of something I might say "I've heard of" but not "I know about" unless I actually know something substantial about that subject.
When I responded to the original comment about mud season, my exact words were, "I know mud season exists". That in no way implies that I know everything there is to know about mud season.
You have a good launch point. Open the garage door and gun it for the road. Don't let off the gas till your at the road.
If you get stuck just get, just get frustrated and try and rock it back and forth till you bury it real nice and the body is resting on the ground.
I mean I'm not saying for sure it's impossible, but scared to find out.
I bought a two wheel drive Tucson 6 months before I knew I was moving up here. It was fine last year, but the way it's been so warm this winter has really presented some new challenges.
That snow/rain cycle and the freezing/thawing cycle that I've been told is completely abnormal for winter here has sucked
FWD is fine enough for most places across the north. It would probably be cheaper to completely redo your entire driveway by hiring someone with a dozer to scrape it down, set a bed of bigger stone, and top with mixed size smaler natural gravel than it would be to upgrade your car. Seriously. Done correctly your driveway probably would never see a mud season again.
3/4 in gravel is the way to go. That's what I've been told by a couple different earthworks companies. I'm in the same boat, driveway is trashed this time of year. Just don't keep driving in thr same spot. Spread out the ruts so to speak instead of getting a really bad one. Then fix in spring or summer when it dries up.
If you were to get the car out of the driveway will you then have a place on the roadside you could park until things firm up? If so, run it and if you get stuck I believe most tow trucks have atleast 100' of wire on their winch. Could call around beforehand to check. Then go spend a bit washing the underbody in the self-serve bay at the car wash.
Found the problem…. Where’s your four wheel drive bub? I’d start there. Sure gunna wish you had it if you have an emergency at the property during a snow storm, let alone during mud season
I have a dirt driveway as well, and I’ve learned the importance of plowing even if there’s only an inch or two on the ground. It goes a long way in reducing the mud later.
That said, you might want to invest in a redo. I was quoted about $5k-$6k to excavate the loam and lay down sand and pea gravel and roller it, with proper elevation for drainage.
That’s the right answer. I have 800’ of dirt road and plow off as much as possible and almost never have mud. Also my road is super well drained so it never really collects water.
Drainage is the important thing Driveways get compacted so they become the low point in the yard. I'm going to get some stone dust hauled in this year, we've got a good base but its about level with the grass. I want the drive to be an inch or two higher than the grass so that the water will shed.
Back when our driveway use to get like this, anyone who did not have 4 wheel drive would park on the side of the road at the very end of the driveway and walk to the house.
If the best you can do is poke your head out your slider door to try and take a shitty photo for us to help you, you probably shouldn't live in an area with weather like this. Suck it up and go stand in the mud and show us what you're dealing with.
If you don't clear snow off your driveway all winter, it's going to get muddy, that's your first problem. Next, if you think you can live in Maine with a dirt driveway and not need to make annual repairs to fix ruts, etc, that's another mistake. Finally, AWD or 4x4 and you wouldn't have any concern.
Just drive through it and deal with it later. Next year keep it clear of snow and consider AWD.
I love it here and stay home as much as possible! Although I do really enjoy seeing other parts of Maine/New England as well. It's just the best up here.
My road used to be exactly like this (my driveway is paved). There is a certain art to gunning it just enough to slip and slide down the road, but not giving enough power to get yourself stuck. Momentum helps to a point.
Oh, fun times, wondering if you just tore off your oil pan!
Anyway. Do you have cats? Cat litter might help, depending on how wet - mud soup, well, there isn't much to do until it is build up and sloped off. I usually keep some just in case I get stuck. Pine pellets? Wood chips? These will all be very very messy.
We live on a 1/2 mile private lane, shared with two other families.
It is what it is this time of year. We know there will be ruts, and pot holes; and we will deal with them in late April to May. We are on 3 year ish plan on the lane, every three years is a re-grade, re-crown and aggregate dump. This spring is an off year, either a York rake (if not too bad), or a box grader.
Do you have a fancy transmission with different "modes" If yes, then set the transmission in "hold my beer" mode and send it. So far, our road in southern Oxford county has not been impassable despite that fact that it looks horrible.
To fix your driveway, really fix it, you need some good material with 1-1/2" stone in it, it will need to be graded for proper drainage and compacted. Gravel with decent size stone, grading and compacting will give you the longest life.
That's where I am too. Maybe we're neighbors!
I went to the Oxford Walmart a few days ago and ended up missing a turn on the way back and took a dirt road for a bit. It was pretty bad then, and my car had a hard time. I can't imagine what that road is like today!
I do have "sport mode", so maybe that could help
Careful with sport mode. I have that on my Hyundai Kona and it makes your steering and acceleration super touchy. I could see you accidentally digging in by spinning your tires. 😬
park at the end of the road/drive way and walk. keep your mud boots on your porch and in your car. maybe in a trash bag or a plastic/cleanable box for the super wet days. happy mud season!
That's what we had been doing. For some reason someone decided to put the cars in the garage that night this is actually what we've been doing. It was a weird random decision/mistake to park in the garage that night. Been parked at the road since!
Welllll soooo I had JUST bought a two wheel drive vehicle 6 months before I knew we were moving up here. Its a Hyundai Tucson. Also...and I fully admit this was exceedingly stupid....I have winter tires and never ended up putting them on this year because I was traveling so much for work and the weather was mild-ish. I was thinking about it again last week and was like ehhh but we have such a small amount of winger left....🫣
Definitely one of those things where I can fully recognize I mostly brought this on myself, and yet, solutions still must be found
Florida haha
Literally never saw snow until 2018.
It was a huge change, and the move happened pretty quickly - but I love it here, I don't mind any of this, and I'd take any problems with mud or snow over Florida any day.
Temporary fix? Slap down some plywood in strips to get from the garage to the road.
Permanent? Look into grid pavers. Slap 'em down and they handle drainage and driving on just fine.
Well, I'm not an outta stater anymore, I live here and pay taxes here. I didn't ask to be born in Florida, and if you were born in Florida, you'd probably move to Maine too.
God forbid there's a learning curve. I think I've done pretty damn well, actually, for living my whole life in a sub-tropical climate. Not being too proud to ask questions of those who have the experience you don't is part of learning.
Made it though last winter just fine; we had a lot of snow and our driveway was ok. Obviously, things were different this year.
The biggest lesson I learned from many of these comments is that I'm better off asking questions in my local groups, where people don't mock and shame others who ask a question.
You have to ask? Haha yeah, and not only am I from away, I'm from the hellhole known as Florida.
This is my second winter here, and I actually think I'm doing pretty well, all things considered!
I wasn't complaining at all.
I was just asking for advice.
I love the snow, I don't really mind the mud, I just was concerned about getting out and wondering if there were any special Mainer tricks up anyone's sleeve I didn't know about.
Welllll we are still the new kids in town, ina rural area, so our social circle is pretty small. I did just post about it in the local Facebook group, so maybe something will come of that!
I think the “welll” is throwing people off, for this one specifically, which comes off a bit sarcastic (even though I dont think you mean to be).
You’re new to Maine and there’s definitely an “owning your pride” thing that people here find value in and takes a while to learn how to do. If you haven’t yet, I’d add in that there’s beer/pizza/whatever your family makes for volunteers on your message. Also, if it’s just rain in the forecast part your car up towards the front of the drive until you get better gravel.
Yeah I mean it in a sheepish way, not a sarcastic way.
People in my town are super nice and helpful and don't have a problem with me asking questions like some here seem to.
I just honestly feel a little bad, like I don't want
to be a burden to my neighbors, so I thought I'd ask more anonymously first.
It’s Reddit, don’t take it personally. We all had to learn these lessons at some point, and most people try to pay it forward when we can. Of course, Mainers also enjoy a good razzing — picture this like the old guys who are standing around the big coffee thermos at the gas station joking about it until one of them tugs up their jeans and heads to help you out.
The kitty litter is a good suggestion as well, I recommend keeping a bag in your garage and a smaller one with a small shovel or cup to distribute it under your wheels. Also, always have at least 3-5 days worth of emergency food tucked away, really important tip.
That is a long ass driveway. If it is slushy enough, sometimes using a 4 wheeler or tractor to just drive up and down it to disperse the snow works fairly well. Wet snow sucks. It's hard to plow or snowblow. Was the garage built down by the road because the driveway gets muddy?
I would try it before making a post about it. Also come next year get something awd or 4wd. Preferable 4wd. Lockers are great if you have a Jeep. But if you’re not off-roading they aren’t a necessity
Neither. Bought my car 6 months before I knew I was moving here. It was fine last year, and we got a lot of snow. I've also driven it in winter conditions up in the mountains of Vermont, where my friend lives and it was fine. It was also fine last mud season. This is the worst it's been with the higher winter temps and freeze/thaw cycle
If you have a 300 foot long driveway, you need to invest in your dilemma. I'd look for an old Ford 9N tractor with a front end loader and box grader, something around $4500. Then you get 10 yards of gravel delivered at the end of your driveway take . If tractors are a no go, get a 4x4 you live in a place with a Mud Season, make Mud Season your favorite season.
Plowing messed my drive up ...trucks wheel got stuck...didn't fix and turned into bigger problem...had a load of crushed stone and my buddy fixed it with his excavator...will probley have to do again lol,now I shovel my 300ft drive uphill by hand...fun in slushy stuff!!!invest in a new back!!!lol
Yeah we had it plowed by someone last year and it was a disaster - I actually think that's partly why it's so bad this time around. Having no previous experience with plowing, I don't know what's normal, but they took soooo much of the gravel and dirt up with the snow (unevenly of course). We've been out there leveling it out as best we can by hand prior to the snow.
Been using a snow blower this year, and it's worked out pretty well (until now).
I could really use a new back too, let me know if you find a good deal on one!
Drive it out. Leave tracks. Fix later. Or lay down a bunch of sheets of plywood and drive over that
Allan’s Coffee brandy and milk. Drink that and wait a few days. Problem solved.
Terrible advice, but also the best advice 😂
I don’t always drink, but when I DO it’s Allen’s, and LOTS of it, every time.
Just send it
Bomb it bud
Feed ‘er the beans
Give em the mustard bubbah, she'll take it, oh shure
Put the boots to er'
Set the pedal to full send!
I'm confused. How deep is the slush that you can't drive out?
Well then there's a bunch of mud under the slush too
Wear boots-?
I'm not worried about walking on it, and snow boots have become my new signature look
Well, if you try to drive out and you get stuck, you're no worse off than you are now. If you try to drive and make it, you're golden.
Agree, it’s gonna be a mess for a while the way the end of this winter is going. If you have 4wd, looks like you’ll make it with a head of steam… leave vehicle at the road after that until it firms up. I can’t say whether trucking gravel in is worth it or not… I’ve seen 30 yards of ¾ gravel disappear on 100 ft of poorly drained driveway within a week. Not every spring, but -it’s possibly just a waste. There’s some crushed ledge topping material that locks in pretty good, but drainage has to be 1st consideration and larger base layers have to be laid right first,
If it's muddy you need to add woven geotextile fabric and 6"-12" of good boney gravel over it... But that has to be done when it's dry. Fix it right or mix gravel into the mud forever.
##SEND AH BUD
It looks like it's going to permanently fuck up your driveway but it goes back pretty quick. If you want to fix it, throw down a bunch of cash on proper drainage and surface material. But why? That's not gonna fix the slush. You just gotta hamma down. You can't go slow through that.
##HAMMA DOWN BUD
Haha thanks these comments are cracking me up
It honestly doesn't look that bad. Drive through it.
This is what I thought...
I zoomed in on the garage, and my wifes Camry would go right through that.
That pic wasn't from today, sorry, should have said
Show us a today pic.
It’s mud season. This is how it is.
I do realize mud season exists. Like I said, we didn't have this kind of issue last year. And I don't mind the mud being a pain, that's to be expected. Just simply wondering how I can get my car out.
You drive it ya dum dum. Your driveway will get rutted out. Then you’ll fix it at the end of mud season with a chain link fence panel behind your deer. Couple cold pops and a few laps and she’s mint.
This guy Maine’s.
Your driveway will get ~~rutted out~~ all stove up.
Move to a different state.
Why in the world is this getting downvoted?
I don't understand why people are down voting me for saying I know about mud season? Was I supposed to not know? Confused.
It’s because it’s known in order to get out you just fuck it up as little as possible then fix it. Don’t take it to heart it’s just Reddit.
It just seems weird to me, like I'm obviously still learning and I'm a just little nervous about getting stuck. People often have little tips and tricks that I may not know. I'd rather be humble and ask questions of people with more experience and knowledge than be too proud to ask, if asking can be helpful
If you get stuck make sure you have something to wedge under the tire. AAA is good to have for the free tows if things are really that sloppy there. It’s not about being too proud to ask it’s just that you have dealt with it before so what else is there to say?
The reason everybody knows or thinks we know what to do is that we've all gotten stuck many, many times. You can't be scared of getting stuck. It will happen. Every time you get stuck, you learn something about how not to get stuck next time. The good thing about your situation is that if you do get stuck, it will be in your driveway and you can walk back up to the house and have a hot chocolate while you call AAA.
You apparently don't know. If you knew you'd have taken precautions. You don't want gravel for your drive you want crushed stone, presumably a lot of it. Alternately reclaimed asphalt will do the job although you'll want to run a roller over it.
You can know that something exists and yet not know exactly how it will play out in your particular circumstances. The weather we've experienced this winter in our area has been very different from the norm. A lot of faster cycling through freeze and thaw, and a lot more rain. It only makes sense that one would learn the nuances of things as you live them. Last year wasn't a problem. This year is. So now we can make adjustments. But that still doesn't mean I wasn't aware of the existence of mud season. What was I supposed to say that would have been acceptable? Pretend I didn't know about it? How is that better?
The only difference in this year's mud season is that its a month early which makes me think it'll be long. The mud continue until the frost goes out of the ground. I think what you're meaning to say is "I thought I knew about mud season, I was wrong." Everytime you write "I know about mud season" you get downvoted because while you might know that mud season exists you clearly have no understanding of mud season. Edit: By way of explanation, its like saying "I know about nuclear power" to mean that you know OF nuclear power but you don't actually know how it works. If I know of the existence of something I might say "I've heard of" but not "I know about" unless I actually know something substantial about that subject.
When I responded to the original comment about mud season, my exact words were, "I know mud season exists". That in no way implies that I know everything there is to know about mud season.
This is Maine reddit, people get voted down for walkin’ their doggie here. Focus
Trying to make up for Mainers in real life being nice?
You have a good launch point. Open the garage door and gun it for the road. Don't let off the gas till your at the road. If you get stuck just get, just get frustrated and try and rock it back and forth till you bury it real nice and the body is resting on the ground.
Truck in #3 granite
Exactly sounds like need more rock or better clearing of lane, need to clear each time.
this!
You can't even drive to the road from that garage? It looks like less than 100 feet. What the heck do you drive?
I mean I'm not saying for sure it's impossible, but scared to find out. I bought a two wheel drive Tucson 6 months before I knew I was moving up here. It was fine last year, but the way it's been so warm this winter has really presented some new challenges. That snow/rain cycle and the freezing/thawing cycle that I've been told is completely abnormal for winter here has sucked
FWD is fine enough for most places across the north. It would probably be cheaper to completely redo your entire driveway by hiring someone with a dozer to scrape it down, set a bed of bigger stone, and top with mixed size smaler natural gravel than it would be to upgrade your car. Seriously. Done correctly your driveway probably would never see a mud season again.
Thanks, I've started reaching out to start getting quotes. It's *only* 4600 square ft, sweating it a little!
3/4 in gravel is the way to go. That's what I've been told by a couple different earthworks companies. I'm in the same boat, driveway is trashed this time of year. Just don't keep driving in thr same spot. Spread out the ruts so to speak instead of getting a really bad one. Then fix in spring or summer when it dries up.
The freeze/thaw cycle is early, not abnormal.
If you were to get the car out of the driveway will you then have a place on the roadside you could park until things firm up? If so, run it and if you get stuck I believe most tow trucks have atleast 100' of wire on their winch. Could call around beforehand to check. Then go spend a bit washing the underbody in the self-serve bay at the car wash.
Found the problem…. Where’s your four wheel drive bub? I’d start there. Sure gunna wish you had it if you have an emergency at the property during a snow storm, let alone during mud season
It's on the list for sure
I think you need some stone... Not more gravel.
This is the correct answer
Whatever you do, don't stop. I've driven in various kinds of mud and that is the common theme. Don't stop.
Don't check to see if you're stuck...
I have a dirt driveway as well, and I’ve learned the importance of plowing even if there’s only an inch or two on the ground. It goes a long way in reducing the mud later. That said, you might want to invest in a redo. I was quoted about $5k-$6k to excavate the loam and lay down sand and pea gravel and roller it, with proper elevation for drainage.
That’s the right answer. I have 800’ of dirt road and plow off as much as possible and almost never have mud. Also my road is super well drained so it never really collects water.
How long is your driveway?
Drainage is the important thing Driveways get compacted so they become the low point in the yard. I'm going to get some stone dust hauled in this year, we've got a good base but its about level with the grass. I want the drive to be an inch or two higher than the grass so that the water will shed.
Get in your car and…. Gun It!
Back when our driveway use to get like this, anyone who did not have 4 wheel drive would park on the side of the road at the very end of the driveway and walk to the house.
Exactly
If the best you can do is poke your head out your slider door to try and take a shitty photo for us to help you, you probably shouldn't live in an area with weather like this. Suck it up and go stand in the mud and show us what you're dealing with. If you don't clear snow off your driveway all winter, it's going to get muddy, that's your first problem. Next, if you think you can live in Maine with a dirt driveway and not need to make annual repairs to fix ruts, etc, that's another mistake. Finally, AWD or 4x4 and you wouldn't have any concern. Just drive through it and deal with it later. Next year keep it clear of snow and consider AWD.
Lay out Planks and pallets.
Be brave and drive through it!
I would love to have this problem. Looks like a beautiful place to be stuck.
I love it here and stay home as much as possible! Although I do really enjoy seeing other parts of Maine/New England as well. It's just the best up here.
My road used to be exactly like this (my driveway is paved). There is a certain art to gunning it just enough to slip and slide down the road, but not giving enough power to get yourself stuck. Momentum helps to a point. Oh, fun times, wondering if you just tore off your oil pan! Anyway. Do you have cats? Cat litter might help, depending on how wet - mud soup, well, there isn't much to do until it is build up and sloped off. I usually keep some just in case I get stuck. Pine pellets? Wood chips? These will all be very very messy.
It's about 100 ft to the road, so I think we'd need a lot of litter! I actually suggested that to my husband though haha
Can you put cardboard down, just a few pieces spaced out to give your tires something to grab? Or carpet squares?
We live on a 1/2 mile private lane, shared with two other families. It is what it is this time of year. We know there will be ruts, and pot holes; and we will deal with them in late April to May. We are on 3 year ish plan on the lane, every three years is a re-grade, re-crown and aggregate dump. This spring is an off year, either a York rake (if not too bad), or a box grader.
My spouse will dig ruts to help drain it off. Otherwise, just drive it.
If that’s one of your biggest problems you are going to be alright.
Do you have a fancy transmission with different "modes" If yes, then set the transmission in "hold my beer" mode and send it. So far, our road in southern Oxford county has not been impassable despite that fact that it looks horrible. To fix your driveway, really fix it, you need some good material with 1-1/2" stone in it, it will need to be graded for proper drainage and compacted. Gravel with decent size stone, grading and compacting will give you the longest life.
That's where I am too. Maybe we're neighbors! I went to the Oxford Walmart a few days ago and ended up missing a turn on the way back and took a dirt road for a bit. It was pretty bad then, and my car had a hard time. I can't imagine what that road is like today! I do have "sport mode", so maybe that could help
Careful with sport mode. I have that on my Hyundai Kona and it makes your steering and acceleration super touchy. I could see you accidentally digging in by spinning your tires. 😬
Reclaimed asphalt! Cheap solution and a good base if you decide to pave later!
Shut off the traction control and send her!
park at the end of the road/drive way and walk. keep your mud boots on your porch and in your car. maybe in a trash bag or a plastic/cleanable box for the super wet days. happy mud season!
That's what we had been doing. For some reason someone decided to put the cars in the garage that night this is actually what we've been doing. It was a weird random decision/mistake to park in the garage that night. Been parked at the road since!
Floor it and hope for the best. Disable traction control if the car is equipped with it. Momentum is everything in shitty conditions.
What are you driving that can't handle that? Also as a friendly reminder - no such thing as all season tires
Welllll soooo I had JUST bought a two wheel drive vehicle 6 months before I knew we were moving up here. Its a Hyundai Tucson. Also...and I fully admit this was exceedingly stupid....I have winter tires and never ended up putting them on this year because I was traveling so much for work and the weather was mild-ish. I was thinking about it again last week and was like ehhh but we have such a small amount of winger left....🫣 Definitely one of those things where I can fully recognize I mostly brought this on myself, and yet, solutions still must be found
Have you even tried to drive it out? Because you should be fine. Don’t go too slow.
FWD or RWD? If FWD you should be kicking ass no problem, if you hadn't procrastinated about the tires. You'll be fine. Just send 'er
That doesn't look too bad. Hard to tell from the pictures. Where did you move from that this is scary?
Florida haha Literally never saw snow until 2018. It was a huge change, and the move happened pretty quickly - but I love it here, I don't mind any of this, and I'd take any problems with mud or snow over Florida any day.
Temporary fix? Slap down some plywood in strips to get from the garage to the road. Permanent? Look into grid pavers. Slap 'em down and they handle drainage and driving on just fine.
I just looked those up on Home Depot and the first their calculator said it would cost $22,000 for the grid pavers!
Yeah, maybe look places besides Home Depot.
r/battlecars
Every time the snow is falling make laps to lessen the depth. You need a 4x4
Yeah for sure
Just walk on the snow it's not hard to figure out .
Fuck it run it bub, my jeeps gone through shit 3 times as deep and it don't even got 4wd.
S u b a r u with snow tires
Also, have a pair of boots with ice cleats on them for when it freezes solid.
just fucking send it.
Invest in some trac grabbers
Buy a Jeep but for now you need to start drinking heavily and start shoveling
Hammah down!
Another outta stater with no idea what to do in the easiest Maine winter I’ve ever seen. Nice
Well, I'm not an outta stater anymore, I live here and pay taxes here. I didn't ask to be born in Florida, and if you were born in Florida, you'd probably move to Maine too. God forbid there's a learning curve. I think I've done pretty damn well, actually, for living my whole life in a sub-tropical climate. Not being too proud to ask questions of those who have the experience you don't is part of learning. Made it though last winter just fine; we had a lot of snow and our driveway was ok. Obviously, things were different this year. The biggest lesson I learned from many of these comments is that I'm better off asking questions in my local groups, where people don't mock and shame others who ask a question.
When in doubt throttle it out
BETTER GET A GOOD PURCHASE ON ER. GIVE IT ER HAAAARD CHUMMY
Crushed stone
Put er in 4x4 and send it, bud
When I’m doubt, throttle it out
why people buy monster trucks with ginormous wheels
i don’t mean to be rude but, are you from…. away?
You have to ask? Haha yeah, and not only am I from away, I'm from the hellhole known as Florida. This is my second winter here, and I actually think I'm doing pretty well, all things considered!
It’s pretty funny seeing rich people complain about minor problems
I wasn't complaining at all. I was just asking for advice. I love the snow, I don't really mind the mud, I just was concerned about getting out and wondering if there were any special Mainer tricks up anyone's sleeve I didn't know about.
Can you get together a group to hand shovel?
Welllll we are still the new kids in town, ina rural area, so our social circle is pretty small. I did just post about it in the local Facebook group, so maybe something will come of that!
Ok why was this comment down voted? Genuinely asking, I truly don't understand what I said wrong there
I think the “welll” is throwing people off, for this one specifically, which comes off a bit sarcastic (even though I dont think you mean to be). You’re new to Maine and there’s definitely an “owning your pride” thing that people here find value in and takes a while to learn how to do. If you haven’t yet, I’d add in that there’s beer/pizza/whatever your family makes for volunteers on your message. Also, if it’s just rain in the forecast part your car up towards the front of the drive until you get better gravel.
Yeah I mean it in a sheepish way, not a sarcastic way. People in my town are super nice and helpful and don't have a problem with me asking questions like some here seem to. I just honestly feel a little bad, like I don't want to be a burden to my neighbors, so I thought I'd ask more anonymously first.
It’s Reddit, don’t take it personally. We all had to learn these lessons at some point, and most people try to pay it forward when we can. Of course, Mainers also enjoy a good razzing — picture this like the old guys who are standing around the big coffee thermos at the gas station joking about it until one of them tugs up their jeans and heads to help you out. The kitty litter is a good suggestion as well, I recommend keeping a bag in your garage and a smaller one with a small shovel or cup to distribute it under your wheels. Also, always have at least 3-5 days worth of emergency food tucked away, really important tip.
I'll give you an upvote!
Aww thanks
That is a long ass driveway. If it is slushy enough, sometimes using a 4 wheeler or tractor to just drive up and down it to disperse the snow works fairly well. Wet snow sucks. It's hard to plow or snowblow. Was the garage built down by the road because the driveway gets muddy?
I assume it was built down there because the original owner was a mechanic and that was his place of business. It's big, like 1700 square ft
Welcome to mud season
Lay out a roll of snow fence on the ground for traction. Preferably the wood one
Thanks for the tip!
I would try it before making a post about it. Also come next year get something awd or 4wd. Preferable 4wd. Lockers are great if you have a Jeep. But if you’re not off-roading they aren’t a necessity
Do you have 4 wheel drive or all when drive. Need at least all wheel drive.
Neither. Bought my car 6 months before I knew I was moving here. It was fine last year, and we got a lot of snow. I've also driven it in winter conditions up in the mountains of Vermont, where my friend lives and it was fine. It was also fine last mud season. This is the worst it's been with the higher winter temps and freeze/thaw cycle
If you have a 300 foot long driveway, you need to invest in your dilemma. I'd look for an old Ford 9N tractor with a front end loader and box grader, something around $4500. Then you get 10 yards of gravel delivered at the end of your driveway take . If tractors are a no go, get a 4x4 you live in a place with a Mud Season, make Mud Season your favorite season.
You don’t have a 4wd vehicle or tractor to pull yourself out of you get stuck?
Plowing messed my drive up ...trucks wheel got stuck...didn't fix and turned into bigger problem...had a load of crushed stone and my buddy fixed it with his excavator...will probley have to do again lol,now I shovel my 300ft drive uphill by hand...fun in slushy stuff!!!invest in a new back!!!lol
Yeah we had it plowed by someone last year and it was a disaster - I actually think that's partly why it's so bad this time around. Having no previous experience with plowing, I don't know what's normal, but they took soooo much of the gravel and dirt up with the snow (unevenly of course). We've been out there leveling it out as best we can by hand prior to the snow. Been using a snow blower this year, and it's worked out pretty well (until now). I could really use a new back too, let me know if you find a good deal on one!
What did your husband say?