What a contractor needs to know about your access

How this tool reaches its answer

The rules below are the rules the tool evaluates. There is no second copy, no weighting you cannot see, and no scoring model behind the answer. A rule either fires or it does not, and when it fires you are shown the same sentence the code carries.

The width thresholds are general planning figures, not equipment specifications. They exist to tell you when a measurement is worth raising with a contractor, not to say which machine will fit.

The published rule set

1. very-narrow-entry — A narrow entry point caps machine width for the whole job. Below roughly eight feet, most full-size tracked clearing equipment cannot pass, and the work shifts to a smaller machine at a much lower production rate.
2. tight-entry — An entry in the eight-to-twelve-foot range admits some machines and not others. It is exactly the measurement worth giving a contractor before they quote rather than after they arrive.
3. gate-removable — A gate that can be taken off and reinstated can change the machine class. The saving on the clearing frequently exceeds the cost of the fencing work several times over.
4. low-clearance — Machines travel on trailers, and a loaded trailer is tall. A low branch, a barn doorway, or a bridge deck can stop a delivery that the gate width would have allowed.
5. lines-over-route — Lines crossing the access route are a clearance question set by the utility and by safety regulation, not by the contractor. Some situations require the utility to attend, and that takes lead time.
6. lines-over-work-area — Lines over the working area constrain the method throughout, not just at one point. Clearance requirements are the utility’s to specify and may require them to de-energise or install protection.
7. utilities-buried — Known buried utilities in the work area mean a locate request before any below-grade work, with a notice period that varies by state. It is a scheduling item as well as a safety one.
8. private-services — Private services — septic, wells, irrigation, buried power to outbuildings, drainage — are not covered by the utility locate system. Nobody has a record of them except you.
9. unknown-buried — Not knowing what is buried is itself a finding. On rural property, private services are frequently the most numerous buried items and the least documented.
10. unrated-crossing — Farm bridges and private culverts rarely have a documented load rating, and "it has always held a truck" is not one. A machine on a trailer is a concentrated load considerably heavier than a pickup.
11. ford-crossing — A water crossing on the route is both a practical constraint and potentially a regulatory one, depending on the state and what is being crossed.
12. steep-access — Grade on the access route frequently caps machine size before width does. A loaded transporter that cannot climb the hill is a wasted mobilisation for both parties.
13. soft-ground — Ground that softens seasonally introduces scheduling risk and rutting risk, and on land you intend to farm or graze, rutting is a real loss rather than a cosmetic one.
14. no-turnaround — Without room to turn, deliveries take longer, may need a different vehicle, and sometimes cannot happen at all. It is the constraint people notice last.
15. long-private-drive — A long private drive adds travel on every movement, and it is also the thing most likely to be damaged by repeated heavy loads.
16. neighbour-within-reach — A neighbour within reach of the work changes the method along that boundary regardless of what is used in the middle of the parcel, and it is where complaints originate.
17. own-structures-nearby — Your own buildings, vehicles, fences, and glass are all things a machine reducing material in place can reach with debris.

What this tool cannot do

• This tool does not determine whether any machine can safely work your site. That judgement is made on the ground by the person operating it.
• The width and clearance thresholds are general planning figures, not equipment specifications. Ask the specific contractor what their specific machine needs.
• It cannot tell you what is buried on your property, and the utility locate system does not cover privately installed services.
• It cannot assess the load capacity of a crossing. Nothing here should be read as saying a bridge or culvert will hold.
• Overhead line clearances are set by the utility and by safety regulation, not by this tool.

This tool does not inspect your property and cannot determine whether a site is safe, accessible, buildable, or suitable for any particular machine. It organizes the questions; a qualified professional answers them on site. This site publishes general planning information. It is not legal, engineering, environmental, forestry, or arboricultural advice, and it is not a substitute for a professional assessment of your property. Platform methodology · Claim boundaries