bridge over creek for tractor
- Thread starter TreeDaddy
- Start date
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
How much water flow when it floods? One alternative to a bridge is a culvert pipes. If you have a hoe, when it is dry, you can dig holding areas on each end of the culvert pipes. Dig slight trenches to set the pipe(s) between holding areas. Use the excavated soil to build up a rise over the culvert pipes. With this approach you don't really need to worry about loads and such like you do with a bridge. This approach isn't always possible. It really depends on the situation. Essentially what you are doing is creating an area to flood and an area to stay above the flood. The culvert pipes equalize hydraulic pressure between the sides.
Thanks,
Jack
Bill
Administrator
I got my hands on some used timber mats to get over a creek. Maybe a logger in the area could point you to some of those.
Don't know if these guys are close to you.
https://www.ritterforest.com/used-inventory
Don't know if these guys are close to you.
https://www.ritterforest.com/used-inventory
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
7000 lbs ... across a 15' span over wet unstable ground ... we are all are interested to learn the structural engineering you develop.
Forget about the bridge, how are you going to stabilize either side for 40' to deal with what you describe?
I have the same type areas ... some very good productive farm ground, the last 50-70 years of farmers have stayed away for a reason.
Forget about the bridge, how are you going to stabilize either side for 40' to deal with what you describe?
I have the same type areas ... some very good productive farm ground, the last 50-70 years of farmers have stayed away for a reason.
Peplin Creek
5 year old buck +
Not sure if it dries out or not... I wouldn’t suggest this unless it’s a last resort because you could get stuck. But you could find a shallow spot to cross. Dig it out before the creek and then on the other side so you sorta can just dump a bunch of river rock and then drive across it.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
Tree Spud,
i havent a clue....
Thats why i am asking the "5 year old bucks' for help........i just turned 3......
bill
CAS_HNTR
5 year old buck +
There are several ways to deal with it but overall the best bet would be some sort of culvert or potentially a small slab bridge of sorts. What kind of equipment do you have access to? That may be a real limiting factor as well.
I'm a bridge engineer by profession and the issue really is keeping cost low as to do anything at all adds up fast......plus you really should check it environmentally and hydraulically to be sure the crossing isn't violating any local, state, federal mandates.
I'm a bridge engineer by profession and the issue really is keeping cost low as to do anything at all adds up fast......plus you really should check it environmentally and hydraulically to be sure the crossing isn't violating any local, state, federal mandates.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
I prefer experience over age any day. Most of the farms around here have some type of creek that has to be cross by a tractor. They all use clverts set on a stabilized gravel bed and then more gravel then dirt on top.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I would stay away from a culvert at all costs. We got our hands on a bunch of used wood power line poles. We put four of them across the span and cut up two more into 3" slabs for the decking. They are all treated heavily with creosote so they should last a good long time.
bueller
Moderator
Are you running a tractor with implements over this over smaller equipment such as an ATV, snowmobile, etc.? Yes they are treated against rot but I'd be seriously concerned with their load carrying capacity.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
7K # kubota, skid loader, etc. I wouldnt be afraid to drive a small dozer across it.
I'd skip a bridge, if one of your footings settle more than the other 3 you could fall to your death. Same thing could happen if the wood rots prematurely, etc.
I would lean towards bringing in an excavator and a bunch of stone and make a rocky crossing. The cross section of the stream would essentially stay the same, but you would have a solid rocky base to drive across rather than sandy muck. You will get your tires wet, but at least you won't have to worry about falling to your death.
I would lean towards bringing in an excavator and a bunch of stone and make a rocky crossing. The cross section of the stream would essentially stay the same, but you would have a solid rocky base to drive across rather than sandy muck. You will get your tires wet, but at least you won't have to worry about falling to your death.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
This would also be a good option. A culvert will cause erosion and eventually block fish passage. Not sure if that is an issue in your case but erosion is never a good thing.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
Not if the shoreline is properly graded with rock upstream & downstream. I would be more worried about the twice a year flooding.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
High flows of water over time will scour a deep hole out on the lower side of the culvert and over the years the water level will end up feet below the culvert making fish passage impossible as well as creating increased levels of erosion.
