mickeyd
ArboristSite Operative
Ive been trying to find some old telephone poles for the last week ,cant find any..
MD
need to build a bridge
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MD
mickeyd
ArboristSite Operative
Ill post some pics later when my son gets home with his camara.
the spot for the bridge is about a 17 ft span fairly level
I am not on the ridge . I am over on the Chichester end of town on Bee Hole Rd
MD
Depending on the terrain, maybe the simplest is to use 15" on up to 3ft dia section of black corrugated ABS, smooth bore and cover it over with 2b or bigger stone. It might also be the costliest, but that's what i did. never have to worry about wear and tear or weight.
i used 15" but it's more of a spring than a creek, except after a heavy rain.
i used 15" but it's more of a spring than a creek, except after a heavy rain.
Check with the local electric companies in the area. Just don't call them telephone poles, they don't like that. The smaller rural coops should have some, if they don't, it's just a matter of time.
Electric poles are bigger diameter too, just don't get the ones that are totally rotted out and they should last a lot longer than if you just use untreated logs.
I have built several things with electric poles. A Bridge about 10ft wide and spans about 5ft, a few walking bridges, and a 30 x 50 pole barn.
I did my bridge the same way as tj-bill, all laid down, with no need for decking. I did use 2 treated boards the width of the bridge to hold all the poles together, so when I drive over it they dont spread appart. I also covered it with about 3" of dirt to make it smooth. I have had water flowing over it with every hard rain and in three years it hasn't washed down stream, even though their is nothing holding it to the grould other than the weight to the dirt on top.
MRNDAD
ArboristSite Operative
Up in the neighborhood of Loudon Building supply??..I am down on wales bridge road..not too far away. If ya need a hand putting something in give me a holler...I got a lot of free time on my hands this summer and wouldn't mind hauling my tractor over to help out if ya need it...oh yeah...no bill involved...so don't worry about that..
Mud23609
ArboristSite Operative
Not the cheapest but not to expensive either treated 6x6's. Three should do the trick. Readily available in lengths up to 24 feet at the local lumber yard.
On a side note I have built two different bridges out of 4x4's one with four laid across and one with that I scabbed two of them together with a couple of eight foot 2x4's for a total length of 32 feet and only ran two of those sets. Both held the weight of the quad but the 32 footer with only two supports did get a bit of a bow to it when running the quad across. the 16 footer was rock solid. Both were 48 inches wide and decked with regular plywood.
We also built two out of railroad ties. You can bolt a couple together using two extra ties and some all thread but they will support a small truck or compact tractor without a wiggle using two of them in a 30 foot span. Used regular railroad bridge decking for the tops of them but you could deck them with what ever you wish. Might want to add a third one though if you are using a thinner decking material.
On a side note I have built two different bridges out of 4x4's one with four laid across and one with that I scabbed two of them together with a couple of eight foot 2x4's for a total length of 32 feet and only ran two of those sets. Both held the weight of the quad but the 32 footer with only two supports did get a bit of a bow to it when running the quad across. the 16 footer was rock solid. Both were 48 inches wide and decked with regular plywood.
We also built two out of railroad ties. You can bolt a couple together using two extra ties and some all thread but they will support a small truck or compact tractor without a wiggle using two of them in a 30 foot span. Used regular railroad bridge decking for the tops of them but you could deck them with what ever you wish. Might want to add a third one though if you are using a thinner decking material.
fourapples
ArboristSite Lurker
Culvert +1
I had a small drainage ditch to cross about 12 feet wide berm to berm, for years I just drove my tractors down and up the banks. One day I noticed a road construction crew upgrading a culvert in roadway. They set aside 2 24" double wall plastic culverts about 16 feet long to put in a larger one ( I think this was a single 32 footer cut down to 2 pcs). I asked if I could have them and they said OK. So I used them setting side by side and back filled with dirt and stone. Makes a nice crossing but heavy water still will come over top. They washout some but never completely. I would ask you local county road dept if they will be replacing any culverts either because they are too small or outdated. They may still have some available with some years left on them. Just a thought.
I had a small drainage ditch to cross about 12 feet wide berm to berm, for years I just drove my tractors down and up the banks. One day I noticed a road construction crew upgrading a culvert in roadway. They set aside 2 24" double wall plastic culverts about 16 feet long to put in a larger one ( I think this was a single 32 footer cut down to 2 pcs). I asked if I could have them and they said OK. So I used them setting side by side and back filled with dirt and stone. Makes a nice crossing but heavy water still will come over top. They washout some but never completely. I would ask you local county road dept if they will be replacing any culverts either because they are too small or outdated. They may still have some available with some years left on them. Just a thought.
SINGLE-JACK
ArboristSite Guru
What's CHEAP?
Just cut the end out of an old half 'Sea Box'. It will span the distance, nicely, and you'll have a COVERED BRIDGE.
Just cut the end out of an old half 'Sea Box'. It will span the distance, nicely, and you'll have a COVERED BRIDGE.
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HorseShoeInFork
ArboristSite Operative
Old flatbed semi trailers are CHEAP....
$610.00
http://www.govdeals.com/eas/closeditems_sold.cfm?itemID=78&acctID=53
$610.00
http://www.govdeals.com/eas/closeditems_sold.cfm?itemID=78&acctID=53
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bulldoglover
ArboristSite Operative
Micky, I think the power pole idea is best around us. Not sure if there is a PSNH shop in Loudon, but I would stop by the one in Tilton or Concord and see were they are doing swap-overs in town. I know that they often chunk them down to the fair point and cable wires but if they know you are looking for some they might be able to help you out. After Fair Point does a change over the space from their wires to the ground might be just about right too. A case of beer and some Dunkin' Donuts in the AM can go along way with those guys. Good Luck.
savageactor7
ArboristSite Guru
Too bad your banks are so steep.
While contemplating building a bridge across our swamp I remembered those underwater bridges the NVA built. The next drought I excavated 6' wide 20" down to the quick and a 100' or so long trench threw the swamp and filled it in with 3 loads of large stones I got from a guy screening topsoil.
Now we can drive threw with no fears of getting stuck and no maintenance or safety issues.
While contemplating building a bridge across our swamp I remembered those underwater bridges the NVA built. The next drought I excavated 6' wide 20" down to the quick and a 100' or so long trench threw the swamp and filled it in with 3 loads of large stones I got from a guy screening topsoil.
Now we can drive threw with no fears of getting stuck and no maintenance or safety issues.
mickeyd
ArboristSite Operative
what a great and generous offer ,I may take you up on it.
TIME is not my friend this summer working 6 days a week and related Dad duties keep me busy .
I am still trying to find a couple of telephone/utility poles if any of you New Hampshire guys have a line on some .
Mick
mickeyd
ArboristSite Operative
Great idea 6x6s . I just called my son who works in Lumber at the local Lowes He is going to check on prices . He gets a great discount on special order stuff
MD
mickeyd
ArboristSite Operative
there is work being done to widen my road there are new poles in place and they are waiting for utilities to swap the wires and pull up the old poles . I was wondering what they were going to do with the old ones. I was told years ago that old poles are considered hazardous material and they wont give them out to homeowners . not sure if thats true or not . but I am keeping an eye on progress and I am not shy about asking for them.
MD
Metals406
Granfodder Runningsaw
A lot of good ideas here... What is your budget for this project? What are your expectations for looks of the finished bridge?
Steel is still an option, you can just bolt everything together... No welding needed.
Steel is still an option, you can just bolt everything together... No welding needed.
rtrsam
ArboristSite Operative
If you don't build something like this you're missing an opportunity for some fun. I built this one four miles back in on a trail a couple years back. Packed in an Alaskan Mill and saws to make all the timbers from fallen logs we'd had to cut off the trail. Deck boards are split product, mudsills are spllit. Some of the retaining wall stuff we just used whole logs.
An eight mile round trip foot "commute" convinces you to come up with novel ways of doing things with stuff you have on hand. At least it was only uphill one way...
I'd like to do something like this just for myself someday, be a little more experimental with using smaller dimension wood.
An eight mile round trip foot "commute" convinces you to come up with novel ways of doing things with stuff you have on hand. At least it was only uphill one way...
I'd like to do something like this just for myself someday, be a little more experimental with using smaller dimension wood.
SINGLE-JACK
ArboristSite Guru
mickeyd
ArboristSite Operative
WOW! that is awesome ! I saved your pic and will use ideas from it. luckily my bridge is only going to be 50 feet from the main road.
BUT ! I ran into a snag yesterday. while talking to my chief financial officer(wife) about my budget, she pointed to the 8 cord of firewood piled in the lower driveway and reminded me I promised to build a shed this summer . So the bridge will have to wait till fall .
thanks so much for all the great bridge ideas !!!
Mick
Kate Butler
ArboristSite Guru
GOOD JOB!!!
Second that. What are the dimensions?
rtrsam
ArboristSite Operative
The stringers for that bridge were 30' long; I think about 6X16. I used three stringers. Width between the rails was 6 feet, to accomodate horses (they don't like being fenced in between the overhead truss pieces).
Built this one on the same trail, same gig with the sawmilled lumber pieces, but it was "only" about a 2.5 mile hike. 32' stringers, 6x16 again.
Edit: the interesting thing about these bridges and doing them that way: when we first went through and built the trail in the spring, we could not run power equipment due to noise restrictions for nesting birds. So when we had to saw through the logs we used crosscut (hand) saws. It's where I learned to file crosscut saws; spend an hour or so pulling a dull crosscut and you'll be motivated to learn to file them.
Upshot of it was, we were working on a fairly steep hillside, so we had to go quite a ways uphill and downhill of the trail to find a place to safely stand to run the hand saws. Consequence of that was, we cut the logs about 30 feet (and one of them 32') long. Pulled them out of the way and built trail.
Come winter, we could run power equipment, and carrying in an Alaskan mill all that way just seemed easier than packing in the lumber.
Built this one on the same trail, same gig with the sawmilled lumber pieces, but it was "only" about a 2.5 mile hike. 32' stringers, 6x16 again.
Edit: the interesting thing about these bridges and doing them that way: when we first went through and built the trail in the spring, we could not run power equipment due to noise restrictions for nesting birds. So when we had to saw through the logs we used crosscut (hand) saws. It's where I learned to file crosscut saws; spend an hour or so pulling a dull crosscut and you'll be motivated to learn to file them.
Upshot of it was, we were working on a fairly steep hillside, so we had to go quite a ways uphill and downhill of the trail to find a place to safely stand to run the hand saws. Consequence of that was, we cut the logs about 30 feet (and one of them 32') long. Pulled them out of the way and built trail.
Come winter, we could run power equipment, and carrying in an Alaskan mill all that way just seemed easier than packing in the lumber.
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