Crossing a unknown bridge with equipment

[Builder]

New customer. Has an older bridge about 14' long. I don't fully trust it. I am being asked to add ~100 tons of stone beyond bridge, so dump truck must cross bridge. Triaxle is out of question at 74,000lbs. Considering 33,000lb single axle and don't really feel good about that, either. It will cost a lot more in time/labor to drive M-7040 buckets of stone across bridge. Many, many trips.

Bottom line. I'm asking Customer to sign "waiver" for damage to bridge.
Question: Would Customer's H/O insurance cover damage if I bend a steel beam or otherwise damage his bridge if i cross it with single axle stone delivery?

 

[jbarker855]

I believe there is great variation between individual homeowner insurance policies. Most cover nothing .
I would hazard a guess that homeowner insurance would not cover his bridge.
I will be very interested in other replies though, as we own a 90 foot bridge built from old railroad flatcar, and many companies are hesitant to cross it. I have just presumed that homeowner's insurance wouldn't cover our bridge, but I never asked them.
-Jay

 

[LD1]

How deep of a drop is it that the bridge is crossing?? I would be more concerned with damage/injury to the one crossing the bridge thean the bridge itself.

Do you have any pictures. 14' is not a very big span. If you can give pics and some basic dimensions on how it is constructed (eg. 2 ibeams x" high by y" wide by z' appart etc, etc) maybe we can determine how much weight it should hold.

Another suggestion, if it is not too deep, would be to come up with some sort of temporary support underneath at the mid point, shortning the spans to 7'. This could be done with concrete blocks, big wood blocks, jack posts, or whatever else you can come up with.

 

[beenthere]

Seems you need to be concerned about your equipment being covered as well as the bridge.
I'd think a contract that includes the customer coming up with an insurance policy (short term rider) that covers bridge and your equipment on his property if the bridge should fail. Otherwise, I wouldn't think you would take the chance. Seems it is his problem, not yours to solve.

 

[CurlyDave]

I would be at least as worried about my life as my equipment.

 

[Egon]

Either decline the work or set it up so the loads crossing the bridge are within it's capacity. Charge for the work accordingly.

A waiver for damage would also be a good idea.

 

[DanD78]

If the banks are not very tall dig it out and make a water crossing. Fill it back in when done. Do you have an engineer friend or know the township or county road guy that could look and advise a weight limit.

Dan

 

[Builder]

can't do anything dramatic to beef-up the bridge- not that kind of profit in the job. 100 tons of modified spread out on a couple hundred feet of driveway ain't gonna make me the next millionaire. :laughing:

However, it's a new customer and they need a LOT of future work. If I don't do the driveway, someone else WILL and they may get all the future work (if they don't destroy the bridge).

Maybe I should just take the stone across in tractor buckets as originally I thought, but that's a ton of wear & tear on my machine and it will take a lot more time. OR, I could use my backhoe. It has a larger capacity bucket than my M-7040, but still weighs <20,000lbs. I think that will be fine crossing the bridge.

 

[tommu56]

At least get them to sign a damage waiver.
Whats on the other side if it is a house can a fire truck (read 30-60,000 lbs) go across what will they do in an emergency?
How do you know it will take the weight of the loader and load?
What do they drive across it regularly?
drive you empty dump across and measure the deflection then go by the seat of your pants.

What is the structure made of I drive over a skidder bridge to my cabin and it is just made of 2x8 laminated but the span is only about 10' and it is solid as a rock.

Quote them a new bridge :laughing:

tom

 

[tommu56]

rent a roofers conveyor
one dump on it and in to a dump on the other side

tom