Crossing a unknown bridge with equipment

Builder · Jun 20, 2010

LD1 said:
Even a shorter wheelbase isnt going to change that much. The highest stress on the bridge will still be when the rears are at dead center. A 2' shorther WB would give it a 12' overall wheelbase. With the front 1' from being across and the rears only on by 1' wouldnt stress the beams by near as much as ust the rears in the center.

I was just also pondering your suggestion of driving the BH across 1 bucketload at a time. This may even be more dangerous than the dump, but I dont know for sure.
With a weight of roughly 8.5 ton, and maybe another ton in the bucket, that is almost 20k itself. It has a much shorter WB and even a narrower contact patch with the bridge than you dual rear wheel dump truck. I just wonder how the 3 x 8 planks 30" on center would hold up if you drove right in the middle of 2 of the beams. The duals on the rear of your dumptruck probabally give a much wider contact patch.

Guess there's only one way to find out:

"OK,,,, hold my beer and watch this" :laughing:

LD1 · Jun 20, 2010

Builder said:
Guess there's only one way to find out:

"OK,,,, hold my beer and watch this" :laughing:

Exactally what I was thinking:laughing:

But make sure you have someone who is NOT riding with you hold your beer.......It would be a shame to spill it all over the inside of your nice truck when you go crashing through the bridge.

The way i see it, is you need to get a good 1/4 mile running start. If you can be going like 50-60MPH, that is about 88 FPS. It would only take .15sec to cross. You would be well on the other side before anything bad happens.

Jim in ICT · Jun 20, 2010

LD1, couldn't he just build a ramp on the near side of the bridge and jump the 14 feet?

dcyrilc · Jun 20, 2010

Jim in ICT said:
LD1, couldn't he just build a ramp on the near side of the bridge and jump the 14 feet?

Builder Knievel? :laughing:

LoneCowboy · Jun 20, 2010

Some jobs ain't worth having.

I would get a Professional Engineer to rate the bridge.
the homeowner should pay (it's his bridge after all)

A PE's stamped opinion should be a couple hundred bucks, not a huge deal.

Or, he can put in a real designed culvert that will take the load.

last year I bid this job to remove a couple thousand yards of manure (seriously, they had been piling it up for 20 years) and it was over a irrigation ditch.

I told them the bid was dependent on them installing a culvert that was at least so wide and could take 80,000lbs (semi)

They had it done, it was only a couple hundred dollars (admittedly a smaller problem than yours). But they should have had it done years ago. job simply wasn't possible without it. Same problem here.

Dropping your loader/truck/self into the creek to make a small job is not going to be profitable. The homeowner should either get a stamped PE rating on the bridge, or you should walk away.

LD1 · Jun 20, 2010

Jim in ICT said:
LD1, couldn't he just build a ramp on the near side of the bridge and jump the 14 feet?

Great Idea

There's always more than one solution to a problem.

woodsmith · Jun 23, 2010

Builder said:
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).

If it were one of my clients, they would appreciate me saying that I wouldn't do the job without the bridge being checked for structural safety. Any additional cost of strengthening or a second, stronger temoprary crossing, is just that but it shows professionalism and a level of respect for the client and their property.

Sure, they can decline and get someone cheaper to do the job. Maybe the bridge will be fine, maybe not, but if the client was prepared to risk my equipment and my safety to save a few buck on the job (and on future jobs) then I don't really want that sort of client.

Let the cheaper quoters get their rigs hauled out of the stream upsidedown and then offer to quote for the replacement bridge.

LD1 · Jun 23, 2010

BUILDER: I am curious as to what you have decided to do??

Have you talked with them, and has the bridge been rated in the past or when build?

Just looking for an update.

Builder · Jun 23, 2010

LD1 said:
BUILDER: I am curious as to what you have decided to do??

Have you talked with them, and has the bridge been rated in the past or when build?

Just looking for an update.

They have decided to go ahead and have me do another "phase" of the job, which is spreading about 100 yards of wood chips around the bases of several groups of trees. I will haul them in myself on MY IH dump. The loads will be relatively light (~24K) so I will be testing the bridge with light 10 yard loads of wood chips.

The stone for the driveway is on hold for a little while till we sort out the bridge issues. My guess is I'll finally relent and get the stone over the bridge somehow. Gotta keep the guys working and there ain't a lot of work....

I'll be hauling the Kubota up there on Monday to get set up & started & I'll let you know what happens.....