Creek crossing/corrigated pipe question?

[gwstang]

After reading some threads about people getting stuck to the frame in mud or such, I have a small creek to cross on the backside of my 71 acres. I am thinking about an 8' long by maybe 48" inside diameter would be plenty big for for a piece of corrugated metal pipe. Will this work for a 2600 lb tractor (L2501 4 wheel drive)? How about plastic corrugated? I have a FEL too so that would add a little more weight. The small creek flows year round and is usually only a few inches deep and about 6' from bank to bank where I would cross. any help with this? Thanks, Gary not wanted to get stuck way back in the mud...:confused2:

 

[smstonypoint]

I don't think weight would be a problem, but I wouldn't guess about the size of pipe required. Depending on the acreage drained, 4' may be too small. I would visit with the NRCS staff at your local USDA office -- they should do the calculations for you. Also, 8' seems to be too short when taking account of the width of the roadway, side slopes, and culvert extensions.

Steve

 

[gwstang]

There is no roadway. It's just a trail that I keep cut and no one but me would ever use it. I just want to be sure that I get safely to the other side of my property. I need to build a fence across the back side as an EF4 tornado tore up the property 4 years ago (me included) and tore down everything back there. The fence and trees are MIA. I miss being able to hunt the backside and maybe replace some of my tree stands that are MIA too...if there are any trees left big enough. I haven't scouted the entire backside since then. Tough to get too with all the mess that a tornado leaves. ugh.

 

[ultrarunner]

When I was shopping culvert pipe the information given for both steel and lined plastic is properly set they are rated for 80,000 lbs... in other words anything highway legal...

 

[smstonypoint]

There is no roadway. It's just a trail that I keep cut and no one but me would ever use it.

By "roadway" I meant the width of tractor or other vehicles that would be using the crossing.

Steve

 

[Depmandog]

Your creek is 6' wide because storms flows have eroded it to that width. If you choke it down to 48" inches, it is my belief that it's only a matter of time and another gully washer will tear out this culvert. Have you considered a low water crossing? Yes, probably some yearly maintenance, and no access when the water is running hard.

Or 6' isn't much to span - build a simple bridge. I would ramp up a couple of feet higher on each side to hopefully keep the bridge intact. You have lots of prefab options only needing a 12' long structure (think old car hauler trailer or the like). You could build it out of timber as well.

 

[HCJtractor]

Just did that on my place. But you need a much wider pipe. I used my 48" x 20'. You need extra width for soil placement. I anchored both ends with every rock I could find in the area, some over 2000 lbs. then covered it with about 2' of soil.

 

[Coyote machine]

Play it safe, leave room for access. Get a standard 20' length of single wall plastic culvert in whatever diameter will handle the most expected amount of flow, and put the flat section at the base of the streambed. Cover it with lots of fill, and topsoil with rocks at each end to keep it from rising. Pack/tamp all material to compress it against the culvert and allow grass to grow over it to prevent erosion of the packed materials. Leave slope at each end and place the culvert and material over it so you have good access to cross each way with out having to worry about getting across safely. Once and done.:thumbsup:

 

[fishheadbob]

4 inches isn't much when the once every 3 years torrent comes along. Like many other posters I'd say go with more than enough diameter to handle the flood when it happens. I have also learned the hard way to make it wider - longer than you propose cause you never want to slide off into the creek; that can happen on slippery ground or when your swatting at a hornet that lives in the pipe. Kind of a margin for error thing. I don't like topsoil around water and would suggest that you use some sort of harder fill for most of the crossing especially on the upstream side where the water will hit it. I'm lucky to have a lot of broken concrete which I use for most of my crossings which are then topped with something smoother, maybe even some topsoil if that's all I have, to smooth things out.

 

[Rustyiron]

Here's an easy way to make a good "headwall" for a pipe without a lot of fancy form work. I drive #4 rebar down through the bags at various angles to knit it all together, the concrete hardens and the bag's fade out and go away over time. It is best to have a headwall at each end but very important on the inlet side.
You need a 20' legnth, you'd be lucky to end up with a narrow footpath by the time you backfill a 48" pipe.