Finally built a bridge
- Thread starter RobA
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KubotainNH
Veteran Member
Where's the tractor in the poster's pics? It must have been used somehow 
someone forgot to tell the guy in the background about the new bridge
looks good!
That's my dad. At 80 he still hates to stop work for pictures. I'll give him the credit for the rock abbutments.....
slowzuki
Elite Member
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- New Brunswick, Canada
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- Kubota L5030 HSTC, MF 5455, Kubota M120, Allis Chalmers 7010
Just looking at the construction, the cut might be ok, if it does fail I'd guess it would be where those lag bolts attach to the posts. You may want to bolster them below with what I've hear called a scab. Just basically a vertical piece of wood attached to the post to make a shelve so the board can't "slide" down the post and shear the bolts off.
JonR
New member
Good eye, Nate. I used a copper based wood preservative on the lower half of the posts. I figured it was cheap insurance.
Other than the copper preservative, were the posts basically untreated wood or did you add the copper based preservative as added insurance against decay?
Other than the copper preservative, were the posts basically untreated wood or did you add the copper based preservative as added insurance against decay?
intel
Silver Member
looks good. Don't let the county tax assessor see it.
A shear block or what some people call a scab board on the post below the main beam may help
A shear block or what some people call a scab board on the post below the main beam may help
intel
Silver Member
looking again the shear block not needed but maybe the x bracing on the the tallest post.
randyvl
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- 2008 JD 2520 ....Retired-->1943 Farmal A w/ 72" Woods MMM
Looks great.
I am also completing a bridge. I needed to span a 16 wide x 6 deep creek. I looked at doing as you did with joists, but I decided to build a timber bridge.
I did a lot of research on bridges. I have to say, I got more info from TBN (what a fantastic site) than anywhere else on the web. I stole a lot of ideas from many inovative minds on TBN
I used eight 45' long utility poles that I got free from my electric company. I cut them into 30' and 15' sections. You should have seen me hauling them on my 18' car trailer for 30 miles.
At the point I am, I have a little over $500 invested
mine is:
length 30' (13" diameter posts on largest end)
width 8'
corner posts 6x6
decking 2 x 12
creek width 16'
creek depth 6'
I ran 3/8" cable across the top of the poles and burried in the post holes in concrete with homemade anchors to keep the "raft" from floating in case of high water. I also banded the poles with 3/8" cable after I had them in place. I am going to cable support to posts that I have upstream
In the attached pics, the first one shows how I used to cross the creek....I made a 20' "gang plank" out of 2x12s.
Pic 2 shows the "good neighbor" bob cat that I used to auger the 12" diameter holes 5' deep for the 6 x 6 posts.
Pic 3 shows how I man handled the 16' long 6 x 6 posts to put into the holes....boy do I like that 2520
Pic 4 I'm ready to lay the decking. I used 1/4" x 6" Spax Lag Screws to hold them down to the poles.
Pic 5 shows decking down, dirt ramps, Iowa field grown rocks for landscape and erosion control, and an anchor postup stream that I will cable support the bridge to (5" of rain in an hour does flood the area)
Pic 6 shows the 2520 on the bridge.
I still need to plant more rocks on the banks, install a flood light on top of a 6x6 and maybe put a railing up. The horses don't seem to miss not having a guard rail, and the wife hasn't fallen into the creek yet, so I will probably wait until my insurance agent wines some more and threatens to take more of my money (I think he gets enough from me that I should go on welfare classified as "insurance poor"
I am also completing a bridge. I needed to span a 16 wide x 6 deep creek. I looked at doing as you did with joists, but I decided to build a timber bridge.
I did a lot of research on bridges. I have to say, I got more info from TBN (what a fantastic site) than anywhere else on the web. I stole a lot of ideas from many inovative minds on TBN
I used eight 45' long utility poles that I got free from my electric company. I cut them into 30' and 15' sections. You should have seen me hauling them on my 18' car trailer for 30 miles.
At the point I am, I have a little over $500 invested
mine is:
length 30' (13" diameter posts on largest end)
width 8'
corner posts 6x6
decking 2 x 12
creek width 16'
creek depth 6'
I ran 3/8" cable across the top of the poles and burried in the post holes in concrete with homemade anchors to keep the "raft" from floating in case of high water. I also banded the poles with 3/8" cable after I had them in place. I am going to cable support to posts that I have upstream
In the attached pics, the first one shows how I used to cross the creek....I made a 20' "gang plank" out of 2x12s.
Pic 2 shows the "good neighbor" bob cat that I used to auger the 12" diameter holes 5' deep for the 6 x 6 posts.
Pic 3 shows how I man handled the 16' long 6 x 6 posts to put into the holes....boy do I like that 2520
Pic 4 I'm ready to lay the decking. I used 1/4" x 6" Spax Lag Screws to hold them down to the poles.
Pic 5 shows decking down, dirt ramps, Iowa field grown rocks for landscape and erosion control, and an anchor postup stream that I will cable support the bridge to (5" of rain in an hour does flood the area)
Pic 6 shows the 2520 on the bridge.
I still need to plant more rocks on the banks, install a flood light on top of a 6x6 and maybe put a railing up. The horses don't seem to miss not having a guard rail, and the wife hasn't fallen into the creek yet, so I will probably wait until my insurance agent wines some more and threatens to take more of my money (I think he gets enough from me that I should go on welfare classified as "insurance poor"
