RalphVa
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2003
- Messages
- 7,885
- Location
- Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Tractor
- JD 2025R, previously Gravely 5650 & JD 4010 & JD 1025R
My tractor crossing was made a mess of by the tropical storm about 10 days ago that had remnants through Virginia. Worse mess than after Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
Debating how to build tractor access to next 2 neighbors' properties that let me maintain trails across their bottom land down there. Debating whether I even want to do so. Maybe just use my lawn mowers, as they don't need to be rescued like my tractor would if it broke down across the bridge. After this damage though, the heavy duty "fix" available by the tractor helps a lot.
Thinking about putting down maybe 6x6s, 2 on each side and affix ends of a bridge to them or maybe just put concrete in holes with bolts to mount bridge ends to. Put bridge upon 2xwhatevers to carry tractor across (only 2,000 # with hog and FEL) but needs to be sturdy enough to carry maybe a 4,000 # rescue vehicle. I know from other postings here that dual 2x12s will carry a full dump truck. Don't need that and want to minimize side square footage of the bridge because water can submerge that area about 6 feet deep. The neighbor has a Gator ATV. That might be able to tow my tractor back to rescue it and isn't very heavy.
I've a little wooden people bridge about 50 ft upstream that is tied to trees at both ends. It survived but won't carry the tractor, of course.
Found one calculator online: Maximum Span Calculator for Wood Joists and Rafters Think it's only tailored to joints and the like. Is there a lumber bridge calculator?
For the last 14 years, my fill bridge over 6 PVC pipes has lasted. Keep having to dig out the pipes upstream, but it works. Have occasionally taken my air blow rig down with a portable air tank that I use to blow the pipes clear. This storm removed most of the tiles I had on top the gravel/concrete base above the pipes and some pieces of the gravel/concrete. Not sure what it's like because water is still rushing over it. Haven't been able to dig the pipes out to get flow through them again. There's not enough room there for a bridge with decent-sized culverts underneath. Plus, such would likely get washed out in a storm like this anyway.
I mounted 2 ATV ramps side by side over the horizontal entrance hole to a culvert underneath my driveway many years ago. I just sunk 4 large coffee cans at the corners and filled them with concrete and mounted the edges of the ATV ramps to bolts in the coffee can concrete maybe 16 years or so ago. That thing has lived through Isabel and this TS and other huge rains. I don't drive my tractor over it but have run my lawn mowers over it.
Ralph
Debating how to build tractor access to next 2 neighbors' properties that let me maintain trails across their bottom land down there. Debating whether I even want to do so. Maybe just use my lawn mowers, as they don't need to be rescued like my tractor would if it broke down across the bridge. After this damage though, the heavy duty "fix" available by the tractor helps a lot.
Thinking about putting down maybe 6x6s, 2 on each side and affix ends of a bridge to them or maybe just put concrete in holes with bolts to mount bridge ends to. Put bridge upon 2xwhatevers to carry tractor across (only 2,000 # with hog and FEL) but needs to be sturdy enough to carry maybe a 4,000 # rescue vehicle. I know from other postings here that dual 2x12s will carry a full dump truck. Don't need that and want to minimize side square footage of the bridge because water can submerge that area about 6 feet deep. The neighbor has a Gator ATV. That might be able to tow my tractor back to rescue it and isn't very heavy.
I've a little wooden people bridge about 50 ft upstream that is tied to trees at both ends. It survived but won't carry the tractor, of course.
Found one calculator online: Maximum Span Calculator for Wood Joists and Rafters Think it's only tailored to joints and the like. Is there a lumber bridge calculator?
For the last 14 years, my fill bridge over 6 PVC pipes has lasted. Keep having to dig out the pipes upstream, but it works. Have occasionally taken my air blow rig down with a portable air tank that I use to blow the pipes clear. This storm removed most of the tiles I had on top the gravel/concrete base above the pipes and some pieces of the gravel/concrete. Not sure what it's like because water is still rushing over it. Haven't been able to dig the pipes out to get flow through them again. There's not enough room there for a bridge with decent-sized culverts underneath. Plus, such would likely get washed out in a storm like this anyway.
I mounted 2 ATV ramps side by side over the horizontal entrance hole to a culvert underneath my driveway many years ago. I just sunk 4 large coffee cans at the corners and filled them with concrete and mounted the edges of the ATV ramps to bolts in the coffee can concrete maybe 16 years or so ago. That thing has lived through Isabel and this TS and other huge rains. I don't drive my tractor over it but have run my lawn mowers over it.
Ralph
