how to ford a stream

[Taylortractornut]

We use rubble from town, and from slabs we dig up from demo work. we make a slight slope into the bottom of the stream and lay the slabs where you can drive over then. On the sides we use either a surge mix or 3 inch rock for the slopes. I did one about 3 weeks ago that wide enough for 3 cars to cross at once. You cant see the slabs we pus 3 inch rock up the sides down to the water. I have had a customer bought a load of parking lot markers from a state sale. The holes in them that you put rebar into to hold them on pavement were used to thread some together. We layed them on the ground facing one way with the loader and staggered them side byside where the holes kinda over lapped then we inserted 25 foot rebar sections and weled in spacers. We drug them into the bed with my Komatsu PC50. It worked well enough to cross the creek with myh little Case skidsteer.

 

[forgeblast]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/142205-plans-small-bridge-3.html

also do a search at the us forest service for stream crossing, they have lots of different ideas for bridges

 

[tree grower]

50 year estimate for black locust is conservative. I was raised to believe that black locust would last 10 years longer than granite.

 

[Dead Horse]

You can always do the old fashioned way. Corderoy. Just cut a bunch of cull but solid logs and drop them in the mud, walk over them with the excavator to push them down. Instant, cheap road. If totaly submerged they'll last a long time. We dug some out While rebuilding rt 29 in the Adirondacks, near Pine Lake NY, that were probably 100 years old and as good as the day they were put there. They had wagon wheel tracks worn in the top ones.
Smiley

As long as your stream does not see too much flow this is a great idea. loggers have been doing this for a couple hundred year with slash.

I got the local road agent to give me culverts they dug out and replaced (5foot round),they were looking for a place to dump them. It was a big job but it worked perfect for the stream I had to bridge, which runs 12 nonths a year. It was deep revine that I had to fill to make a year round logging road, but it worked perfectly.

I also got a load of bridge timbers given to me and I intend to use them for the same thing, at another point on my property, some year when I get my "fingers out". These bastages are easily 20 inches by 30 inches by 30 feet long and creasote through and through..... gonna make a great bridge over my stream!