Mobile home frame for short span bridge?

[Thorndike]

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What code covers every stick built home and every builder no matter where it's built or who builds it?
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Well, the Universal Building Code for one, and International Building Code for another. In some municipalaties, there is no codes at all. Yes, there are some real ramshackle dumps in those areas without codes, along with house fires, deck collapses, leaking roofs and more.

Myself, being a GC, and you may think this strange, I PREFER to work in areas that have codes. It kinda stops the wackos from coming back on the GC if he is code complient in his work. I've seen too many structures put up with no codes in force, and refused the work on ALL of them. HUD code, is basically, hardly any worthwhile code IMO.

Look at it this way, I have a MH in Florida, except for hurricanes it works well year round. Now, drag that same MH, say, up to the UP of Michigan. Snow is measured in feet up there, not to mention the sub-zero temperatures. But, that MH meets the same codes as if it were still in Florida, and is forced down the throats of local code officials, due to HUD. Just need a small smattering of common sense here, IMO.

In those heavy snow areas, many times Joe Homeowner builds a structure similar to a polebarn with no sides over his MH, to prevent roof collapse.

EDIT: Upon visiting your last posts again. You're right, I think, that the HUD code covers a lot of ground. But, I'll stand by my previous statement of it being a sub-standard code, and reiterate, that the only reason it is acceptable is because the Feds say it is.

 

[drzmatt]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> I will say with all confidence that it is definitely a substandard code. </font>

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What code covers every stick built home and every builder no matter where it's built or who builds it?
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You sure seem to love trailer homes! Did some home builders beat you up once or something. You seem to hate anything that doesn't have wheels under it. I'm sure the code wasn't followed in the first permanent settlment in the NW Territory, so I can kind of understand your confusion.

 

[cleatus]

Being that you can get at least 3 20ft sections from that trailer frame I can see no good reason not to build your bridge from it. I would stack one upside down first and then the next on top and weld flanges together. Next I would remove all braces from the last beams and laminate to the outside of the upper section creating boxed beam. JMHO.

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Our city has now voted to refuse code approval for about 90% of the type manufactured now. )</font>

This might be a violation of federal law so they may find themselves facing law suits over it.

 

[Thorndike]

LB; Yes, they may be in violation. I can't recall if it's a Fed law, or state law, but here in Michigan a few years ago, I beleive it was 10% of a county's land mass had to be set aside for low income housing. I'm not saying that everyone that owns a housetrailer is low income, but in my areas I'm familiar with, that seems to be the norm.

 

[LBrown59]

<font color="blue"> Yes, they may be in violation. I can't recall if it's a Fed law, or state law, but here in Michigan a few years ago, I beleive it was 10% of a county's land mass had to be set aside for low income housing. I'm not saying that everyone that owns a housetrailer is low income, but in my areas I'm familiar with, that seems to be the norm.

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It's Federal.And it's 100 percent no 10% allowed because 10% is a restriction.
Any state county or city law restricting them from 90 percent of the home sites would be a violation.

 

[rambler]

No _mobile_ home allowed in most any city I know of here in Minnesota, other than on a trailer park lot. Certainly not on a lot. There is one trailer on a lot on 'my' town - it was there when the city annexed, and grandfathered in. McManchions went in all around it, kinda funny.

Same with the rural counties, you can put one in for farm workers or immediate family, but not as the primary dwelling in most counties.

Of course, in my county you can only build one new house per 40 acre section as of the mid '80s.

--->Paul

 

[Bedlam]

I was reading this post and am I right to understand that there is a federal law of some sort that would not restrict a town from saying outright that NO mobil homes would be allowed? In my town I grew up with many of them around town, and then in 1979 they zoned against it. People who had them , were "forced" to convert them. Or were taxed out of the town , only to have flatlanders come in and build mansions.
But the "rule" the town farthers live by now is that no mobil homes will be allowed.
Now, that my kids are grown, they simply cant affort to live in this "rich" town.
I have alwasy thought that the town was discrimatory in this respect.
If it is a federal law, where could I find the statue? Id lve to bring it to their attention. Even tho I know it would change anything..
Thanks
Allan

 

[MMM]

Sorry to have caused an uproar over building codes, zoning and such.
I got a closer look at the 8X1/4" beams and feel they would have to be stacked double to even have a chance. I also wouild have to deck it to even check possibility of using it. All in all, I can't afford spending that much time on a "might work" project. I'm looking into spending money for deck on srap flat trailer as LAJohn did. Problem lies with getting scrap trailers home due to bad axles, no rims, tires etc.

 

[neilly2]

I haven't read all the posts so I don't know if this was mentioned.

Why don't you weld shear studs to the tops of your beams and pour a concrete deck. This will get you some very nice composite action, that will hold for a long time. Its the same principle of elevated floor slabs in any multistory building.

Remember that concrete fails in tension and steel fails in compression. However, they extremely strong under the opposite loadings. So, you don't need to have massive beams if you lock in the concrete to the top of the beams (shear studs).