Tractor Bridge Ideas

[jadefox]

I'm looking to build a small bridge to span a ditch. It needs to be able to handle our tractor and other lighter machinery. My initial plan was the old telephone poles with a heavy wood deck, but sourcing telephone poles has proven a challenge. What have you done to build a small, tractor-worthy bridge on your property?

 

[Streetcar]

Can you get pictures
What is span of the bridge
Drainage area of ditch
What will be largest load on bridge

 

[jadefox]

Can you get pictures
What is span of the bridge
Drainage area of ditch
What will be largest load on bridge

The ditch itself is only 2' wide, and the span would be no more than 6' max from high point to high point. The drainage are is unknown (largely fed by a 100+ yea-old clay pipe that seems to divert water from the foundation. It never runs big and certainly has never overflown the banks. The biggest piece of machinery that needs to cross it is out Kubota BX25D with backhoe.

 

[dave1949]

Why not make a rocked crossing? That is not much depth, width or water flow.

Using your backhoe, dig out about 18" below the ditch bottom about 12' wide. Fill the 18" with gathered rocks up to the original ditch bottom level. Use flatter rocks if you can find them so the bottom is reasonably smooth.

Dig some approach slopes to and from the ditch--deep enough to cover those with 6"-8" rock. Cover the approaches with 1"-2" clean stone so they are smooth to walk and drive on.

 

[SPIKER]

here is my solution for the problems at my place.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/315521-recent-flooding-yesterday-3-5-a.html

Old trailers work pretty good for bridges, the one in link above is based on an old mobile home frame.
Mark

 

[jadefox]

Why not make a rocked crossing? That is not much depth, width or water flow.

Using your backhoe, dig out about 18" below the ditch bottom about 12' wide. Fill the 18" with gathered rocks up to the original ditch bottom level. Use flatter rocks if you can find them so the bottom is reasonably smooth.

Dig some approach slopes to and from the ditch--deep enough to cover those with 6"-8" rock. Cover the approaches with 1"-2" clean stone so they are smooth to walk and drive on.

I hadn't thought of that route. I'm not sure I have the room for sufficient approach slopes. I'm actually leaning more toward culvert now.

 

[jtygoku]

12" corrugated metal or HDPE plastic would be the simplest solution. Can buy them at most farm and home or home big box store. Bed it in the right aggregate base and you'll be fine.

 

[tcreeley]

I'd buy a 20' black pvc corrugated culvert. Cut it to the length you want- but you will appreciate the length in bad weather (snow) when you are not quite sure of the ends. Available at the farm supply stores. A handsaw can cut it. Light - easy to move, but strong. Use a backhoe to ditch it and provide an inflow area and outflow area. I use drainage ditches around my field and property. Getting the horses over, as well as the tractor has been easy all seasons.
I tried the rock build up idea on my roadway into the paddock, but in March I was getting standing water as the area couldn't drain fast enough due to the ice build up and frozen ground. The culvert took care of that.

Goodluck.

 

[Streetcar]

I would set culvert the same diameter as the upstream pipe.
Make sure to backfill the culvert properly.

 

[Garandman]

Log skidder bridge.

https://masswoods.net/sites/masswoods.net/files/pdf-doc-ppt/UMass bridgemat Layout Sketch.pdf

 

[bcp]

One farm I was on had a cast concrete bridge across an irrigation ditch. The bridge was a plain slab, about 8 feet square, about 5-6 inches thick, and flat on top and bottom. It had no indication how it might have been reinforced inside. Some pretty heavy tractors and pickups used it.

Bruce

 

[fishheadbob]

Culvert. Buy it in way too big a diameter for when the 100 year rain comes along, you only want to build this once. As said above backfill it right , maybe put in a bit of a stone apron on either side for muddy times, and you should be good to go. As a plus you get to put your backhoe to work on an easy project.

 

[TomSeller]

We made a couple of bridges out of old railroad tressel timbers back in the 90s when the county tore the tressels down. They still support the 15,000 loads we take over them. The cattle cross at a ford. Once one of the old lead gals fell off the bridge, the herd had nothing to do with the bridges.

 

[Garandman]

We have a bridge spanning a 15' brook. It is made from two large steel I beams, with wood planking on top. The shorter the span and more solid the footings, the easier it is. Didn't build it, this one is somewhere between 30 and 50 years old.

 

[boggen]

i am also for a culvert pipe. that is what they are made for.

just like crossing from your driveway over to the road, and getting across ditches. 2' feet wide not that bad at all.

generally come in 20 foot long sections. the price might seem a little high, and rather long. but when ya dealing with turning in/out of of a drive, to snow/ice to other. and getting the ends far away enough from each other, ya not double checking yourself every time were the ends are...

read up on culvert installation, they are not that bad to put in, but it might be suggested use of fill rock both below, and around and above it, and/or a mix of it all, just depends.
with you having a backhoe, the job should be much easier job, than if you did not have one.

 

[jadefox]

We went with a bridge...in part because of the aesthetics and where it is on the property and in part because they just replaced the utility poles on our street and gave them to us.

 

[Oldpath05]

Nice bridge, utility poles make great bridge support beams, there most likely treated against rot. The top blanks probably will need something for rot prevention unless you used cedar. If I made a bridge, I'd try wooden nails, that way it will rot with the planks, steel nails will last quite awhile and could cause a bad day 10 years down the road.

 

[jadefox]

Nice bridge, utility poles make great bridge support beams, there most likely treated against rot. The top blanks probably will need something for rot prevention unless you used cedar. If I made a bridge, I'd try wooden nails, that way it will rot with the planks, steel nails will last quite awhile and could cause a bad day 10 years down the road.

I had a stack of PT boards that I decked with, but cedar would have been nicer. We still need to build the railings.

 

[Oldpath05]

I had a stack of PT boards that I decked with, but cedar would have been nicer. We still need to build the railings.

I just noticed your in Rockland, hey neighbor, probably got your tractor from the friendly folks.
I thought PT lumber had a green-ish tinge to it, those planks looked like regular lumber, good deal guess your all set, after the rails are on, post another picture when you get a chance.

 

[jadefox]

I just noticed your in Rockland, hey neighbor, probably got your tractor from the friendly folks.
I thought PT lumber had a green-ish tinge to it, those planks looked like regular lumber, good deal guess your all set, after the rails are on, post another picture when you get a chance.

The friendly folks indeed!