bridge construction on a budget

   / bridge construction on a budget #1  

Rockbadchild

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2021
Messages
4,569
Location
northern Ontario Canada
Tractor
2076E Massey Ferguson
good morning TBN members,

Id like to share my bridge construction of last summer perhaps it will give ideas to folks with similar project in the future and getting constructive feed back … there is a small creek splitting my property preventing me to access the back end which constitute of 3/4 of it, the creek is at the bottom of a decent U shape gully, the creek is about 1ft to 2ft wide and it is over flowing in the spring and not flowing for most of the summer. With the high price of lumber last summer I was looking at other options, then I thought about a commercial transport trailer. I consider different type and length of trailer until I found this decommission B train transport trailer, it was perfect, full aluminum deck with a solid sub frame. I only had to cut everything underneath. next step was to rent/borrow a dump trailer (family price) and haul gravel for the banks from the pit right in front of my property (1/4 mile haul) I used 0-2'' material didn't cheep out on the gravel I took the material with the most compaction. I used railroads ties for the bank abutment, not the best but again I am on a budget here. Every second row the ties are installed longitudinally with the bridge so the frost doesn't push it over and I compacted every row and I uses 2 feet anchor bolts to hold the whole thing together then cover the ties with clay and cover it with rocks.

see pictures attach for the process sorry some pictures are side ways I tried to rotate them but couldn't figure it out.

cost of the project :
B train trailer: $700
Aggregates: $800
Backhoe rental: $900
dump trailer rental: $100
miscellaneous: $150

total cost = $2650

I don't think I could've done it any cheaper and durable, what do you think ?

Future issues, first I hope it the bank uphold erosion but I will keep a eye on it and I'll just keep adding rocks if I see things start to wash away. Second issue the trailer is only 100'' wide my tractor is 80'' wide so its pretty narrow plus once I get equipment like a bailer, the bridge won't be wide enough a bailer is like 105'' wide so next year I need to add something on the side to make it wider. I will use ether a wood beams or a re purpose steel beam and just secure it to the bridge, we will see.
 

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   / bridge construction on a budget #4  
Looks great! I've thought about doing something similar using a flat rack but an old trailer might be cheaper assuming you could get someone to deliver it.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Looks great! I've thought about doing something similar using a flat rack but an old trailer might be cheaper assuming you could get someone to deliver it.
thanks,

yes that can be a challenge, good thing we only had 30 minute to do on a HWY with no scale in between we roll it but it was definitely not legal, I got my father in law to haul it for me since he is a trucker. If he would've said no I would've haul it with my tractor. Making the hookup from the 3 point to the trailer would've been a challenge on its own so I am happy it all work out.

yes a flat rack would work as well. I though about buying a sea can and cutting the top but yes I would've double if not triple the cost.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget
  • Thread Starter
#7  
rockmalenfant said:
<snip>yes a flat rack would work as well. I though about buying a sea can and cutting the top but yes I would've double if not triple the cost.
But then you would have had a covered bridge!
I would've cut the top and side off, I forgot to wright ''and side'' ...My first thought was to uses a standard haul truck refrigerated trailer but these as no frame, they are really weak and the wall and top help holding the whole thing together.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget #8  
rockmalenfant said:
<snip>yes a flat rack would work as well. I though about buying a sea can and cutting the top but yes I would've double if not triple the cost.

I would've cut the top and side off, I forgot to wright ''and side'' ...My first thought was to uses a standard haul truck refrigerated trailer but these as no frame, they are really weak and the wall and top help holding the whole thing together.
The sides are the vertical strength of a conex container. You made a better choice.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget #9  
I'm sure you guys have seen the retired flat rail cars to make a similar bridge. ...
I guess if you live next to a rail yard😄
Aren't they like 60-70' long and about 50k pounds?
 
   / bridge construction on a budget
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I'm sure you guys have seen the retired flat rail cars to make a similar bridge. ...
I guess if you live next to a rail yard😄
Aren't they like 60-70' long and about 50k pounds?

You made the delivery harder to a whole new level lol ... but yes that make a solid bridge still some with restriction tho.

1642005522046.png
 
   / bridge construction on a budget #11  
Looks really nice.

Here in East Texas, we get 4 feet of rain every year, horrible humidity in Summer and every type of wood eating bug possible. Railroad ties cost $20 each and last less then ten years. The bugs get past the tar, oil and creosote, and eat out the wood from the inside. The main and humidity gets inside there and speeds up the process. They look perfect for years, but then one day they just fall apart.

Hopefully your area is better then where I live. The railroad puts them on a bed of gravel so they can move as a train passes, but also to help them last longer by not having any contact with the soil, or sitting in a puddle of water after it rains.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget #12  
You made the delivery harder to a whole new level lol ... but yes that make a solid bridge still some with restriction tho.

View attachment 728927
Most of what the Railroad closest to me is surplusing are the old forty, fifty, and sixty footers. And, you need to take a hard look at one before you buy it, because some of them have fatigue cracking.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget
  • Thread Starter
#13  
Looks really nice.

Here in East Texas, we get 4 feet of rain every year, horrible humidity in Summer and every type of wood eating bug possible. Railroad ties cost $20 each and last less then ten years. The bugs get past the tar, oil and creosote, and eat out the wood from the inside. The main and humidity gets inside there and speeds up the process. They look perfect for years, but then one day they just fall apart.

Hopefully your area is better then where I live. The railroad puts them on a bed of gravel so they can move as a train passes, but also to help them last longer by not having any contact with the soil, or sitting in a puddle of water after it rains.

thank you, yes in order to make it really bullet prove I would've used these mesh square filled with rock's but it would've been a lot of work since you basically need to fill then by hand ... I am thinking the ties will decay but the gravel and clay around it will just support things in place (fingers cross), I expect some settlement but we will see with time, hopfully I am good for 20 years
 
   / bridge construction on a budget #14  
Hard to believe it could be done so reasonably. Nice job.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget
  • Thread Starter
#15  
Hard to believe it could be done so reasonably. Nice job.
thank’s… I know right .. I got a deal on pretty much everything other then the B train trailer even then it was a deal. My friend own the backhoe so the rental was at his cost, gravel I got a good deal since I loaded and hauled it myself plus I payed cash. The rail road ties was pick up for free from the side of the railroad and the rocks was free as well I just had to pick them up by hand and place them by hand, that wasn’t hard at all, plus it was 86 degrees Fahrenheit when I did it and I did 4 load but ya no bull crap over here.
 
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   / bridge construction on a budget #16  
I reread my post. I did not mean to imply I did not believe your cost. Only that you did well and I was envious of the price and work.
 
   / bridge construction on a budget
  • Thread Starter
#17  
first thaw of its life, things are looking pretty good maybe one or two more yard of rocks and it should be bullet proof. 🤟
 

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   / bridge construction on a budget #20  
I had the same issue (bridging the creek out back) but approached it differently and for less money. I purchased a heavy wall pre cast concrete culvert 6 foot in diameter and had it delivered to the site (1200 bucks). Set the culvert mid stream and backfilled around it until even with grade with number 5 gravel (3 tri axle dump loads for 700 bucks delivered). Start to finish, 2 days.
 

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