Culvert extension and Phone pole qusetion

[hunterridgefarm]

Good Afternoon All,

I need to widen my driveway that goes to my current barn by about 5' due to neighbor putting a fence on the property line. I currently have a galvanized pipe under the road and just need to widen it about 5 foot in order to get the truck with trailer in and out where I turn in from the highway.

I can buy a 10' section of galvanized culvert for around 90 bucks or the black plastin drain pipe for around 80 bucks.

The question is will the black drain pipe hold up? IT is 10" ID and 10' long. I can cut it easier than the galvanized culvert. And with using 5 foot I will not have to dig very much to get it set correctly. I should have about 6-8" of gravel over the top of it.

Lowes said they do not recommend driving over the plastic drain/culvert pipe.
But I thought it may hold up since only the rear wheels of the trailer will roll over it.

This is not the double lined plastic pipe, it is like you use for gutter drain pipe only bigger.

The truck is F250 diesel so the front tire will also cross the plastic.

This is also just a temporary fix for me since we will be moving to our new house around November of this year.

Do you think this would be ok or should I just go with the galvanized culvert?


Next question. Phone Pole.

I order to widen the driveway at the turn in I had to get the phone company to move a phone pole. It almost took an act of congress and me threating to take the chainsaw to it. But after 6 weeks they came out and removed the phone line and said I could have the pole and could cut it down.

This is one of the small "feeder line" poles. I could just cut it down with the saw after I dig down around 8" around it. Or I could try and pull it up. Now it being 5' in the ground I don't know if that is possible with my tractor and FEL.

I thought about putting the PHD on and getting as close as possible to the pole and boring beside it and hopefully pulling it into that hole and lifting it out.

If I do this I will most likely cut it off about 5' high so as to not risk it falling on a car driving by.

Do you think this would work or should I just cut it off below the ground and say the "heck" with it. It will make some good fence post!

 

[MarkV]

I’d use the galvanized pipe with only 6-8” of gravel on top. That isn’t much fill to support the weight of full size vehicles and if the fire department ever had to show up you would not want that truck in the ditch as the barn burned down. Don’t forget you will need a collar to join the two pipes.

MarkV

 

[Soundguy]

I wouldn't even consider using the plastic pipe... not use for the weight bearing issues either..

soundguy

Good Afternoon All,

I need to widen my driveway that goes to my current barn by about 5' due to neighbor putting a fence on the property line. I currently have a galvanized pipe under the road and just need to widen it about 5 foot in order to get the truck with trailer in and out where I turn in from the highway.

I can buy a 10' section of galvanized culvert for around 90 bucks or the black plastin drain pipe for around 80 bucks.

The question is will the black drain pipe hold up? IT is 10" ID and 10' long. I can cut it easier than the galvanized culvert. And with using 5 foot I will not have to dig very much to get it set correctly. I should have about 6-8" of gravel over the top of it.

Lowes said they do not recommend driving over the plastic drain/culvert pipe.
But I thought it may hold up since only the rear wheels of the trailer will roll over it.

This is not the double lined plastic pipe, it is like you use for gutter drain pipe only bigger.

The truck is F250 diesel so the front tire will also cross the plastic.

This is also just a temporary fix for me since we will be moving to our new house around November of this year.

Do you think this would be ok or should I just go with the galvanized culvert?


Next question. Phone Pole.

I order to widen the driveway at the turn in I had to get the phone company to move a phone pole. It almost took an act of congress and me threating to take the chainsaw to it. But after 6 weeks they came out and removed the phone line and said I could have the pole and could cut it down.

This is one of the small "feeder line" poles. I could just cut it down with the saw after I dig down around 8" around it. Or I could try and pull it up. Now it being 5' in the ground I don't know if that is possible with my tractor and FEL.

I thought about putting the PHD on and getting as close as possible to the pole and boring beside it and hopefully pulling it into that hole and lifting it out.

If I do this I will most likely cut it off about 5' high so as to not risk it falling on a car driving by.

Do you think this would work or should I just cut it off below the ground and say the "heck" with it. It will make some good fence post!

 

[schmism]

plastic is fine for culvert assuming you have the right amount of cover.

6-8" i dont think is going to be enough...

As for the pole, they arnt easy to handle.

i put in a 21' version myself and it was a biach to handle.

To dig one out is simple, just drop your PHD on a couple of sides and then push it with the FEL to losen it up, then chain it to the FEL and lift.

the problem is this. They are ~5' deep so you need 5' of lift on your FEL, but if you chain up low on the post, that leaves you with 18' over your head and only 7 or so feet below... (Very top heavy and hard to handle) if you move farther up, you run out of FEL lift before its out of the hole.....

 

[weldingisfun]

Work safely with the power pole. Dig down so that you can cut 6 to 12 inches below ground level and cut it off. Just like cutting a tree. Pulling it without the proper equipment isn't safe. I'm surprised the telephone company didn't pull it for you.

 

[Soundguy]

The exposed end of that black pipe is gonna rot in the uv and will crumble back to the point where it exits the ground.. then the ground will erode there.. exposing more pipe.. letting more crumble.. letting more erode..etc.

That's why you don't see that black plastic drain pipe spec'ced in a DOT manual fro putting under driveways in that manner.. At least in my state anyway.. I guess some other sates may go the cheap redneck route??

soundguy

plastic is fine for culvert assuming you have the right amount of cover.

6-8" i dont think is going to be enough...

As for the pole, they arnt easy to handle.

i put in a 21' version myself and it was a biach to handle.

To dig one out is simple, just drop your PHD on a couple of sides and then push it with the FEL to losen it up, then chain it to the FEL and lift.

the problem is this. They are ~5' deep so you need 5' of lift on your FEL, but if you chain up low on the post, that leaves you with 18' over your head and only 7 or so feet below... (Very top heavy and hard to handle) if you move farther up, you run out of FEL lift before its out of the hole.....

 

[EddieWalker]

I would use the metal culvert. If the plastic pipe is not a real culvert, but just a big plastic pipe, it might not work our for you and cost you allot more money down the road. Usually it's allot cheaper to spend a little more upfront and do it right.

How are you going to connect the two pipes? You need a special sleeve designed for this. I don't know of one that goes from metal to plastic, but have done the metal to metal ones. Be sure to dig out all the dirt around the end of the existing pipe, then put on the sleeve first. Then slide in the extension and tighten the bolts.

If you do not use the sleeve, it will leak at the seam and eventually wash out the dirt around the pipe. In time, the pipe will move and your road will fall apart.

Do you have a sawzall? Drill a hole in the metal culvert and cut it with a new, sharp metal cutting blade in the sawzall. A saber saw will work too, but take allot longer and probably break more blades.

A metal cutting blade in a circular saw will do the job too, and probably be the fastest way. Just be sure to wear ear and eye protection. Cutting metal with a circular saw is VERY noisy!!!!

You could easily sell the remaining half of the culvert. I'd buy it if you were closer. Half sized culverts are very nice for walking trails.

Eddie

 

[schmism]

Seems you need to update your info on DWP or HDPE culvert

Culvert Pipe and Highway Drainage

the above link refrances AASHTO or American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. That is the "bible" when it comes to highway design and building. ALL DOT's refer to it (although thats not to say some dont have there version of AASHTO recomendations)

and no its not just "black pastic" pipe.

Ill need a few min to track down the assocated areas in the IDOT handbook that refrance DWP/HDPE and its applicable locations.

Again your and local DOT may differ, but i know IDOT allows its use.

The exposed end of that black pipe is gonna rot in the uv and will crumble back to the point where it exits the ground.. then the ground will erode there.. exposing more pipe.. letting more crumble.. letting more erode..etc.

soundguy

 

[weedsportpete]

Maybe you could save the pole. We have to replace our 30 foot pole and a used one will cost $100. The electrician said that the power company will charge 3 to 9 times that amount for a new one.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

thanks for all the replies. I measured again last night and decided to use the 10' section without cutting it. I will use the galvanized pipe with the connector plate. I could not find anyone who had a short piece and I need to get this in the ground this weekend. I had plenty of room to turn in until the fence was put on the line. I need to do this inorder to get the tractor out to the building site or I would just leave it as it is since this is not the main driveway. But if I do it right it may help the resale of the house this fall.

I did not think the black drain pipe would work so that is why I came here to ask the question . They do use the black pipe for culverts but it is double walled and a lot stronger than the black drain pipe.

The phone pole: I have not decided yet but it looks like I will just dig down 8-10" and cut it off. I will still have plenty of it left to use as post. If I decide to pull it up I will cut it off a few feet out of the ground and use the PHD to bore on both sides then chain to the FEL and push/pull and lift...nah, I'll just use the chainsaw .


Interesting story as to how this all came about so I'll share:

We bought this house 22 years ago. The neighbor who was a friend of my wifes family lived beside us and built close to the line. They later added a carport and used this driveway to get into it because his brother had owned our house at the time.

When we moved in they tried to buy the drive from us and I said no since it was my only way to get to the pasture behind the house. I said they could use it just don't block it. And this would keep them from changing the carport entrance.

Flash forward ten years, the husband dies leaving just the elderly wife. One daughter lives in Alaska, one in FL. We alwasy helped take care of the lady, I was basically the handyman for her and my wife and son were her "adopted" kids. When the daughters would come home to visit they would always come over and thank us for taking care of their mother.

They found out we were building a house and ask what could be done about t he driveway. I told them once I moved I would GIVE their mother an easment or ROW, all she would have to do is pay to have it drawn up. Unfortunately she passed away in Sept'06.

The daughters decide to sell the house and was telling everyone who looked at it it was a shared drive and the property line was in the middle. I corrected them and showed them where the line was. I offered to sale a ROW to whoever bought the house AFTER I moved, not before. They agreed and all was ok. Then they came back a couple of weeks later and wanted the ROW now. I said no. They had the property surveyed thinking thinking I was out of town and they could move the stake! Their dad would always pull the stake up when it was surveyed until I drove a car axle in the ground.

I come home and find my yard full of people, aunts, uncles, cousins, and surveyors checking my line. They all looked startled when I drove up. I get out ask if the line had changed from the last 4 times it was surveyed, answer from surveyor..no. I said get off my property, I offered to give the ROW, I offered to sell cheap to who ever bought after I moved. Now you can put in your on drivway, knock down the half brick wall of your carport and drive in that way.

So they put in the driveway and a fence on the line which makes it impossible for me to pull in with my trailer without hitting the fence or phone pole. Their house is about 5' from my line and the gravel drive that goes to the barn.

But I can have the drive widened enough to get in in a couple of hours once I get the pipe this week.

I told my wife it might get kinda dusty when the relator shows the house ...but I'm not that kind of guy...I think

Being nice to people just doesn't pay sometimes.