How do you build a bridge over a creek for a Tractor

[dsholar]

Hi everyone,

I am the new kid of the group.

I own a John Deere 1023e, Has a front end loader, 60inch mowing deck and a 4 foot Box Blade. Loaded it is over 3k lbs and I have a small creek in my back yard that I need to cross to cut the grass on the other side and do addtional work.

The more I cross it the more damage it does and makes a muddy mess. The creek is a foot deep and 3 feet wide.

I would like to build an 8 foot bridge acroos it that can support the weight of the tractor fully loaded. I have tried googling bridge plans and they lead you on an endless journey. Does anyone know where I can get plans to build a good sturdy bridge?

It does not have to be really fancy just very durable and long lasting.

Thanks
Darin

 

[Lou66]

find an old 8 x16 foot trailer with side rails,, you can pick one up sometime for few hundreds dollars,, take the tires and axles off and you have a bridge.. most are rated for 10 thousand pound..Lou

 

[k0ua]

Hi everyone,

I am the new kid of the group.

I own a John Deere 1023e, Has a front end loader, 60inch mowing deck and a 4 foot Box Blade. Loaded it is over 3k lbs and I have a small creek in my back yard that I need to cross to cut the grass on the other side and do addtional work.

The more I cross it the more damage it does and makes a muddy mess. The creek is a foot deep and 3 feet wide.

I would like to build an 8 foot bridge acroos it that can support the weight of the tractor fully loaded. I have tried googling bridge plans and they lead you on an endless journey. Does anyone know where I can get plans to build a good sturdy bridge?

It does not have to be really fancy just very durable and long lasting.

Thanks
Darin

who needs plans?.. just get 3 treated 6x6 timbers or 4x6, with the 6 inch dimension vertical , stake the ends down across the span, and some 2x6 to lay across them, and start screwing them down. Your little tractor is not going to bust them as long as the span between the boards and the supports is not too much.. If your worried or want it a little wider, put 4 supports down. If you let the ends of the supports rest on a gravel bed (dig out some dirt) so that there is good drainage for water under them, they will probably last a lot longer.. heck you could even paint the whole thing if you wanted to once in a awhile.

James K0UA

 

[8n Bruce]

Why not use a 3' culvert ? The city sold me one for cheap as long as I wasn't using it the city, county sold me a used one cheap ( Needed two crossings)

 

[k0ua]

Why not use a 3' culvert ? The city sold me one for cheap as long as I wasn't using it the city, county sold me a used one cheap ( Needed two crossings)

There you go, even quicker to deploy, and probably less work/expense

 

[Toddao]

I had a section of a deck we were not using, 2x8 pressure treated with 2x6 on top, I added some 2x8 to the out sides and put it across my creek . It is about 5 feet wide and 8 feet long . It supports my GC2410 w the backhoe no problem. I did have to anchor it in with some rebar, after one good rain it got washed down stream. I dug it in to the banks in both sides so it was level (ish) and filled in with dirt. The first time was the test but has been fine for a few years now

 

[fordmantpw]

I'm planning to do something similar. I have talked to the local electric coop, and they are supposed to be dropping off some power line poles the next time they need to change them out. They typically need to change them because they are rotted off at ground level, but still have plenty of life left in them for the portion that was above ground. Might be worth a shot...

 

[dsholar]

Guys thanks for the advice

When I am done with the bridge I will send pictures.

thanks
Darin

 

[LD1]

Power poles is what I did.

It takes a few. Lay them all down and against eachother like a raft. Then deck with PT 2x6's. Mainly to keep them from spreading appart. My creek is about 3' x 3'. I have drove a fullsized pickup across it. Dug out the banks to make the "raft" sit flush with ground level, and resting about 2' or so on each bank. So the effective "span" is only 3-4'.

 

[powerpace]

Culvert would be my choice. Concrete or ribbed plastic. A body of water that is one foot deep and three feet wide hardly even rates as a stream. Does the water level change with the seasons.
You may be able to put a truckload of rock in the stream as a crossing. The farmers and ranchers around here do that for shallow crossings. Equipment and cattle don't create any mess that way.