how to ford a stream

[sevilla]

hello everybody, in my property there is a seasonal steam which I would like to cross with my L3830 and little excavator kx71-3 which is about 3 ton. The problem is not the depth of the water but the mud on the banks and at the moment I can ford it only for few a days a year. I would appreciate any ideas on how to build a bridge or, better, how to reinforce the banks in an environmentally friendly way.

 

[JB4310]

Cut the approach and departure angles down and stabilize with stone/gravel etc.

.

 

[studor]

+1 on JB4310's comment. I would also rock the stream bed to avoid the potential for making a mess when crossing.

 

[budlite]

Built a bridge across a seasonal stream on my place about 3-4 years ago where the banks were a little too steep for my pickup to cross without driving pretty quickly. Then half the time the water would splash up and kill my ignition (old truck). Get some 18 or 24 inch diameter corrugated plastic pipes, 2 or 3 or more depending on the size of the stream and the amount of flow during heavy rains. Then cover the middle with dirt/rocks. I think mine were about 12 foot long, not sure. The company I bought them from delivered them for me. I happened to have a good source for the dirt nearby. Seems they were about $100 or so each, again I don't exactly remember.

 

[SARG]

Just bought a 18" x 14' section for $280.

 

[budlite]

The price above may be closer than my guess of $100. Only thing I don't like about my dirt bridge is tall weeds, especially blackberries, grow like crazy on the sides. Maybe not a problem depending on where you are or if you have heavy duty weed wacker or sickle mower. That is the next implement I want.

 

[smiley]

You can always do the old fashioned way. Corderoy. Just cut a bunch of cull but solid logs and drop them in the mud, walk over them with the excavator to push them down. Instant, cheap road. If totaly submerged they'll last a long time. We dug some out While rebuilding rt 29 in the Adirondacks, near Pine Lake NY, that were probably 100 years old and as good as the day they were put there. They had wagon wheel tracks worn in the top ones.
Smiley

 

[sevilla]

thanks. I particularly like the logs idea. I'll try it probably next spring.

 

[ToadHill]

If you have any black locust growing in your area they would make great logs for you, in ground contact they will last for over 50 years.

 

[BHD]

an old flat bed trailer, or RR car flat bed car can make a good bridge,

 

[Taylortractornut]

We use rubble from town, and from slabs we dig up from demo work. we make a slight slope into the bottom of the stream and lay the slabs where you can drive over then. On the sides we use either a surge mix or 3 inch rock for the slopes. I did one about 3 weeks ago that wide enough for 3 cars to cross at once. You cant see the slabs we pus 3 inch rock up the sides down to the water. I have had a customer bought a load of parking lot markers from a state sale. The holes in them that you put rebar into to hold them on pavement were used to thread some together. We layed them on the ground facing one way with the loader and staggered them side byside where the holes kinda over lapped then we inserted 25 foot rebar sections and weled in spacers. We drug them into the bed with my Komatsu PC50. It worked well enough to cross the creek with myh little Case skidsteer.

 

[forgeblast]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/142205-plans-small-bridge-3.html

also do a search at the us forest service for stream crossing, they have lots of different ideas for bridges

 

[tree grower]

50 year estimate for black locust is conservative. I was raised to believe that black locust would last 10 years longer than granite.

 

[Dead Horse]

You can always do the old fashioned way. Corderoy. Just cut a bunch of cull but solid logs and drop them in the mud, walk over them with the excavator to push them down. Instant, cheap road. If totaly submerged they'll last a long time. We dug some out While rebuilding rt 29 in the Adirondacks, near Pine Lake NY, that were probably 100 years old and as good as the day they were put there. They had wagon wheel tracks worn in the top ones.
Smiley

As long as your stream does not see too much flow this is a great idea. loggers have been doing this for a couple hundred year with slash.

I got the local road agent to give me culverts they dug out and replaced (5foot round),they were looking for a place to dump them. It was a big job but it worked perfect for the stream I had to bridge, which runs 12 nonths a year. It was deep revine that I had to fill to make a year round logging road, but it worked perfectly.

I also got a load of bridge timbers given to me and I intend to use them for the same thing, at another point on my property, some year when I get my "fingers out". These bastages are easily 20 inches by 30 inches by 30 feet long and creasote through and through..... gonna make a great bridge over my stream!