Mobile home frame for short span bridge?

Louisiana_John · Dec 23, 2005

I was just going to use 1 simi trailer 102" wide is OK for me. I was thinking about moving onr of the axles foward close to the center of gravity. That way if I need to move one day it can roll up the bank. The bayou I have to cross is only 25' across but the bank is 10' to 12' deep on the sides.
John

LBrown59 · Dec 23, 2005

1*I can hardly see how they survive the air resistance of being towed down the highway.
2*This was almost 33 years ago and code requirements may well be better in many places.

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1*Something they do every day whether you can see how or not. The one that probably wouldn't make it down the road is stick built.
2*This explains a lot - it was back in the dark ages.

I retired after 30 years of buying selling and building houses manufactured homes and mobile homes.
Have heard all the myths rumors and half truths about them all.

As to the 2x4 floor joist I once was the dealer for a 24 wide home manufacturer that had 2x4 floor joist.
This home met 22 different codes. But I could build any stick built and the only code it had to meet was the septic system code.

If I sell a Mobile Home I'm greatly limited to what short cuts could be taken however if I'm building a house the number of short cuts I can take is almost limitless.

Manufactured homes are the only homes that assure a certain standard regardless of where it's sold or who's selling it.
There is no way stick builts can do this.

I've had stick builders stand inside my homes and tell me point blank that there was no way they could duplicate the home for the money.

Even saw a guy who owned a lumber yard and a ready mix concrete company try to duplicate a double wide and beat the price. By the time he got the frame work done and got it under roof he had more in it than he could have bought the completed home for from the factory.
This guy had a big advantage over the builders because he didn't have to deal with a lumber yard or concrete company.

LBrown59 · Dec 24, 2005

( frame looks to be 810" I-beam or C-channel )
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What's amazing about this is had you just stated that you had access to 810" I-beam or C-channel never mentioning that it came from a mobile none of this debate would have come up.

Thorndike · Dec 24, 2005

Well, I am familar with "one" of the codes you refer to. The HUD building code. The only reason that code is legal, is because it's sponsored by the Federal Government. I don't know much about transporting a house trailer, or really care to, but I will say with all confidence that it is definetly a substandard code. Go talk to almost any Building Official, and ask about house trailers. Usually, the first look says it all. What really irks most people, is how a housetrailer can be put on a block foundation and become legal in a neighborhood with stick built homes. They stick out like a sore thumb!!

Now, I'm not saying there are not quality modulars out there, I can think of a few companies that sell them, and I even considered being a contractor for them.

I've done rework on a couple of these modulars that was under the HUD code. One glaring screwup was the skylights. They were made of some kind of cheap plastic that would discolour because of UV rays. Not only that, they were flush mounted on a 2/12 pitch roof, not even a thought of curbing. They even used 3 tab shingles for their excuse at roofing. Leaks galore to say the least.

My logic tells me that if corners are cut on the visible parts of a "house", just think what is hidden in the structure itself, including the steel frame used in transporting.

have_blue · Dec 24, 2005

MMM,

Provided you have a good footing and cross bracing, the house trailer frames I have seen would be VERY strong for a 10-15' span. A long trailer would almost yield edge-to-edge beams the entire 15' length of the bridge.

Why not test it? Using 4x4 or 4x6 posts, block up only 2 of the beams at 15' intervals, drive a heavily overloaded {whatever vehicle you intend to drive over it} and observe the flex. If it flexes no more than an inch or 2, you are good to go. If it flexes a lot, you can weld some 1/8" x2" strapping in a zig-zag pattern along the length. This will make the
I-beam act more like a box beam, and practally double the strength for a few bucks.

Be sure the decking is well attached, as light beams can twist torsionally.

Having said that, less than 15' is very forgiving in a bridge span. When you get over 15', every extra foot will require heavier beams. For example, a 20' span would need about twice the strength of a 15' span.

A great thing about solid steel beams is they rarely fail catastrophically unless used in sub-zero weather. They flex, bend, sag, creak and groan, and give you plenty of warning before they break. In fact, a short bridge made from homogeneous beams would probably never actually break.

Merry Christmas to all!

LBrown59 · Dec 24, 2005

<< 1*What really irks most people, is how a house trailer can be put on a block foundation and become legal in a neighborhood with stick built homes.
2* They stick out like a sore thumb.
3* One glaring screw up was the skylights. They were made of some kind of cheap plastic that would discolor because of UV rays. Not only that, they were flush mounted on a 2/12 pitch roof, not even a thought of curbing. They even used 3 tab shingles for their excuse at roofing. Leaks galore to say the least.
Thorndike
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>> 1*What I find irksome is Insurance companies and banks overcharging MH owners.
Wonder how the stick built owners would like it if their homes were reclassified as MHs so the insurers and banks could charge them more?
2* But some shanty is ok!
4* I've seen the same sort of things with Site Built. Why is it a crime with a MH but it doesn't raise and eyebrow in a stick built costing 1 1/2 to 2 times more?

LBrown59 · Dec 24, 2005

deleted

LBrown59 · Dec 24, 2005

I've seen dozers and Commercial TLBs hauled on trailers built from MH frames.
What I'm having trouble grasping is why would a trailer that will hold a dozer be to weak to support an 8000 or 9000 pound tractor?

LBrown59 · Dec 24, 2005

I will say with all confidence that it is definitely a substandard code. 

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What code covers every stick built home and every builder no matter where it's built or who builds it?

Tom_H · Dec 25, 2005

You are coming across as though your main priority is arguing. You are taking on an entire group of people at once. Your tone appears confrontational. Rather than always trying to "be right", sometimes it is better to just let things go and mellow out. In all honesty, it seems that you take effort to "fish" for opportunities to be disagreeable. It really is time to "chill out" and just let this go.