Rebar cattleguard

[slowa]

Looking for a cattle guard that can be made from available supplies at local home depot. Needs to be able to support 32,000 lbs to meet HS-20 aka cement truck.

Schedule 40 re-bar has a tensile strength 60,000 pounds.

Anybody got any bright ideas as to how to improve this plan? Or does it look like it will hold up?

 

[RickB]

No way that design will support 32,000 lbs. No way a qualified truck driver is going to cross that. Prefabbed cattle guards are readily available. Buy one if you think that posted design is a good idea. It is not.

 

[rsallen]

24 inches is the depth?
What are the actual dimensions of the pit?
How or what do you expect to bolt to? There's nothing showing on the grate that can be bolted.

Why does it need to come from Home Depot?

 

[slowa]

Thank you for taking a look. The prefab guards are thousands of dollars. Thus the search for a better DIY plan.

 

[RickB]

Thank you for taking a look. The prefab guards are thousands of dollars. Thus the search for a better DIY plan.

A proper guard has several hundred dollars of materials, qualified engineers behind the design, and product liability coverage. If you think you can't afford one, at least copy a good one.

 

[slowa]

Not necessarily home depot. A local building supply store, menards, what-have-you.

I am thinking the border of the pit would be level cement block filled with concrete. Ends of the rebar bolted to that. Something I can undo, to clean out the pit if needed.

I have been reading that around 24" deep is ideal. Too deep and you get animals stuck in there if you they do cross. Too shallow and it's not a deterrent.

 

[Rock knocker]

What is schedule 40 rebar?

 

[rsallen]

I wasn't questioning the depth, only what the actual outer dimensions were.

How often does a cement truck need to drive over that bridge? And what would be 'normal' traffic?
If that cement truck only needs a few passes for one project then open a separate roadway around it.

 

[slowa]

A proper guard has several hundred dollars of materials, qualified engineers behind the design, and product liability coverage. If you think you can't afford one, at least copy a good one.

The rebar plan above is based on this plan
http://www.utlands.utsystem.edu/images/BestPractices/CattleGuardDetail_8X16.pdf

Which I simplified to
http://spofu.com/yay/cattle-guard-plans-pipe.jpg

I priced the steel pipe at my local plumbing supply place and online at metal suppliers and I could hire a part time security guard to stand watch for the same price.

 

[LiveRoll]

Most of the ones I have seen are manufactured from heavy wall tubing and engineered, not saying they have to have bridge specs, but you must remember that as that loaded cement truck breaks through your texas gate ( cattleguard) it now becomes your responsibility.....

Cheers

Roger

 

[slowa]

What is schedule 40 rebar?

Sorry, Grade 40.

Got the rating from here...

5/8 in. x 10 ft. Rebar-182478 at The Home Depot

 

[Rock knocker]

It's a concrete truck!

And they will have the same axle load that any other truck will have

 

[rsallen]

I understand, but what would be the normal traffic?
It'd be easy enough to put a by-pass gate in for that too heavy business.

 

[slowa]

I wasn't questioning the depth, only what the actual outer dimensions were.

How often does a cement truck need to drive over that bridge? And what would be 'normal' traffic?
If that cement truck only needs a few passes for one project then open a separate roadway around it.

I am thinking 12 x 6 feet with the ends sitting on 8 inch wide concrete block walls.

The cement truck would be once in a blue moon. Everyday traffic would be a few pick-ups or a compact tractor, rarely exceeding 8,000 lbs.

The separate roadway for heavy machinery may be the simplest option. The easement is about 20 feet wide against the neighbors fence line, so I may be able to fork the road at the cattle guard.

 

[Rock knocker]

I am thinking 12 x 6 feet with the ends sitting on 8 inch wide concrete block walls

CMU is a poor choice also.

And please, it's concrete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[slowa]

I take it you mean I should pour the wall and not start with blocks?

 

[RickB]

The rebar plan above is based on this plan
http://www.utlands.utsystem.edu/images/BestPractices/CattleGuardDetail_8X16.pdf

Which I simplified to
http://spofu.com/yay/cattle-guard-plans-pipe.jpg

I priced the steel pipe at my local plumbing supply place and online at metal suppliers and I could hire a part time security guard to stand watch for the same price.

I want to build my dream home for $50/sq ft but it isn't likely to happen.

 

[ace10]

What is schedule 40 rebar?

It's a concrete truck!

And they will have the same axle load that any other truck will have

CMU is a poor choice also.

And please, it's concrete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good grief. The OP is looking for assistance, and you're too busy correcting him on trivialities to actually help.

 

[rsallen]

6x12!!!!
Ain't gonna happen with that design.
Keep in mind anything you lay on top of that pit has to be completely self supporting and any bolting you do is only to keep it from vibrating out of place.

You can't just stack some concrete blocks up for a foundation wall on a road way.

Have you thought about just putting a gate in?

 

[paulharvey]

Would storm inlet grates work for your use? They aren't cheap, but if you contact some road builders, they probably have some in there bone yards. They can be hard to scrap (need a letter from city/county Public Works departments) and often road builders will have some old ones around. I would support them on 8" wide reinforced concrete footer, that locks them in; not CMUs.