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so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: davemchine
Date: April 11, 2013 08:08PM
One short block from my house there is an irrigation canal with a very nice walking path on the other side. Last fall I took two planks of wood, screwed them together, and used it as a bridge to cross the canal. It isn't strong enough to carry my 250# though. I would like to build or purchase something to allow safe crossing of the canal.

So I am soliciting ideas. It needs to carry my weight, needs to cross 80 inches, and I need to be able to carry it that one block. I'm sure there is a super simple solution to this. Please offer your ideas.

Last, I won't do anything to hurt my back so don't worry about me doing work on my own. I'll buy or I'll have a friend help make it.

Thanks for any ideas.




Ukulele music I couldn't find anywhere else.
[colquhoun.info]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: clay
Date: April 11, 2013 08:15PM
Get 2-3 4x4 posts, then use 2x4's or 2x6's cut to the width you want your bridge and using the 3 4x4 posts as the supports underneath, screw the 2x4 or 6 sections to the supports to create your bridge. They wouldn't be attached to the bank in any way, but they shouldn't go anywhere unless someone picks it up and walks off with it.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: clay
Date: April 11, 2013 08:16PM
Quote
davemchine
So I am soliciting ideas. It needs to carry my weight, needs to cross 80 inches, and I need to be able to carry it that one block. I'm sure there is a super simple solution to this. Please offer your ideas.

One question...is this something you plan to carry out there to use each time you want to walk across it? Or, are you just carrying it out there the first time you use it in a season and then back home during the winter?
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Paul F.
Date: April 11, 2013 08:16PM
Clay nailed it... uh, so to speak. smiling smiley


Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: davemchine
Date: April 11, 2013 08:24PM
Ah, I should have made that more clear. I would have to carry it every time to the end of the block because it will definitely leave if left on it's own. So it has to be light.


Ukulele music I couldn't find anywhere else.
[colquhoun.info]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: clay
Date: April 11, 2013 08:28PM
hmmm, so light but strong. I'll leave the question to others more knowledgeable than I about building materials. I'm sure there's something lightweight out there that would do the trick, but I wouldn't know where to start.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: DP
Date: April 11, 2013 08:32PM
So you're not the acrophobic gephyrophobian?
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Paul F.
Date: April 11, 2013 08:33PM
Oh...
Hmm... that's gonna be tougher.
An 80" span is gonna be tough.

How much Titanium tube, carbon fiber fabric, and high strength epoxy resin do you have handy?

I would be thinking of 3-4 pieces of large diameter bamboo, and woven rope "rungs"... but even that is going to be a little heavy.


Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Paul F.
Date: April 11, 2013 08:35PM
Thinking about it more...
5-6 pieces of 90" long 1-1/2" or so bamboo poles, figure 8 woven with lightweight rope might actually be strong enough, and light enough...
But I'd test it propped up on some bricks in the yard first smiling smiley


Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Buzz
Date: April 11, 2013 08:36PM
Ahhh, just do what clay said... but put a couple of wheels on one end of it, and roll it to and fro.


///


Sometimes it is what it is...
and then there's times when it's really better.



==
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: WHiiP
Date: April 11, 2013 08:51PM
I'm thinking "Transparent Aluminum" . . .


Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: GGD
Date: April 11, 2013 09:17PM
Quote
Paul F.
Thinking about it more...
5-6 pieces of 90" long 1-1/2" or so bamboo poles, figure 8 woven with lightweight rope might actually be strong enough, and light enough...
But I'd test it propped up on some bricks in the yard first smiling smiley

I wonder if PVC or ABS pipe instead of Bamboo might be stronger, maybe a larger diameter would be better.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Paul F.
Date: April 11, 2013 09:31PM
GGD;
Maybe... But I think it would be heavier.
Might be a tossup though..


Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: wolfcry911
Date: April 11, 2013 09:45PM
put wheels on it so you don't have to carry it. flip it over so it won't roll when used as a bridge. attach a rope to flip it back over while standing on the end.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Chakravartin
Date: April 11, 2013 09:45PM
Easy.

Folding portable wheelchair ramp.

[www.google.com]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Pat
Date: April 11, 2013 09:45PM
An aluminum motorcycle loading ramp? I know they have 10' ramps that fold.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Mr Downtown
Date: April 11, 2013 09:56PM
Two narrow corrugated fiberglass panels lashed with cable ties to an aluminum extension ladder. Put a big wheelbarrow or lawnmower wheel on one foot of the ladder so you can drag it instead of carrying it.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: N-OS X-tasy!
Date: April 11, 2013 10:06PM
Why build a bridge? I'll be happy to sell you one! grinning smiley


It is what it is.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: bruceko
Date: April 11, 2013 10:08PM
Here is something you would not have to carry

portable bridge
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Numo
Date: April 11, 2013 10:09PM
If you build it with 2x6s over 4x4 rails, nobody is going to walk off with it.

Or how about just getting a pole-vaulting pole?
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: billb
Date: April 11, 2013 10:10PM



The Phorum Wall keeps us safe from illegal characters and words
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of one's own ignorance. -Benjamin Franklin
BOYCOTT YOPLAIT [www.noyoplait.com]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: GGD
Date: April 11, 2013 10:20PM
Maybe a scaffolding plank. Weight seems to be about 30-35 pounds, but capacity might be right on the edge.

[www.amazon.com]
[www.amazon.com]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: cbelt3
Date: April 11, 2013 10:23PM
+1 moto ramp. Bike wheels on one end to roll. Wood would be too heavy .
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: billb
Date: April 11, 2013 10:25PM
96" or so cheap aluminum ladder
thin plywood for a deck if you don't want to slip on/through the rungs

don't even have to screw the panels on permanently, just bungie cord them to help carry them


A length of cord if you want to drop it down easy from an upright position - might be easier on the back.




are you feeling lucky ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2013 10:47PM by billb.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: eustacetilley
Date: April 11, 2013 11:31PM
Not to rain on this particular think-fest, (My preference would be a rope bridge, or a trampoline.), but if you tried that around here, you would get a severe talking to, at the very least. Too many drowned kids.

We have several interwoven flood control and irrigation canal districts here, and over the years, the canals have been covered, fenced-off, or removed entirely. This is not idle-nanniness; just last year a car missed a bridge entrance and went over into the main canal, it was a couple of days until the bodies were recovered. The planned mitigation to prevent this from happening again is currently projected to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

Of course, when I was a kid around here, the canals were irresistible. But this was a much more rural area back then. (Now there are no longer any farms, or orchards, or ranches.)

Eustace
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: N-OS X-tasy!
Date: April 11, 2013 11:35PM
Quote
billb

Now *I* want to build a bridge. grinning smiley


It is what it is.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: srf1957
Date: April 12, 2013 12:12AM
2 pieces of 4 inch square aluminum tube. Expanded metal for deck like on catwalk. 2 cheap pneumatic tires and build a couple of handles on other end to wheel it like a wheelbarrow.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: M>B>
Date: April 12, 2013 02:42AM


I am liking the motorcycle ramp idea!
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: MikeF
Date: April 12, 2013 08:46AM
[www.discountramps.com]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: TheTominator
Date: April 12, 2013 08:51AM
Under 20 pounds, holds 253 lbs, and inflates in 10 minutes with included pump



Much less expensive than a pre-made ramp or bridge.
Likely is less expensive than even the materials needed to make your own bridge/ramp.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2013 08:53AM by TheTominator.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: michaelb
Date: April 12, 2013 09:29AM
I agree that there is really no good solution. But it would not be hard to build something out of wood that can support your weight and span 80 inches. It would just be too heavy to carry. I would be sceptical about the ramp idea. A good ladder and 2x12 seems stronger and simpler.

However, you could get canoe wheels and mount those on the top side, so you wheel it down the street and flip it over into place to cross. It would have to remain there while you were gone, which is a safety and risk of theft risk. Picking up and pulling across anything you build is going to be hard (and of course, you have to leave it on one side or the other either way).

I use canoe wheels at times to pull my canoe or kayak, and you can move something 12-16 feet long and weighing 80 lbs fairly easily that way. A few times I have hooked this contraption up to my bike and biked a few miles even.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: michaelb
Date: April 12, 2013 09:32AM
Also, if this was me, I would find a way to drop the far end into the canal at least some of the time. I don't know off hand of a good way to avoid to that, or to extract your self out of that mess once it happens either. A good rope mounted to the far end may let you drop it in place without missing, drawbridge style.
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: kj4btkljv
Date: April 12, 2013 10:23AM
Is this in the budget?



Jeff
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: tronnei
Date: April 12, 2013 11:32AM
[www.fifthroom.com]
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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: freeradical
Date: April 12, 2013 11:52AM
Quote
kj4btkljv
Is this in the budget?



Jeff

Ribbon bridges are pretty amazing. You can drive tanks on them!


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Re: so now I want to build a bridge
Posted by: Speedy
Date: April 12, 2013 03:43PM
Worth a repost.

Quote
billb


Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.
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