Why not use pressure trated wood? probably a lot cheaper and easier to work with than steel, and should last significanly longer than untreated hemlock or just about anything else?
Why not use pressure trated wood? probably a lot cheaper and easier to work with than steel, and should last significanly longer than untreated hemlock or just about anything else?
I'm gonna check into pressure treated wood, but as Hazmat said, wood planks are tough to plough, especially with a backblade on a tractor. Steel would be so much easier, but I don't know if I can afford it. We'll see.
Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."
Rich,
My thinking would be that if the supporting structure is up to it, pour concrete. The cost might be more up front but you would never do it again. I don't know much about raised slabs but with the metal sub-floor material they use in buildings it looks like it could be a do it yourself on something that small. Might be worth comparing the cost to the wood and metal options.
MarkV
Plow?? Come on Rich, you don't get any snow up there. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Paul Bradway
Possibly one could find concrete pre-stressed slabs that could be set on top of your bridge structure, but guess pouring a concrete slab which would have the strength to support itself on the bridge structure would be quite a job. Seems to me our bridges in the north have a pretty short lifespan (believe it is 7 - 10 years) because of road salt, etc. but that may not be a problem with this bridge. Again, strength to weight ratios of wood plank will be real hard to beat with any other product, and high cost of other products will have to be factored in.
Thanks, Mark! I hadn't even considered concrete, so I'll have to look into that!
Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."
This website has some prices on steel grates:
Coleman's Military Surplus
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