Telegraph poles as bridges

[Marsh Monkey]

I got a new toy recently for the Reed harvest, and i have to get over a 8-9m wide ditch, i've previously crossed it on 2 telegraph poles with a bunch of deals laid between them, it'll take the weight of an mf35 and a trailer of about 1 tonne, the new machine is 2400kg unladen do i risk taking it over or should i chuck another couple of poles in if i can get them?

[Marsh Monkey]

I know you lot love a machine to look at

[Haironyourchest]

Rather than add more poles, see if you can vertically prop the existing poles, in the middle of the span. Wood is way stronger in vertical compression obviously, so your props don't need to be massively thick.

 

Skip to 35 to see the crossing

 

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Haironyourchest

[Marsh Monkey]

awesome thats why i ask these questions, just bolt thru the cross piece straight down into the new support i presume to keep it in place, i'll have a rumage around felled a bunch of alder recently so must have something that'll do the job and not rot under water...

[Haironyourchest]

1 hour ago, Marsh Monkey said:

awesome thats why i ask these questions, just bolt thru the cross piece straight down into the new support i presume to keep it in place, i'll have a rumage around felled a bunch of alder recently so must have something that'll do the job and not rot under water...

Thats the idea. Better drive the uprights well into the dirt though. Or if the ground is too soft and too deep, bung some sleepers down and set them on those to spread the weight.