Dave, I'm curious. If they won't accept them due to engineer stamp, does that mean they have an engineer to go and stamp the bridges that have been cut , welded, and installed on the past few projects done by people. Have they also had some one to stamp all the bridges, installed throughout Castle, Waiparous, and so on, be it wooden or steel. Highly unlikely!!!!!!!
LOL... No they have not been "stamped". They started out as an engineered design is all I'm saying. If we want to get technical then I guess we can. Trailers are not designed as bridges. But we all know they Will work. SRD will not buy in to the concept unless they have been approved or designed by an engineer saying they can be used as one. Basically if an engineer would be willing to "stamp the design" then we would be good to go. I've been trying to work with an engineer firm to try and get them to say on paper that a 53' flat deck would work as a bridge that would support 10K. They need to look at the trailers design and sign off on the idea. The firm I'm taking to is willing to step out of the engineering box and look at what the bridge is being used for and say yes it will work and be safe. They will not stamp the final product because they aren't on site watching the install nor are we installing them as they would expect them to be installed.
Spray lakes use rail cars for bridges when hauling heavy logging trucks and equipment in. They are "approved" as a temporary bridge because an engineer firm approved the design and they install them to a certain standard.
ATV bridges made from drill stem are designed by an engineer and the design is approved for the wait of an ATV.
Log bridges are designed by an engineer. The ones installed on lost knife are an approved design. But they are limited on their length and also they have a short life span.
The bridge that was installed this past weekend was an approved design that has been stamp in various locations. This won't be because we altered the design and there was no engineer on site to inspect all aspects of the job. SRD is not worried about it. They know it can support the weight so its fine by them.
Point being we just can slap something over the water. It doesn't need to be stamped upon completion but its does have to be designed or approved by an engineer to work in the application that it's being installed for.
Bikes and ATV's have been working with engineering firms and installing bridges approved by engineers for years. The 80' bridges were engineered and yes they were cut in half, but there was permission to do so and the risks were discussed with an engineer. They were found that they would still function as a suitable bridge in the trails. That's why on e is sitting on Leisure Creek. With the hopes that the trail will open to 4x4, it will support the weight.
The 4x4 clubs need to follow the lead of the ATV's and get things like flat deck trailers approved by an engineer or get something drawn up.
I think the Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 club is working on getting a design approved. The other alternative is to use plans like the one used on Meadow Creek, which to be honest wasn't a bad one at all. I was quite supprised how easy it went in.
The biggest hassle for installing any of these big bridges is getting the equipment in. The smaller ATV and bike bridges can be install with simple hand tools and some hard work.
SRD is just covering their arse. It's not that you can't put a trailer across. You just need someone to say it will hold the weight.
Topic: Bridge Build Weekend #2 September 13th & 14th ++ Sunday 21st (Read 9877 times)