I’m building a bridge (this style but prob twice the weight) and just in case it floods I’d like to tie it down. What should I use that’s strong and weather resistant? I plan to attach it to a nearby tree. I was thinking a chain or cable of some type? Or weather resistant straps?
If you have a link, that would really be appreciated!
The dirt on the banks is almost sandy, so I don’t trust footers. (I dug one hole 3 ft down to try)
by ThanksMuch4YourHelp
7 Comments
Drive some long pieces of rebar through each leg deep into the soil.
Edit: I will add, as others have mentioned a flash flood is still a devastating event. One of the benefits of rebar being deep, is that while it will keep it stationary in most circumstances, it will bend and pull out under extreme flooding events vs. breaking or snapping footings.
My thought would be to chain only one corner of it to where if a flood comes it can pivot around instead of breaking. Floods are incredibly powerful so even if it seems super secure and strong, it would most likely get destroyed. Even concrete ones get torn apart sometimes
I used chisel earth anchors driven at each corner. I ran these over the beams between the boards and used a turnbuckle between them to snug them tight.
https://a.co/d/f7zDMFW
I’d drive 8 foot t posts as deep as possible on either side of each log then chain it down if they stick out to far then cut them off with a saw
It depends on various factors.
What kind of floods can be expected, how much effort are you willing to put in, and what is upstream and downstream?
For regular, light floods that only overflow the bridge and do not carry branches or debris, an earth anchor on all sides should suffice.
For less frequent, stronger floods, it is better to chain one side down. It is best not to anchor it firmly, but simply to use plug-in pipes and stakes so that the rising water lifts the bridge and does not tear it down.
Then, if you expect a flood, you can simply dismantle the bridge.
There is a guy that just tied down a cabin. I’d ask him.
Raise each end a couple of feet.