Rope and plank bridge ?'s

[Mountaintrekker]

Hello all,
I'm finally back and we are back in business! Just closed on our new homestead which is off the grid and road system here in Ak!
I have a bridge to build to access the rest of the property and I know how I want to build the main span ( 4 main lines two to top two bottom with planks) I need to see some ideas on how to attach the planks to the top of the lower ropes. Any ideas?

Mountaintrekker

[crashdive123]

How wide is the span? I've done one (many years ago in the Scouts) by boring two holes on each end of each plank, laying the planks on top of the support lines and then lacing. About every fourth (IIRC) the lacing extended to the upper lines. Not super descriptive - I'll see if I can find an example.

[crashdive123]

This is a bit different than a group of us 12 year olds did it, but it looks like it might be what you're looking for.

http://www.mystrees.com/Bridge%20plans.pdf

[your_comforting_company]

If you can sweet-talk Rick into looking into his Ashley's Knot Bible, there is some really simple ways to attach them with just a bight or two of rope. I had to return my copy to the library or I'd look it up for you.

[Rick]

What kind of weight are you talking about? Is this a bridge that will handle foot traffic only, ATV, tanks?

Here's a simple one for foot traffic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajVPPZBLdFo

[Mountaintrekker]

Foot and ATV's I'm just running out the door, I'll check the video and Crash's link later today. Thanks!!

[Rick]

(chuckle) He ain't gonna be runnin' far if that bridge isn't up yet.

[hunter63]

I guess I curious of what the bridge would be across.


The reason I ask this, is that at one time a particle of land across the river from my "Place" came up for sale, about 20 acres of bottom land/swamp/flood plain.
River is about 40 ft across at the narrowest point of my bank.

As it couldn't have a building, built on it, flood plain, the price was gonna be $500 bucks an acre. As It was directly across the river from mine, I had thought about a bridge as well.
I was working in a plant that made wire rope (cable) all different kinda from fish line to mining rope 6" in diameter.

I was in charge of production and inventory, and of course the returns, distressed, factory seconds, shorts of wire rope, sisal, polypropylene ropes, all different sizes.

So it would seem that with a supply of materials (free) I was in good shape.

I had in mind maybe a suspension bridge using to uprights on either side, with buried "dead heads" as well.

It took about 10 seconds for the suggestion of this bridge to any kind of state official as far a wetland, flood plain, navigable water way, and so forth to figure out that I didn't have any legal standing, nor would want to pay for all the studies, permits, regulation variances, legal fees inspections long range flow studies.
I didn't realize how many Government agencies on many levels that I would have to deal with.

So scratch that plan.

Then it turned out that I would have to pay for the survey of the 20 acres, at the cost of $3000 bucks (turned out the whole place for sale was like 450 acres, so I'm paying to the whole survey.
After offering to split it with the owner, he declined, so the deal fell thru.

After the survey, I learned that the 20 acres that he had for sale, didn't belong to him anyway, so I would have been a real nice guy and pay for someone elses land.

Some things are not meant to be................