40+ Foot Suspension Bridge

We decided to build a suspension bridge to get to one of the islands. Got tired of walking over the fallen tree. It turned out great and has held up great as well. The total cost was around $400 - to $500. I've had multiple adults (over 700lbs) at one time crossing with no problem. I'm sure it can hold well above that. Can't wait to build another one!

[@GeorgiaWoodsHomesteading]

That's cool, we built the da vinci bridge. We recently got metal cables a fiber optic cable company dumped on our land, might be a good idea for us to utilize it by making a bridge.

[@FamilyManMoving]

I think this is great inspiration. If you do it again. you will want to avoid putting modern PT wood into concrete. The new treatment chemicals are leached out by the lime of the concrete, and that causes rot. Building codes are being revised to prevent the practice. You could instead put a concrete column below the frost line, and use a steel mounting post. Then tension the other side with a cable anchor, to more concrete in the ground. Again, great job. Nobody is going to die falling fro that low height if those posts fail. Enjoy.

[@King_gtag761]

Great job. One item of concern you may want to review and others may consider avoiding is the use of copper fittings with steel cable. Using dissimilar metals can cause premature corrosion.

[@siberwolf33]

That's absurd. They're not even really touching each other.

[@siberwolf33]

Thank you for showing the estimated cost. I never understand why people don't tell you cost estimates like it's some kind of secret. I'm definitely doing this in our backyard. Thank you so much.

[@jschlosser31]

Glad to help

[@2MinuteHowTo]

Thank you for making this video. This seems like a straight forward process. I can’t wait to get started on mine!

[@jschlosser31]

Good luck. Over a year old and holding up great!

[@lindadunn8787]

Thank you.

[@siberwolf33]

Almost a year later and I've now completed our project just in time for spring. I made one significant mistake. The clamps must be saddled on the live side and equally spaced. I had to learn the expression 'don't saddle a dead horse'. Thankfully, I was able to determine the mistake before I or anyone else walked on it. After securing properly the cable became very solid. I was also advised the clamps are supposed to be torqued to manufacturer recommended specs but I didn't bother with that and instead went until they were very tight without bending the cable.

[@TheHandystanley]

Would like to see pictures.

[@RugerBlackHawk]

U did a really nice clean looking job! I'm going to do the exact same thing on my property. I have a 75 foot span across my river. I seen that you used 3/8 wire cable, but I think I should probably go with 1/2 wire cable. Great job!

[@jschlosser31]

Good luck! Be sure to post some pictures when done.

[@enricopallazzo3244]

Have you started yet? I am also building something very similar this spring.

[@chicinthewoods]

Cool

[@joecunningham9855]

Thank you for a great video I looked at many to keep it simple you did a great job I'm going to duplicate your bridge in North Florida is a creek on the property

[@jschlosser31]

Awesome, thank you! It was a lot of fun building it and it's holding up great.

[@joecunningham9855]

How many inches are the cable bolts from the ground surface ?

[@jschlosser31]

@@joecunningham9855 we kept them high enough to make sure the ends of the bridge did not sit on the ground. You want them to stay as close to the ground as possible though. If you go too high you will need to attach cables to the top of the posts pulling in the opposite direction.

[@joecunningham9855]

Makes sense, Headed 3 hours drive to live oak Fla tomorrow to go to lowes. To get the 4 legs, they have have 6 x 6 x 8. Watch your video many times over, gas drive augers will punch holes. Thanks for leading me through this, will keep you updated.

[@joecunningham9855]

Thanks joe, I went up there 2 weekends ago and put 4 posts in place, 6x6 from lowes. Next time csbles.

[@1KWattmizer]

Hi Joe, what diameter size cable did you use and the amount of groups and also the gauge size please for your neat 40ft bridge it is beautiful !!

[@jschlosser31]

at 6:48 in the video I have a screen shot of the cable. Hope this helps'

[@DaveV173]

1/Where do the cable thimbles attach too ? Also how many are needed please ?

[@Yankees177]

Joe hey just wanted to check in and see how this held up and what would you change if you could do it again?

[@jschlosser31]

Holding up great actually. I'd like to stain it to clean it up a bit. I am going to use a better rope for the railings I have that and need to put it up.

[@jlydon29]

How are the decking screws holding up with movement?

[@jschlosser31]

Great. We've had a lot of heavy snow and It's doing great.

[@markpfeifer1402]

Man, I hope those vertical end posts are deep and their concrete footings are large. They are taking a lot of load.

[@jschlosser31]

3.5" deep and each have 300lbs of concrete. Over a year and holding up great!

[@myusernamewasused]

@@jschlosser31 how large was the hole relative to the 5x5?

[@jschlosser31]

@@myusernamewasused I used a regular post hole hand digger. There where a few inches extra around the 5X5s. I guess around 12" to 16" diameter and 3.5 feet deep. The more the better!

[@scottmcneal7140]

How does it handle a flood? On my creek there is alot of deadfall that i fear would pile up on the bridge, was wondering if you have encountered that scenario

[@jschlosser31]

Always a scare. So far nothing big has come through to find out! We've had a few big rains too. The bridge has always been above the water.

[@travisjohn5719]

I'm curious how much those posts have sagged 2 years later ? Guessing quite a bit.

[@jschlosser31]

the two on the far side may have moved a bit. I could not dig the holes as deep as the two up front which are still perfect (checked the other day)

[@heiheiheiiii]

Hi! Thanks for making this video. I'm making a bridge too What kind of cable (how thick) did you use What other hard ware do I have to get? If you don't mind could you give me a materials list? Thanks so much!!

[@jschlosser31]

Hi, towards the end of the video I have screen shots of all the important items. Let me know if this helps. Thanks

[@robertjones8455]

In the middle of my own bridge project right now…. About to rig the cables. I’m worried I made the width of the bridge too wide at 3 and 1/2 feet from cable to cable…so you mind if I ask how wide is your bridge?

[@jschlosser31]

4 Feet. I used 2X4X8s and cut them in half. I think that 3 1/2 feet would be better. You still have a lot of room, and it will be lighter.

[@jschlosser31]

I re-read your question and I see it 3 1/2 feet between" cable to cable". That is actually about the same as mine. Hope you're making a video!

[@robertjones8455]

I’ll try… you did a great job with your video. I actually found those copper brackets ON SALE… everything has been very expensive. In your video you said 2x4x5…. Do you have bowing issues with your 2x4?

[@jschlosser31]

UGH! I decided to measure to be sure. From cable to cable it is 4 feet and I had to use 2X4X10s and cut them in half. I remember now that I wished I had gone 3 1/2 feet from cable to cable so I could have used 2X4X8s! Anyways, you have it done the way I wanted to.

[@jschlosser31]

Nope. Been over 1 1/2 years and holding up great. Did you see my correction below? I did use 2X4X10 cut in half so they are 2X4X5. If you're cables are 3 1/2 feet apart, get the 2X4X8s and cut them in half. This is what I should have done.

[@ovniproject]

how to tension the steel cable?

[@jschlosser31]

Use a turnbuckle on one end of the cable. Pull tight then start turning to create tension.

[@user-fc1zs1wh9g]

that cheap wood railing kinda looks like rope

[@UNKNOWN-vf7dc]

How is the bridge holding up today?

[@jschlosser31]

Great!

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

I need to construct two or three of these on my land over some ravines that are about 20 to 30 feet deep so I am posting this as an open question for anyone who can respond with useful information. I need to size my bridges not just for foot traffic but to be wide and strong enough for a typical ATV with a rider. My largest ATV with me and gear aboard is about 1,000 pounds, or slightly over. I know I will need maybe 6 x6 or even 8 x 8 end posts on each end. And I plan to anchor turn buckled cables at the top of each end post pulling back against the posts to help stabilize the foot bridge when it is under load. But what size cable, what size decking, runners, and fittings, etc. do I need to consider? Has anyone built a suspension bridge like this that they have tested with ATV travel over it? This is to be an upcoming summer project so any help would be greatly appreciated. I understand the cost will be more but it is essential I find a way to easily travel across these ravines.

[@jschlosser31]

Mine is definitely a foot bridge. There are other bridge videos out there for your application. I've never seen a "backyard" suspension bridge video that you can drive over. Good luck.

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

@@jschlosser31 Your bridge is pretty close to being one that can be driven over. My smallest ATV with me and my gear weighs just a tiny bit under 700 pounds, which you say has been on your bridge successfully. My larger one, with rider and gear, weighs just a tad over 1,000 pounds. So really, I think with a little beefing up of the cables and other parts, your design probably would work for no more than one ATV and rider at a time. Not sure how stable the bridge is however and I can't afford it to tilt or sway causing the weight to get over balanced when there is an ATV on it. You may be right; there could be better bridges for ATV's. But you have built one of the best suspension bridge projects I have seen on KZbin. Thanks for your input.

[@alabastardmasterson]

How wide are the ravines and what is the depth before you hit bedrock?

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

@@alabastardmasterson The first bridge crossing I want to construct would be crossing a ravine at a point with about a 20 to 25 foot opening between the two banks of the ravine. Obviously the bridge would need to be longer at both ends for the approaches. The west side of the ravine bank is about 8 foot or so higher elevation than the east side. I'm thinking I could build up the approach on the east end a bit in order to lessen the slope of the bridge. Not sure there really would be any problem however with having a sloped bridge just for an ATV crossing it now and then. The ATV can certainly handle the slope. I don't want to have to rebuild the bridge anytime soon but then again I am 68 years old and so it doesn't have to last for 100 years either! Some feedback I have gotten is a suspension bridge may not be strong enough for an ATV crossing it. So I don't know if it is feasible but I had a wild idea to use two or three treated wood telephone poles of, say, 30 feet or so as the stringers for the bridge. Then just bridge across with treated 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 lumber. I'd want to install some 4 x 4 guide rails on each side of the bridge decking to help keep the ATV wheels on the bridge. I'm thinking a 5 or 6 foot wide bridge deck is plenty. Any thoughts? Advice and suggestions are most welcome. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

@@alabastardmasterson Forgot to say that there is no bedrock in Central Mississippi..at least at a reasonable depth. We have very soft, unstable soils here known as Yazoo Clay. They have a very high shrink-swell capacity.

[@TheKaveman73]

Just wondering how far apart your posts are? Looks about 4 feet

[@jschlosser31]

It's about 4 feet. The support boards that are attached to the cable are 5 feet so you can see that the posts are close to 4 feet. If we would have made them less than 4 feet we could have used 2X4X8s and cut them in half for the support boards. We ended up using 2X4X10s.

[@TheKaveman73]

Awesome thanks..I’m about to start my own bridge very soon

[@sabo8734]

O ancoramento está frágil , uma porca pequena segura o peso de tudo , cabo de aço grosso e uma porca com parafuso segurando tudo...segurança frágil ...

[@GeraldoVecchiato]

Alguma sugestão para melhorar o projeto apresentado? Estou começando a projetar a minha, com medidas bem próximas ao apresentado. Estou considerando colocar colunas de concreto, ao invés de madeira.

[@sabo8734]

Por segurança ficaria melhor o cabo de aço passar pelo pilar de concrero ou madeira e o esticador ficar por trás da trava do cabo , estica se o cabo aí o trava , o cabo precisa descansar num travamento e não descansar em parafuso fino ou esticador

[@GeraldoVecchiato]

Valeu! Anotado. Obrigado.

[@beatamafulu2405]

Hi Joe, I really liked your worked. I am a novice on the subject but I really want to help villagers from my birth country and building these kind of infrastructure will help tremendously. We are creating an association so that we can realise different project. Could you send me your email address so that we can discuss further please?. Thank you

[@captaincrunch5878]

All of your hardware needs to be American Stanles Steel ( not made in china ) if made in China it needs to be backed up by an American Stanles Chain. Had several china made on comercial fishing boat & stripped out in ruff weather, we backed it by chain & that saved a crewmans life... bad experiences with China made Hardware.,😅