A comparative study of portable bridges used in the forest industry

Abstract

Portable bridges are being used across several provinces in Canada as well as the United States. Several types are currently being used as of now and fall into two major categories: off-highway and on-highway. In the former category, railcar subframes, portable trailer bridge, portable beam bridges as well as "common" (or heavy-duty) portable bridges fall into this one classification, while in the latter category, skidder bridges and forwarder bridges are found. Portable bridges provide an excellent alternative to commonly used bridges in the industry, such that they can be used more often and have similar costs to a permanent bridge. They may often require less work in the installation of the whole structure. Interchanging may be done between bridges, assuming that load types are the same. Availability still remains a large factor on the eastern coast, as there is no current market for it.