Crossing a muddy low water creek

I'm trying to spend very little money and put something across a 30 foot muddy creek. The creek gets very muddy and stays that way because of all the overhanging trees. I was wondering if I could lay down 4 cattle panels, two wide and two long to make a
8'X30 foot crossing. I only need to cross by pickup truck 4 times a year, tractor 4 times a year, but my SxS almost every weekend. Would the panels keep my tires from sinking in the mud and give me enough traction to cross?
Thanks for any help, both pro and con.

start laying cement bags like bricks... the very little money thing gona be tough though

Your just gona slide on the panels

I don't think the panels can handle the weight of the tractor or the truck, will push them into the mud and break possibly causing flats.

Crushed concrete or brick?

Spend 450$ and do it once. Load of rip-rap, use your tractor bucket and spread it out a little at a time. I've been working this load in for over a year and this spot used to be impassible. Now the bottom is solid and the creek never flows fast enough to move the rocks.

I think this is a workable solution but as Navasot says it isn't without cost. I agree with Bronco that the weight of the vehicles may be a problem with panels. A friend of mine with a similar problem bought an old flatbed 36 foot gooseneck trailer and made a bridge out of it.

^^^^^

Agree with this approach (provided flood waters are never severe enough to wash away large rock).

Even IF the need to cross the creek is infrequent...the 'solution' should still be relatively permanent.

The idea is to create a solid bottom. There will always be mud present owing to the area it is in, BUT you can create a 'bottom' to the creek that your tires can reach that will provide both traction and prevent you from sinking up to the differentials (or worse..the frame) of any vehicle you take over it.

The trouble with creeks/drainages such as the OP cites...is that there just isn't any 'bottom' to them. The Rip-Rap (or similar) will solve that. You are still going to have some amount of mud on top of it. But most vehicles can negotiate 4"-8" of mud if something solid is underneath it.

Adding Rip-Rap is also something that can be done incrementally. No need to lay out a large expenditure all at once if you can not afford to.

Like cement bags still in the bag you just stack them side by side after a few rains it will be a solid platform... now if its a sandy bottom or silty it will most likely sink a bit but if there is a good bottom you should still be able to cut through to the bags

Watch for free brick on places like craigslist. We were able to find a couple free loads last year to make a couple crossings on our hunting lease. We also added a couple small salvaged culverts to one of our crossings before dumping and spreading the broken brick on it. The end results looks similar to the ones flintknapper posted.

I was thinking the same thing when I saw this on CL today.

https://austin.craigslist.org/zip/d/giddings-free-privacy-fence-and-bricks/6991631330.html

water flow will depend on what is best, fast moving water will move (what you think is unmovable objects) a lot of stuff, the cement bags might be the best cheapest in the long run

Also Facebook Marketplace

This, proven to work and easy on everything except your back

I think this is what I am going to have to do. only thing is I'm 70 and have a bad back. Going to have to find some help to lift those 80lb bags.

Help is readily available at any Home Depot any given day of the week, beer and tacos afterwards

Is this actually true? I've never seen anyone standing around where stuff is loaded up. I guess I could ask.

If it is a place that you own and not lease, spend the money for a dump truck load of crushed concrete or rock. I would put down a lot more rock than TX_LT230FH did.

Crushed concrete or bricks.
We put bricks at our creek crossing,

They have since washed away.

I had one like that and I just picked up a few rocks each time I went that way and threw them out when I crossed. Took about a year but got a good bottom know.

Check with all your county commissioners and see if the have any old damage take out galvanized colverts. Then rent a backhoe to put them down.

You're seeing the "almost end" of the process. There's a whole dump truck load of rock in that hole- minus about 2 front end bucket loads remaining....

They make different size bags other than 80 lb. IIRC they make a 60 lb, 50 lb, and even a 40 lb depending on the brand.
https://www.quikrete.com/productlines/fastsettingconcretemix.asp
Lowes carries them but have to order them in for you.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/QUIKRETE-50-lb-Fast-Setting-Concrete-Mix/3006121