The proposed truck would generate a massive sand bag as long as is needed and other trucks would come in to continuously fill it with sand creating a massive flood protection wall. The main problem with this invention is that the trucks burn such a giant amount of fossil fuels that they actually accelerate future flooding by inducing polar ice melting, resulting in future generations having to build even bigger machines to create bigger flood walls. NOTE: This invention/idea is perfect for America, build it first, make loads of money, then consider what it does to the environment later. Note 2: Please take this idea with a grain of salt...or sand...whichever you prefer.
-- pragmatic_logistics, Mar 31 2009

It exists, as a trailer admittedly. http://www.ensorequ...t.com/equipment.htm
Fully automated bagger. [MechE, Mar 31 2009]

With forward planning you can use something like this instead http://www.aquabarr...Sept_2008_press.pdf
Nice plastic from fossil fuels. [eight_nine_tortoise, Mar 31 2009]

Thames backflow valve http://www.sewerhis...e_london_sewers.htm
The pictures near the bottom. [eight_nine_tortoise, Mar 31 2009]

HSECO Bastion http://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Hesco_bastion
Linked Mesh uber sandbags [oneoffdave, Apr 02 2009]

for somebody called "pragmatic" you don't seem to have much of a plan beyond a wish. Except the parts after the first sentence which is just inaccurate whinging.

Anyways, been there done that; people can fill bags as fast as any machine can and generally in such situations there are lots of people standing around with their collective thumbs up their arses wanting to be useful.

[marked-for-deletion] stereotyping [marked-for-deletion] bad science [marked-for-deletion] not an invention
-- FlyingToaster, Mar 31 2009


Good basis for an idea (although this does go off on one after the first sentence), however there are already other more easily portable flood defence systems in use [link]. They would have been useful in the flooding that the UK had last year. Unfortunately the place they were stored was on the wrong side of the river, and by the time they were needed it was too late to get to them.

Apart from FlyingT having a bad day, this is a topic that needs more exploration (especially for the Bangladeshis).
-- eight_nine_tortoise, Mar 31 2009


my day isn't the point, the 3/4 of the post that follows the first sentence is, the lack of an idea beyond the request to "make an automatic sausage sandbag maker" is, as is the bad science about how such a device would "burn such a giant amount of fossil ...".

[89t] neat <link>, how did their storm drainage system handle the seepage? (wouldn't that be underwater too?)
-- FlyingToaster, Mar 31 2009


Hmmm, not quite sure how Yorks storm drains work as I suspect they were started by the Romans and enlarged by the Victorians. I think the system must have one way valve plates to cope with flooding. You see them all the way along the banks of the Thames [link] at low tide from all the rivers now under London.
-- eight_nine_tortoise, Mar 31 2009


[-] MN's red river valley near Grand Forks is 43 feet over flood right now. Such a machine would make sense... they do have helicopter-based 'emergency sandbags' for breaches.

Anyhow, [-] because of your crazy enviro-nonsense. How terrible of you to assume man could effect 'climate change' in the first place; next you'll say we can create life and stop death, absolve sin, pick who goes to heaven and to hell. In any case one sandbagger running during flood season effects can't compete with a California fire season.
-- Bcrosby, Apr 01 2009


For rapid blocking of large breaches or potential breaches the HESCO Bastion system of interlinked mesh gabions is very good as the individual elements have a greater weight than sandbags and so don't cascade fail like a sandbag wall can. They are also able to be emplaced faster. [link]
-- oneoffdave, Apr 02 2009


I like the idea of a really really large sausage maker type thing; can it do links?
-- Nelipot, Apr 03 2009


Those HESCO Bastion things look good.
-- eight_nine_tortoise, Apr 03 2009


//the big deal with sand // is that it's *sandy*: Particles too big to sneak through burlap yet not clumped together so you can just shovel/pour it in.
-- FlyingToaster, Apr 03 2009



random, halfbakery