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Tire water troughs

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Nicky

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We lucked out and found free big tires for water troughs :D We get six of them. So now we have to figure out how to cut them etc. Any and all advice on cutting and installing them will be appreciated. Also when you tell me how you cut them, how long does it take etc. Thanks :)
 
Depending on the tires a sawzall or one of those wheel grinder type saws for cutting cement blocks can work. We fill the center of ours with cement with a large culvert positioned in the middle. The culvert allows for plumbing, getting heat down the hole if needed, etc.
We have found tire troughs are indestructible, relatively inexpensive and hardly ever freeze. I would either use an APEX valve at the bottom of the culvert (above the cement) or a Freeland Free Flow Valve (these are awesome).
 
Make sure you buy one of the bigger ones and that your water source has enough to fill it quickly. we had a 5' diameter one set up and when it got drank down my well couldn't fill it fast enough-they'd either bust a float arm pushing around or else flip a calf into it-that particular size was such that the calves couldn't get back on their feet and jump back out due to the curve of the tire. We drowned a couple in it-the bigger ore truck tire works well for us off a dugout.
 
if they are nylon side walls all you need to do is cut a hole that will fit a chain
, hook to your front end loader and lift it off the ground about a foot ,using a utility knife start cutting , it takes a little bit to get it started but once you get it started use the weight of the tire and should cut really easy. this is the only way we found the way to do this ,if you use a saw or anything that moves to fast it just gums up the blade
 
I have been told that a water hose to keep the rubber cool will keep it from gumming up so bad. I have also seen one that had about 6 or 8 holes in the side wall, and covered the center on top to reduce ice. He had some kind of a hole saw he had made with a steel rod for pilot, and carbide teeth. I can't remember how he had attatched the carbide or to what, but the holes were about 10 or 12 inches in diameter. Your memory is one of the first things to go.
 
Nicky,
I going with the assumption that your tires are steel corded, if so this is what Jay did:
tire is laying down, score the tire with a chain saw, (not into the steel cords)drill a hole into the tire big enough to start a Sawsall blade,(he used a Milwaukee blade, (the most aggressive you can, can't remember exact name) cut away with the Sawsall, he can do one in 15 to 20 minutes. Installation : We dig ours down in the ground enough so calves can drink too, fill the center full of cement, we use a Johnson float with a bleeder valve, use a 4 inch PVC pipe for draining and dig a 20 ft drain field with a 55 gallon drum with holes in at the end thats buried roughly 6 feet down. In the center he makes a cage around the float and drain out of hog panels
Hope that helps, I can take some pictures if you like tomorrow
 
Thanks all, keep the advice coming...pics would be great Yanuck! They are 8' in diameter and 3 or more feet tall. Seem huge standing by them...the guy at the rock company said they weigh 6500 lbs :eek: Sure weighed down the pickup and flatbed!

I'll take pictures when he brings home the next two.
 
Yanuck said:
Nicky,
I going with the assumption that your tires are steel corded, if so this is what Jay did:
tire is laying down, score the tire with a chain saw, (not into the steel cords)drill a hole into the tire big enough to start a Sawsall blade,(he used a Milwaukee blade, (the most aggressive you can, can't remember exact name) cut away with the Sawsall, he can do one in 15 to 20 minutes. Installation : We dig ours down in the ground enough so calves can drink too, fill the center full of cement, we use a Johnson float with a bleeder valve, use a 4 inch PVC pipe for draining and dig a 20 ft drain field with a 55 gallon drum with holes in at the end thats buried roughly 6 feet down. In the center he makes a cage around the float and drain out of hog panels
Hope that helps, I can take some pictures if you like tomorrow
Click to expand...


Put on your bikini and crawl inside to get a good shot of the float and drain. :p :lol: :lol:
 
Sorry, i'm interested in this and a little confused.You put the trough in the tire,then cement in the middle of the trough :???: Pics please.Thanks!!
 
Blkbuckaroo, you use the tire to make the trough
tank.JPG


That's not my picture by the way...ours are just sitting there.
 
Nicky said:
Blkbuckaroo, you use the tire to make the trough
tank.JPG


That's not my picture by the way...ours are just sitting there.
Click to expand...
No wonder i can't find a tire big enough for my water trough :? :roll: :dunce: :lol2: .Thanks Nicky!!!
 
RSL said:
Depending on the tires a sawzall or one of those wheel grinder type saws for cutting cement blocks can work. We fill the center of ours with cement with a large culvert positioned in the middle. The culvert allows for plumbing, getting heat down the hole if needed, etc.
We have found tire troughs are indestructible, relatively inexpensive and hardly ever freeze. I would either use an APEX valve at the bottom of the culvert (above the cement) or a Freeland Free Flow Valve (these are awesome).
Click to expand...

Sean; We use Jobe megaflows (similar to Apex's ??) but am not familiar with the Freeland Valves. Do you have any info. on them and who is your supplier?
 
Here you go Nicky...sorry BMR..way too windy for a bikini!!!!!!!!! :wink:


tirewaterers001.jpg


tirewaterers003.jpg


tirewaterers002.jpg


piece that was cut out
tirewaterers004.jpg
 
cowsense said:
RSL said:
Depending on the tires a sawzall or one of those wheel grinder type saws for cutting cement blocks can work. We fill the center of ours with cement with a large culvert positioned in the middle. The culvert allows for plumbing, getting heat down the hole if needed, etc.
We have found tire troughs are indestructible, relatively inexpensive and hardly ever freeze. I would either use an APEX valve at the bottom of the culvert (above the cement) or a Freeland Free Flow Valve (these are awesome).
Click to expand...

Sean; We use Jobe megaflows (similar to Apex's ??) but am not familiar with the Freeland Valves. Do you have any info. on them and who is your supplier?
Click to expand...

We saw these in the Enasco catalogue and ordered one to try out. I don't think they flow as much as an apex or Jobe, and don't ask me how they control the water level (I think it is a combo of water pressure in the feeder line and weight of water in the trough). They are about the size of your fist with not float, and you turn a screw to set the water depth. I think we paid about $25. The entire unit sits under the water (at the bottom of the trough) and is therefore basically freeze proof. It is also cow bugging proof, since it is in the middle of the trough.
http://www.enasco.com/product/C10772N
http://www.freelandind.com/fifreeflovalve.htm
 
Here's a similar thread from a couple months ago on the NAT livestock page where I posted some links with pics. I prefer the Watson/Lewis float valves with the surface adjustable floats. I also think the new brass float rod will be quite an improvement over the chain.

http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=81814&posts=23&highlight=earthmover%20tanks&highlightmode=1#M587256
 
We have lots of those tire tanks. Look much like what Yanuk posted. They are huge equipment tires used in the coal mines in WY. Ours have been cut before we get them. Never got one free, tho!

Don't know what floats, or quite how we do them, as I haven't been involved and didn't pay attention., but could ask if anyone wants more ideals.

We have pretty remote locations, running our own waterlines off the rural water supply lines, so have to make them pretty trouble free.....and they have been.

Someone locally makes concrete lids, with about three drink holes in them. I think we baffle them somehow and have had very little, mostly no, trouble with them freezing....even at -30% a few days this past winter.

No additional heating, either. Just water out of the Mo. river, piped many miles to us, coming 'the long way round' instead of direct to the nearest point of the river from us. Line goes south from Pierre area, west to Kadoka, and back north and east to us. We live about due west of the intake, I believe, or maybe a bit south of west. And at least 50 miles distant.

The rural water has been a true Godsend for us. We could not have maintained the cattle numbers we did during the 8 years of drought without the rural water. We had a bit of grass, but NO water in summer pastures. Got lots of dams filled, or at least partially so during 2.5" rain in Feb. while ground was frozen. Have enough ground moisture now, to get the grass going again, so mother nature, more accurately, God, is better to us this year than our government intends to be, it seems.

mrj
 
I heard of a guy close to where I lived was checking his cows one moring durning the winter and was to lazy to get out to break the little bit of ice that built up on one of his tire tanks. So he had the bright idea of ramming in with his new ford pickup :???:. Now I don't really know exactly how fast he was going but when he hit it his air bags went off :lol:
 
tenbach79 said:
I heard of a guy close to where I lived was checking his cows one moring durning the winter and was to lazy to get out to break the little bit of ice that built up on one of his tire tanks. So he had the bright idea of ramming in with his new ford pickup :???:. Now I don't really know exactly how fast he was going but when he hit it his air bags went off :lol:
Click to expand...

Oh my goodness.

That sounds like very expensive ice breaking.
 

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