This post describes the modification of two old giant rubber tires for use as bison watering troughs. The troughs provide a reliable source of clean water that the bison have come to prefer over natural sources.
Last fall I hitched the trailer to the pickup and drove three hours to New River Tire Recycling, LLC in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina to pick up some free giant rubber tires. Worn out giant rubber tires can be modified to serve as extremely durable, frost-proof watering troughs for livestock. Initially, I had asked the owner of New River Tire Recycling if he wanted me to pay for the tires, but he declined the offer. I selected six tires and weighed out of the facility at a little over 20,000 lbs, which is about as much as I've ever hauled with this truck. It's a trip I'll probably never want to make again as those mountain roads with their hairpin turns don't fool around.
The first step in transforming a tire into a water tank is cutting one of the tire's side walls off. In my research on the subject I've found that most people seem to either use an old worn-out chainsaw or a reciprocating saw. Based upon the fact that my tires were steel-belted and it seemed unlikely a chainsaw would work well, I decided to use a reciprocating saw. Initially, I tried to use a lithium ion battery powered Milwaukee brand Sawzall. Based upon my prior experience with other Milwaukee battery powered tools I had high hopes for the Sawzall, but cutting tires was one instance in which the Sawzall didn't. During operation the Sawzall's blade would often simply stop moving altogether and the battery became completely drained within a minute or two.
I after trying the Sawzall, I next purchased a Dewalt corded 12 Amp reciprocating saw for less than $100. So far this saw has held up well cutting four giant steel belted tires.
The above photograph shows the setup I've used for cutting tires. Without a continuous flow of water to cool and lubricate the cutting blade the tire will start smoking and the blade will overheat and quickly dull. As the cut in the tire grew longer it also helped to pound a wedge (a hatchet) between the sides of the cut near the cutting blade to reduce the amount of rubber grabbing the blade. When the cut was completed I used the tractor's front-end loader to lift off the side of the tire.
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| Two cut tires ready for the next steps. |
While operating the reciprocating saw I noticed much higher than
expected hand-arm vibrations to the extent that I felt it best to take a
break from cutting every ten minutes. Though such precaution may seem a
little overzealous to some, I prefer to error on the side of caution
than risk developing the dreaded "vibration white finger."
Before moving the tires to the pasture selected locations within the pasture had to be prepared. Site preparation included first running a new
underground water distribution pipe between the cistern and trough locations. With the distribution pipes in place, I next removed about 12 inches of soil from each trough location so that the tires would be sunken into the ground. Being partially buried should furnish some additional protection against freezing and provide easier access for any shorter young bison.
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| The tire is placed over a hole leading to the buried waterline. A metal water pipe (in the foreground left of the tire) will then be connected to the waterline. |
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| With the metal pipe attached to the waterline the hole was then filled in and soil compacted. |
Once
the tire is in place and plumbing installed, the next step is to fill
the center of the tire sidewall with a concrete plug.
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| Ready to install a concrete plug in the first tire tank. |
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| Metal rebar grids that were embedded in the concrete plugs. |
The only unusual part in the instructions for installing these tanks is that, immediately after the concrete is poured, the tire is carefully filled with water until the surface of the concrete is submerge about one or two inches.
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| Once water is placed over the concrete it is left alone for about 20 days. |
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| The soil in place before the gravel apron was laid down. |
While I was waiting for the concrete to cure, I placed the soil I had removed during installation around the tire and laid a gravel apron over the soil.
I also installed wooden barriers that spans the tanks. These barriers are important for two reasons. First it keeps the bison from jumping or being pushed into the tank. A bison in the tank would probably foul the water and break the water control valve. The second benefit of the barrier is that it allows more animals to access the water at the same time. When drinking water adult bison like to have a lot of personal space and aggressively enforce a strong pecking order. The barrier, however, seems to reduce the sense of encroachment and block avenues for enforcement.
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| In addition to the two tire tanks, I also installed a frost-proof hydrant, which is protected from the bison by the barrier. |
The final step was to install brass float control valves and turn on the water. As a precaution I allowed the water to flow uninterrupted for about a day to allow the tire tanks to flush out.
Since their completion a few days ago the tire tanks have become the coolest place on the ranch to hang out.
