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SW WI | Last year I got a bunch of these and used them for retaining wall stuff. Built a incline ramp and pad for loading the tmr and also a cement ramp for cattle to get into the old dairy barn. This year I was thinking about using them to seperate bays in a commodity shed. These weigh about a ton a piece and I would be stacking them 3 high (6 ft). So how thick of a floor should I have under them in the commodity shed? I would pour the flat floor first and set these on it later. I suppose I could make the area where I will stack them thicker and just go with 4 or 5 inches for most of the floor. For last years projects those were just set of a compacted gravel base. They did settle a little out of vertical, so I want level cement under this new project. Going 6 ft high gives me a cost of $30/ft. I checked into a cement company to pour the walls but they would be at $45/ft. Thats for a 8" thick wall. The down side of the big blocks is they are 2 ft thick so I do have some wasted space.
I have the same questions on using these blocks to seperate pens in a cattle barn. I am planning on putting up some type of barn similar to garvo's but need a couple of pens. Same thing, concrete firm would build 4 ft. high 8" thick walls to seperate pens but at $45/ lin ft. So why not just use these blocks to seperate pens? How thick of concrete underneath? Giving up some pen space since they are 2 ft. thick. Anyone think why this wouldn't work?
I wanted to post my pics of the projects I did last year, but my phone is giving me problems. No pics make for a dull post. |
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Kingston,Mi | The answer is correct for plain concrete, 6 inches if reinforced with rerod (provides cleareance for 1 1/2 stone), built nearly a 100 bulk liquid fertilizer sites in 15 years and several dry manure storage facilities. All were on 6 inches of concrete or a compacted earth base of sand or gravel.
With the bulk density of most commodities you should be okay for sliding or overturning. |
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western iowa,by Denison | not a dull post at all Mike,starting to really dislike those blocks,I like concrete 10 inch walls the best-4ft tall,as you can throw a simple angle iron in there to attach anything to the top-drill anchors or even hang a gate off that wall-simple and cheap,even if your wall is 12inchs thick you can pour 7ft of wall for 1 yard of concrete,add about $10 of rerod and your cost is $16 a foot-as you do more research maybe look at the opportunity to pour your own walls and save some money,every wall you pour will give you new insight on how to pour the next wall-reroding,forms and etc-the nice thing about a 4ft wall a little wider-easier to back the concrete truck in and pour from the spout-a hand dug footing or trenched footing at frost line would help,but we have poured right on top of a 8inch floor with no trouble,takin time now will save headaches down the road and yesterday my favorite black
kitty became vulcher material after my block stacked 2 high fell over when I hit it with my skid-loader-It could have been someones toe-so be careful!
Adam and I built some 4ft forms,kinda nice payback pouring your own walls-according to your figures you could pay yourself $29 a foot for labor-Its one of those Hefty moments as they say-$100 hour job-or more,just to pour the walls?If you need help on how to build the forms I have some pictures!
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SW WI | Thanks garvo, always learn something from your posts. Just kicking around ideas for now, thinking about what I can build myself vs. hiring some things done. |
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central - east central Minnesota - | garvo - 3/11/2012 14:48 not a dull post at all Mike,starting to really dislike those blocks,I like concrete 10 inch walls the best-4ft tall,as you can throw a simple angle iron in there to attach anything to the top-drill anchors or even hang a gate off that wall-simple and cheap,even if your wall is 12inchs thick you can pour 7ft of wall for 1 yard of concrete,add about $10 of rerod and your cost is $16 a foot-as you do more research maybe look at the opportunity to pour your own walls and save some money,every wall you pour will give you new insight on how to pour the next wall-reroding,forms and etc-the nice thing about a 4ft wall a little wider-easier to back the concrete truck in and pour from the spout-a hand dug footing or trenched footing at frost line would help,but we have poured right on top of a 8inch floor with no trouble,takin time now will save headaches down the road and yesterday my favorite black kitty became vulcher material after my block stacked 2 high fell over when I hit it with my skid-loader-It could have been someones toe-so be careful! Adam and I built some 4ft forms,kinda nice payback pouring your own walls-according to your figures you could pay yourself $29 a foot for labor-Its one of those Hefty moments as they say-$100 hour job-or more,just to pour the walls?If you need help on how to build the forms I have some pictures!
Very good post, good advice Garvo ~
Those stacked 2x2x4-6 are a sefety concern if stacked (even two high). They can fall over (even with rod holes drilled through) and case damage, injury and even death. They have their place and use, but as a loose devider wall ? I'm not sure I would . . . . . . |
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western iowa,by Denison | I know what you mean Mike,I find myself somedays thinkin about hiring some help and then I approach under the basis of how I could do it myself with a little help ?Its usually not that bad to pour walls,just takes grunt work for a day or two-but last 100 years! |
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Faunsdale, AL | X2 on the poured walls. The only thing good about the stacked concrete units is you can move them later if your plans change. Our shed has posts along the sides, so we are locked into the spacing of the posts for the width of the bays.
We formed curbs with 2x8's and pop-ties where we wanted our poured walls and placed the rebars up through the curb forms from the floor on each side and poured the curbs first with very stiff concrete before adjusting the mix and pouring the floors. We formed a sort of "key" into the top of the concrete curb so there would be a good bond. It would make a stronger wall if you could pour the walls first and then as soon as they were filled, come back and pour the floors so you wouldn't have a cold bond anywhere.
After we stripped the curbs and let the floors cure, we formed up 4' walls with plywood forms, 8" pop-ties and wedges. We placed 5' of 2" pipe 1' into the concrete every 4' along the wall so we could use the 2x lumber and plywood from the forms to make the finished divider 8' tall. The resulting wall isn't as strong as an all concrete wall of course , but will prevent you from spilling loose material over into the next bay and can even be filled to the top with light material that doesn't flow like whole cottonseed, soy hulls, ground hay etc. Have to be careful with something like corn or somebody packing cottonseed in with the loader.
We backed the concrete truck into the bays and were able to put concrete directly into the wall forms. The other way you might want to consider before you go hire a pumper is to deliver it in a skid steer loader. It would take a while, but as long as you don't hit the form and knock them off plumb, you're good to go. I'm sure placing it without a pumper isn't the proper way to do it, but we are pleased with our walls after close to 15 years now. We have popped a few of the 2" pipes loose from the concrete by packing commodities against the wall too high, but for the most part they have worked really well. I was not looking forward to forming and pouring an 8' high wall.
You will have some expense in purchasing all the lumber for forms, but with this system, you re-use most of it to extend the height of the walls.
Second picture shows a section that has been hit with wheel loader, it would never have had any feed pressure against it out in the front of that bay. We have a small wheel loader, but it's plenty big enough to destroy the shed if someone's careless.
Edited by ccjersey 3/11/2012 21:26
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| It'd probably work fine but you could buy or rent a few wall forms and pour the walls yourself a whole bunch cheaper. Pouring 4' walls yourself could save you some space and a bunch of money. By my math a 4' wall 8" thick has about 1/10 of a yard of crete/linear ft of wall, so the contractor wants ~$35/ft for the labor and rebar. That's pretty good pay. $280 to set and fill 8' of forms :-) Pouring 4' tall walls is pretty easy and doesn't require a pump. 6' walls is more work and probably gonna need a pump or skidsteer to get it in the forms depending on how much you're talking about. |
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Mount Elgin, Ontario | What are you using Garvo for a tie rod between the forms ? It looks like a solid form. Could you possibly send me an email with the specs on these forms, that's if if i'm not asking too much. I'm thinking of building a new barn for an exspanding sheep flock but I'm like you, do as much as I can myself with a little outside labour.
Thanks
Neil deBoer |
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western iowa,by Denison | 2x4 steel tubing-5/8 plywood-I use a 3/4 redi bolt about every 4 ft-I just drill a hole about 16inchs up and slid the redi-bolt thru a 10inch long 3/4 plastic pipe and leave the pipe in the form.and also tie the top with 3/4 redi-bolt every 4ft-orignaly i didnt use ant ties and just floor anchored the forms but this was faster! |
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2x2x6 concrete block ideas
