Between Omaha and Des Moines, 7 miles South of I80 | 17821x - 4/16/2024 08:12 We were always too cheap and we only ever poured 4" thick for cattle feeding floors. Only on them with skid steer and tractor / manure spreader. 4000 psi concrete with the 6x6 wiremesh is what we used most of the time. We made sure to have a good base and spent a lot of time making sure the depth was exactly 4" everywhere. Some of these floors are 50 years old and some minor cracks but still get scraped weekly. For feeding floors I would rather have a bigger pad at 4" then going 6". In your case 40'x50' at 6" thick or 50'x60' at 4" would be the same amount of concrete. I would take the 50x60 at 4" any day.
Your pour sounds so familiar, to my Dad's feedlot pour about 48 years ago.
Previously a feedlot, so once we scraped down to get a true 4" deep, the soil was REALLY compacted (= very good base).
We dug a perimeter trench deeper, for strength on the edges.
Only used 6x6 wire mesh, also.
The very good base, is what lets a person get by with only a true 4" thickness. Pad is still there and looks good.
note: this only had older smaller tractors and manure spreaders on it. (3010 with loader,4020, and NH185 spreader with flotation tires) Would probably go thicker with larger equipment, now-a-days.
Spend time on getting a very good base. IMO |
Garvo or others: concrete thickness/feeding pad dedsign
