Does anyone have experience with water troughs created from equipment tires?

Something like this:

https://hpcattlesupply.com/product-category/water-tanks-and-systems/tire-tanks/

What's the installation like? Do they just sit on the ground and have a few inches of concrete poured in the bottom of the tire and fill the hole in the center?

Any tips/advice?

Have many. Concrete needed in inner bead and a pad poured around tank. The larger the tire the tanks get taller thus needing a pad for calves to reach water. Tire tanks are more popular in colder climates and after breaking ice you can smack the side with your ax and the rest of ice usually pops off the side. Covering the tank and making drinking openings certainly cuts back on ice accumulation.

That's about all there is to it, but I'd hit up my local Ag shop before dropping 1000+ on a used tire with a bead cut out of it.

For $1000 you can buy one heck of a tank. Or a couple for that price!

My thought was, assuming installation cost would be similar, that I could buy a 10ft tire that holds 1000 gallons for $800 or an 8ft metal trough from TSC that holds 700 gallons for $500. With the tire, I assume that once it's in place it should never need replacing in my lifetime.

I'm not sure about that assumption though on installation costs/effort being about the same.

Instead of building up a pad, could you dig down and set the tire maybe 6 inches or so into the ground to lower the water level for calves?

Don't know if it's my water or what, but I quit buying metal troughs. They either rusted out or started leaking at a seam. Have had good luck with the black rubbermaids and the 8' round blue tanks. I do have a nice raised garden made of rusty 6' metal troughs

I'd be more concerned about what potentially happens as an old tire not designed to be food safe starts breaking down in the sun and contaminates the water.

AgLA06 said:

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I'd be more concerned about what potentially happens as an old tire not designed to be food safe starts breaking down in the sun and contaminates the water.

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It'll taste just like the garden hose water we all drank as children.

AnScAggie said:

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AgLA06 said:

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I'd be more concerned about what potentially happens as an old tire not designed to be food safe starts breaking down in the sun and contaminates the water.

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It'll taste just like the garden hose water we all drank as children.

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I drank water hose water and there is nothing wrong with me...nothing wrong with me....nothing wrong with me.

Also, I drank water hose water....

I have 4 of the tire water troughs at my house, they have been great. No issues with them breaking at all, even with my dogs jumping in to cool off multiple times a day.

My one thing I wish I could change on it is that there is no drain at the bottom to clean the troughs out. You have to scoop out the water with a coffee can and then shop vac the mud out of the bottom of the tire/on top of the slab the tire is set on. Whereas my concrete troughs have a drain pipe to clean them out, makes for a much easier time cleaning the trough when you can just flush out all the mud just by letting the float hang.

chris1515 said:

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My thought was, assuming installation cost would be similar, that I could buy a 10ft tire that holds 1000 gallons for $800 or an 8ft metal trough from TSC that holds 700 gallons for $500. With the tire, I assume that once it's in place it should never need replacing in my lifetime.

I'm not sure about that assumption though on installation costs/effort being about the same.

Instead of building up a pad, could you dig down and set the tire maybe 6 inches or so into the ground to lower the water level for calves?

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It's ranching. You will have to replace it eventually.

I have all the equipment tires you want if you come get them

AnScAggie said:

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AgLA06 said:

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I'd be more concerned about what potentially happens as an old tire not designed to be food safe starts breaking down in the sun and contaminates the water.

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It'll taste just like the garden hose water we all drank as children.

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You get a different view of things when you work in the food industry. It's not so much how it tastes, it's what it contains.

Then again it wildlife, so....

chris1515 said:

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My thought was, assuming installation cost would be similar, that I could buy a 10ft tire that holds 1000 gallons for $800 or an 8ft metal trough from TSC that holds 700 gallons for $500. With the tire, I assume that once it's in place it should never need replacing in my lifetime.

I'm not sure about that assumption though on installation costs/effort being about the same.

Instead of building up a pad, could you dig down and set the tire maybe 6 inches or so into the ground to lower the water level for calves?

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Some of the tire tanks on my grandpa's farm that were installed in the 50's are still operating. The windmills have been replaced by solar well pumps.

But my cousin, who owns a portion now, is replacing a lot of them with partially buried concrete tanks with a single trough at one end. This eliminates a lot of evaporation and cuts down on ice accumulation.

reproag said:

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chris1515 said:

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My thought was, assuming installation cost would be similar, that I could buy a 10ft tire that holds 1000 gallons for $800 or an 8ft metal trough from TSC that holds 700 gallons for $500. With the tire, I assume that once it's in place it should never need replacing in my lifetime.

I'm not sure about that assumption though on installation costs/effort being about the same.

Instead of building up a pad, could you dig down and set the tire maybe 6 inches or so into the ground to lower the water level for calves?

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It's ranching. You will have to replace it eventually.

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Maybe Chris1515 is really old!

If any of you guys need tires, I have great ones for this application ranging from 3ft to 11ft wide. Anyone interested? - Chris

One of our concrete corral troughs has lasted pretty well. Would like to see some photos of the tire troughs.
I've seen feeders made out of big tires.

We don't have any tire tanks. One of the things we have done to prevent rust holes in the bottom of galvanized tanks is to paint the exterior bottom and 3-6" up the sides with rubberized coating. We have had great luck with that so far and have not experienced any rusting so far,we are about 35 years in that practice.