Pad under water trough???

[UncleLA]

We have a mess around our water trough. We will be moving it to another area. Any suggestions for surfaces to put under the water trough? We can't get a concrete truck to the spot.
Has anyone ever used bags of concrete and just placed them side by side (don't mix, just let it get hard in the bags)?
Any thoughts and ideas for the least expensive options are appreciated.

 

[dun]

Just use the bag stuff and mix it in a regular concrete mixer.

 

[cfpinz]

I poured one last year about 5'x6' or so. Mixed it up in the tractor bucket with a hoe. But if you're anywhere near as old as dun I'd suggest the mixer!

 

[codymccue]

those big patio blocks with the rebar in them work pretty good.if you get the ground under em pretty level they don't break up much.

 

[Jogeephus]

For a pad to work well you really need the pad to extend out from the water trough at least the length of your cow plus a few feet. Concrete can get expensive. A cheap way to get around this is to get a tree surgeon to dump you a load of ground mulch on your place and you can dump scoops of this in front of the trough. (they will normally give this to you since it will save them a tipping fee at the dump) This will keep the cows from walking off with the dirt around the trough. You got to maintain this about every six months. Another cheap way would be to get some of those used rubber mats from a dairy. Dairy here will give them to me cause they are damaged. They are about the size of a sheet of 1" 4'x8' plywood and can be placed under and around your trough when you first put it in place. These things are almost indestructible and will keep the cows from wallering out the ground around the trough.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Poured concrete is nice but you alway have an edge to deal with.
Crushed (old recycled) concrete is second best. Buy a load.

 

[hrbelgians]

We have a mess around our water trough. We will be moving it to another area. Any suggestions for surfaces to put under the water trough? We can't get a concrete truck to the spot.
Has anyone ever used bags of concrete and just placed them side by side (don't mix, just let it get hard in the bags)?
Any thoughts and ideas for the least expensive options are appreciated.

I have had the same problem in the past, however I found a solution which works for me!! I don't know if it would work for you or not.
I use wood chips created from debarking logs. I put a load wherever I want my waters and put the tanks on top. Water and urine goes to the bottom of the chips and it's always dry, if and when it gets mushy I add another load. Shavings of any sort will work.

 

[tytower]

Seems like all you need is to fill up the low spots when they appear. if you can get a small tipper to it then a load of gravel or anything you want could be used . Otherwise the back of a four wheel drive or a tractor bucket , even a trailer towed by a tractor or maybe a horse drawn wagon , covered of course to protect against Indian attacks .

 

[SRBeef]

Even with the bag or bucket mixed concrete you still need a firm base under it or it will just crack and break.

Somehow I would get layers of what we call "breaker" rock, then "gravel" then "screenings" in a circle around the trough spot, slightly higher than the surrounding area so water drains off of the pad, not into it. The screenings will compact into an almost concrete like surface over time.

If you can't get a concrete truck to this spot I don't know how you will get rock there except in small loads by tractor bucket. But you need a base there. jmho. Good luck

 

[bandit80]

Use the "poor mans concrete", lime. It would be best to have an elevated area, and then put 4-6 inches of lime over it. Wet it down a few times and it will set up like concrete. We limed our cattle holding pens around 12 years ago, and just redid them this summer. It will last a long time, and is relatively inexpensive.

 

[alabama]

Get a piece of geotextile fabric and lay it on flat firm ground then cover with 6 inches of crushed rock or ground up asphalt. The fabric can be bought at any construction supply place. It comes in rolls 15 feet wide and 200 feet long. Get two pieces 25 feet long and lap it in the center for a 25 square spot.

 

[V_Key]

15 years ago my dad made a pad out of "Rail Road Ties"
Leveled and packed DRY Ground then put down Ties
Works for us! and he moved it once!

Also did the same thing to make me a "Wash Rack" for horses and cattle...

 

[lucky7chief]

The key to anything is to remove the top soil. Here in central MO, I try to get down to the red clay and then haul in creek gravel. The clay just gets slippery. The top soil is what gives you the mud. And, make sure water can drain away quickly.

 

[msscamp]

We have a mess around our water trough. We will be moving it to another area. Any suggestions for surfaces to put under the water trough? We can't get a concrete truck to the spot.

You might consider chalk rock. We've used it around our tanks with some pretty good results. Another option might be bentonite, or even crushed concrete. Just out of idle curiosity, is the mess just from the traffic, or is it from the tank running over?

 

[rjbovine]

fixed my watertank by putting down old sidewalk salvaged from remodel project. then using ca6/roadpack around outer edge of concrete . pleased with outcome.

 

[tytower]

Frankly as you see above the solution costs more than the problem. Leave it dirt and drop a load more dirt in any depression after it has formed