Pasture Hydrant

[skyhightree1]

I was planning on sticking a couple hydrands out in my pastures. Should I put a cement pad down around the hydrant after its up or just put like some blocks around it in a effort to be seen while im bushhogging or spraying or whatever so I don't run it over and so the cattle will not use it as a scratching post. My first thought was no cement pad cause if something happens to the hydrant I will have to break up the cement to remove and fix whatever is broke or replace hydrant. Do any of yall have hydrants out in the pastures ?

 

[TexasBred]

I was planning on sticking a couple hydrands out in my pastures. Should I put a cement pad down around the hydrant after its up or just put like some blocks around it in a effort to be seen while im bushhogging or spraying or whatever so I don't run it over and so the cattle will not use it as a scratching post. My first thought was no cement pad cause if something happens to the hydrant I will have to break up the cement to remove and fix whatever is broke or replace hydrant. Do any of yall have hydrants out in the pastures ?

I've always set a cross-tie in the round and run the riser up the side of the tie and strap it to the tie. If I put a water trough there I put a tie on each side of the trough, connect them with 2 2x4's and put the fawcett and float valve between the 2x4's. No concrete.

 

[skyhightree1]

I was planning on sticking a couple hydrands out in my pastures. Should I put a cement pad down around the hydrant after its up or just put like some blocks around it in a effort to be seen while im bushhogging or spraying or whatever so I don't run it over and so the cattle will not use it as a scratching post. My first thought was no cement pad cause if something happens to the hydrant I will have to break up the cement to remove and fix whatever is broke or replace hydrant. Do any of yall have hydrants out in the pastures ?

I've always set a cross-tie in the round and run the riser up the side of the tie and strap it to the tie. If I put a water trough there I put a tie on each side of the trough, connect them with 2 2x4's and put the fawcett and float valve between the 2x4's. No concrete.

Thanks Excellent idea... I saw a neighbor with the concrete pad and thought about doing it that way.

 

[Richardin52]

Hay Texasbred, sounds interesting, got a picture?

 

[Dega Moo]

We never put the hydrant in concrete but in any permanent situation the tank is on a concrete pad. In some cases the tank is bisected by a hot fence and water is delivered from the side - the tank is bolted to the concrete. Hydrants are contained within a wire panel enclosure wrapped around a couple of T-Posts. If the tank is not directly bolted to concrete (not bisected by hot wire) , then the tank is chained to the T-Post and wire panel and the float is protected from the cows. We usually can get by with an 8 foot section of panel. If we don't hit the inside of the cattle panel with Round Up to minimize weeds it can get pretty thick and 'snakey' inside the wire. Otherwise it works pretty well for us.

 

[iowafarmer]

All of our hydrants are in cement curbs with removable lids. Our water lines have to be below the frost line though so they are most likely deeper than yours. It is nice having the removable lid that way you can climb down in there and shut the water line off to the hydrant in the winter or change the hydrant if it breaks. The cement curbs are buried about 5 feet deep and stick out of the ground about two feet. They are about 3 1/2 to 4 feet in diameter, are about 2 inches thick cement walls and lid is about 2 inches thick with a notch cut out for the hydrant. The hydrant is mounted to the side of the curb for stability.

 

[John SD]

For hydrants I installed with a permanent fiberglass tank, I build a 3 sided pen around the hydrant and across the tank to keep animals out of the tank. Use solid plumbing to put on a float.

I also have hydrants with no permanent tank where I just used a corner post/RR tie on each side of the hydrant.

IMO, the best installation is with a curb stop/drain and bring the plumbing into the bottom of the tank. I have this setup on both fiberglass tanks and tire tanks with concrete bottoms.

I also have 4" PVC drains plumbed into the tire tanks and pipe out away from the tank with 3 lengths of pipe. 90 degree elbows are installed flush with the concrete in the bottom of the tank. A short chunk of 4" PVC is placed in the elbow for a stopper. Not glued. To drain the tank, pull out the pipe and it takes really no time at all to drain a 12' tank.

The biggest advantages of the complete underground installation vs hydrants is that the underground setup can be used all winter with minimal danger of freezing. I have used 6' - 12' tire tanks and 10' round fiberglass tanks to -30. Curb stops also have much higher water flow rate than hydrants.

I use no concrete except inside the tire tanks. Only a semi belly dump of good gravel per tank location

 

[skyhightree1]

Thanks for all the responses yea my frost line is 18 inches here

 

[greybeard]

What is this "frost line" thing you folks speak of??

 

[skyhightree1]

What is this "frost line" thing you folks speak of??

Grey it is basically how far down the soil will freeze you try to stick pipes below the frost line so they don't bust.

 

[John SD]

What is this "frost line" thing you folks speak of??

Grey it is basically how far down the soil will freeze you try to stick pipes below the frost line so they don't bust.

Frost line is 6' here. Waterline guy ran into a big hard rock he couldn't get through or out with the backhoe. Was down 3' for 20' or so. He piled 3' extra dirt on top and kept going. NRCS did not object.

Never has froze, or at least not enough to break the PVC. HDPE is tougher stuff.

 

[dun]

What is this "frost line" thing you folks speak of??

Grey it is basically how far down the soil will freeze you try to stick pipes below the frost line so they don't bust.

Frost line is 6' here. Waterline guy ran into a big hard rock he couldn't get through or out with the backhoe. Was down 3' for 20' or so. He piled 3' extra dirt on top and kept going. NRCS did not object.

Never has froze, or at least not enough to break the PVC. HDPE is tougher stuff.

In the areas we can't get down below the freeze line (we have a rock or 2 also) I always lay roll roofing over the pipe with the black side down. It helps to keep the natural ground warmth below the pipe so it doesn;t freeze.

 

[James T]

How are ya'll protecting that hydrant from the cattle? It doesn't take much to break it off.

Good idea TB!

 

[skyhightree1]

I planned on surrounding it by the troughs with a lil part i can get through sideways with my legs to cut it on and off.

 

[snake67]

Seems to me it would be cheaper and easier to simply lay a hose out - even if it has to go the long way around so you can follow the fence line and not worry about hose damage from cattle - send it to the trough with a cut off float.

If you have multiple toughs - put an over flow in the first, connect it to the second and so on - let it fill them all - with the last trough getting a cutoff float in it. All troughs get filled - less than a couple hours to set up and the water shuts off automatically.

As for winter - this is a different story - you did not mention your plan for that.

When winter comes we shut it all off and bring the cows to home water. Makes it easy to catch them.

You guys seem to have way more cash than me.

Bez

 

[James T]

Seems to me it would be cheaper and easier to simply lay a hose out - even if it has to go the long way around so you can follow the fence line and not worry about hose damage from cattle - send it to the trough with a cut off float.

If you have multiple toughs - put an over flow in the first, connect it to the second and so on - let it fill them all - with the last trough getting a cutoff float in it. All troughs get filled - less than a couple hours to set up and the water shuts off automatically.

As for winter - this is a different story - you did not mention your plan for that.

When winter comes we shut it all off and bring the cows to home water. Makes it easy to catch them.

You guys seem to have way more cash than me.

Bez

That will work but the downside of laying out hose is that it becomes brittle with constant exposure to the Sun in addition to freezing easier. I have laid out 3/4 inch thin walled pvc the same way and, while it does work, it's becoming brittle too and I'm having to make repairs fairly often. If the hydrant were going to be permanent, it's easy enough to dig a furrow with a single plow and bury some better quality pipe. The cost would end up being cheaper over the long run and less headache. Of course, given where you are located in the tundra, it may not make any difference.

 

[snake67]

Of course, given where you are located in the tundra, it may not make any difference.

Not quite that bad - but at times it does seem to be a problem LOL

The snow is almost all gone - now only a bit in the bush.

I have not watered cows in a long time as they are still drinking melt water.

As for the hoses - we make sure that we use rubber not plastic. Ours have been sitting out there for about 8 years so far - figure we might replace them next year on spec - about 900 metres of hose - all with quick connects - never a problem to date.

Freezing is not an issue - for the two week change of seasons we simply let the cows come home for water in the fall and send them out after snow is on the ground - in the spring we let them drink melt until they decide to hit the troughs.

Can't be that big a deal as far south as Dinwiddie,VA - probably less than a week or so. <grin>

He did not say what he does with the cows in winter.

Drinking from a trough in the winter around here - got to heat them or bash the ice - depending on how it goes - we heat as a three foot deep trough can get 10 - 12 inches of ice in one night and freeze solid in about 2 days - then it is time to break out the chainsaw.

Cheers

Bez

 

[dun]

I make a cage about 18 inches in diameter from old cattle panels and drive a T-post done on either side to keep it upright. That keeps the cows from rubbing on the handle and turning it on or worst case breaking off the hydrant.

 

[skyhightree1]

Seems to me it would be cheaper and easier to simply lay a hose out - even if it has to go the long way around so you can follow the fence line and not worry about hose damage from cattle - send it to the trough with a cut off float.

If you have multiple toughs - put an over flow in the first, connect it to the second and so on - let it fill them all - with the last trough getting a cutoff float in it. All troughs get filled - less than a couple hours to set up and the water shuts off automatically.

As for winter - this is a different story - you did not mention your plan for that.

When winter comes we shut it all off and bring the cows to home water. Makes it easy to catch them.

You guys seem to have way more cash than me.

Bez

Bez excellent idea you have there but unfortunately hose is not an option for me. I have a big pasture in which all the cattle stay during the winter that has 2 automatic waterers and 2 seperate paddocks that I will be using to rotate grazing that have 2 seperate wells. unfortunately the distance id need to run hose is just not practical not to mention I have row crops near these pastures in which i will have multiple pieces of equipment driving where some portions of the hose will go and I don't want to have a piece of equipment potentially catch it or cut the hose and all other bs that could happen with it so its just easier to use the troughs rather than run the hose.

 

[skyhightree1]

[
Can't be that big a deal as far south as Dinwiddie,VA - probably less than a week or so. <grin>

Cheers

Bez

LOL