I am interested in advise from some of you that may have experience in bringing down a couple of old unwanted concrete silos. These two silos are owned by my neighbor and located very close to his barn and machine shed. He would like to have them removed without spending much money, and I would like to salvage the concrete blocks to use as a base in a creek crossing I plan to make nearby. If we can get these to come down in a "controlled" manner without damaging the barn or shed it would be benificial for both of us. I own an old Caterpillar D8H that I use for my own personal use around my farm. I'm not sure it can be used in bringing the silos down but they are only about 250 - 300 feet from where my creek crossing will be built and I could just push the material to my location. I am posting a pic of the silos and buildings, which are on the left side of the pic, and the proposed creek crossing area, which is a little right of center very near a telephone pole. The crossing will be dug from the road to the bottom of the creek bed and then back up the other side with about the same amount of slope as from the road down. This will provide better access from the raod into the small field behind the telephone pole. The concrete would be pushed in after the dirt work is done to provide a solid base to drive over. Any advise or ideas on the best way to bring the silos down without damaging the buildings will be considered and appreciated. I'm having trouble getting the pic to post so here is a direct link to it. Thanks. http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6725/creekcrossing6yx.jpg
The link is taking me to the image shack site, but not to your pic...
Correct link to pic (I hope) http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/486/creekcrossing1ot.jpg
How about this? :wink2 (Although following the link will make it bigger on your screen.)
To be honest it looks like a job for the explosives guys. Either that or you are in big excavator territory. Roughly how high are those silos?
I posted a suggestion, but them thought better of it--somebody, not posting here but just lurking, might actually try it. That's an ingredient in the recipie for lots of disasters....
Probably the safest way would be to erect a scaffold and dismantle it one hoop and row of blocks at a time. As close as the buildings are, I think any attempt to topple the silos will result in peripheral damage. As far as toppling them, I think the explosives idea would have the least chance for injury. Whatever you decide, be sure to video tape the job!
But I doubt the people that have that expertise work cheap. I've never done it, but I'd be happy to take a shot at it...:bouncegri
We have a lot of expertise in wrecking things ...and we ain't cheap either:bouncegri
LOL! I just noticed the modification to your signature... :lmao
Yeah well...the first line has two meanings....the hidden meaning goes along the lines of me tonight, asking "her" where "she" parked her broom...no sense of humour women
i live in south dakota. i've taken down probably 20 silos...DISCLAIMER!!! THIS HAS WORKED WELL FOR US, BUT DO NOT SUGGEST ANYBODY ELSE ATTEMPT TO DO IT. what you need to do is take a chop saw and cut the bottom steel bands that you can reach without a ladder. whatever direction you want it to fall, you take two guys with 8 lbs. sledges...start with the block at waist level in the direction you want it to fall. all you need to do is crack/displace them, both of you work your way out. typically only have to crack 10-12 block, and it'll go over like the the leaning tower of pisa with very flew block busted. LIKE I POSTED ABOVE!!!! I AM NOT SUGGESTING NOR RECOMMEND ANY OF YOU TRY THIS UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN IT DONE, OR HAVE DONE IT BEFORE!!!
So i'm not crazy for thinking that would work. similar to taking down a big tree, take out your hinge and it should fall in the direction you want it to, if all goes well at least. You could always call this guy
digger242j - Thanks for the help with the pic! Sqizzy246B - I would guess the smaller silo at about 50 ft. and the bigger one at about 60 ft. Does anyone think that by removing the lower blocks on the side of the direction we want it to fall (basically forming a hinge effect), that the silo might begin to buckle and "backwash" into the side of the barn? Thanks to all of you for some great input!
A Guy Here Tried The Knocking Out The Bottom Block And It Didnt Go Well He Was Doing A Smoke Stack About 150 Ft Tall The News Filmed It And It Went Right Through A Building Opps
That was along the lines of the suggestion I posted and then edited out, and for the reasons mentioned, and others, yet to be discovered.
let me add this. ANYTHING you're uncomfortable doing, you should not do. if you feel for safety's sake it is better to set up scaffolding, take it down block by block, have at it. there used to be a farm every half section here when i grew up as a kid. now there might be one every 3-4 sections of land. land values have skyrocketed forcing these farmers to clear up old building sites and farm that land. we got into toppling silos during demolition of the old building sites. what i suggested in the earlier post works well, very well....but i didn't add in the darwin factor that might accompany some of those that will attempt it.
I'm not sure how well it would work out, but manlifts are so much more common today than in years past. I'd bet renting one for a week would be as economical as setting up scaffolding.
i've never used one, they typically go 50-80' in the air?
Me neither, but there are two on the site I'm mostly working on these days. The carpenters hardly touch their pump jacks any more. I don't know specifically what model the lifts are, but here's a link I just picked from among the first few Google results: http://www.kdllifts.com/genie-s120.htm "With working heights from 46 to 131 feet (14 to 39.9 m)...."
Some where on TV I saw a show called construction disasters. They showed a guy running a case craweler loader with a 4n1 bucket attemped to push a silo over. Only to have it fall back onto the machine. All you see is him jumping out and running like hell as the silo falls on the case and wrecking it.
If you end up using a manlift, I dont recommend going up with even the slightest breeze. atleast when your 35+ FT. I ran one a few summers ago for a few weeks while I was working on condos framing, and they are great but very scary at times, I see some guys move them around while extened... I would much rather go down move then extend up again. mind you I hate heights as it is.. that Manlift also went 65ft. sure is high when your up there. Dont look down! :bouncegri
If I really had to take those down without a demo expert putting a couple of shaped charges to the base; I'd work two teams in cherry pickers to carefully knock 20 odd ft off the top, then I'd hire the biggest excavator I could get, preferrably long reach, and have it tickle away at the top and knock it down steady steady. I wouldn't try and pull the whole thing over with the excavator.
Is it brick or concrete it looks like brick if so it will be fairly easy to bust up if it was formed concrete with rebar it would be a bitch to break up. There will be no cheap way of doing that job you prolly could spend hours on end busting it up by hand and pushing it into the middle. Depending on the thickness you can take a gas powered chop saw and cut large chunks off and use a crane to swing the chunks down to the ground. I don't know if I like the idea of trying to fall them like a oversize tree that would be pretty risky. The other option is a crane with a wrecking ball but that won't be cheap either. Your last option give these guys a call www.pacificblasting.com
From that I took it that they're block, rather than poured concrete.
these silos are made out of a concrete block, approx 2 1/2" thick, 10" wide, 18"-2' long. they snap easy, they fall easy. like i said, i've dropped a few of them, but if the owner elects to mobe in a huge excavator or boomers....let him do it, i don't think many of you know exactly what type of a structure these are. after the first one, i don't think we've ever taken more than 20-30 mins. to have it laying on the ground, there's really nothing to it buffalo man, it's been my experience that at least 50% of the block will be good as new
as close to the other buildings they are...i wouldn't try knocking out the bottom blocks and hoping they fall where you plan...Murphy's Law. how about making apartments out of them...extra income for the farm. i saw that on one of them shows my wife watches. using an aerial lift and knocking off a row at a time of would seem to be the best idea so far I train aerial lift safety - you'll need a lift for rough terrain conditions - read the op manual...
that's one way to look at it i guess...you definitely shouldn't do something out of your realm of expertise or comfort level. other than cleanup, i could have it down for the price of a stihl chop saw blade, and about a qt. of gas. BUT, if you've never done it, seen it done, aren't comfortable with it, most certainly bring in the big guns.
What Dayexco said Buffalo man--If you do what Dayexco said,that will definitely work--I would add though to get a good size excavator to reach up as high as possible and push--it's simple geometry--positioning is everything.Just to get rid of the tummy quivers though,I would start pushing real slow,just like a big tree and you'll know in a second if its going to work.If that hinge is correctly placed,it should be a piece of cake--the worst that can happen is the silo would come straight down,the operator and rig will be unharmed,the operator might need some new drawers though--good luck--wish I could be there--love demo work.:thumbsup
you don't need the excavator pushing, it just lays over, and the steel bands around the silo staves above keep it somewhat in one piece until it hits the ground.
This is the only way to do it, the last thing you want is that dozer anywhere around that thing. I would almost bet if you paid someone to do this they would do it the same way unless they just like to blow stuff up.
Looks like it is time for dayexco to take a little trip. Transportation and wage for a day would be well worth it to have it done right.
We all could make a trip! It would be worth it to watch it come down. I'll bring the burgers!
atgreene, I like your idea, but how 'bout I grill up buffalo burgers for all! Sure are a bunch of great guys on this forum. Too bad they are spread out all across the globe. Would be hard to get them all together at my place in Iowa for a demolition party, but the grilled buffalo burger offer stands if anyone wants to come by.
I've always wanted to see Iowa, especially Dyersville. I'm in.
Hey, Squizzy! I saw some stuff this weekend that might help out with this job. Lemme know if you think this'll be enough...
...Thats equivalent to enough Gelignite to turn that silo into a space shuttle.
Dayexco--Are you saying you're inside the silo knocking out the blocks and you casually{or not} work your way out while it starts falling?Am I missing something here or do you just have the biggest cajones in S. Dakota?
I fugured he stood outside and bashed the blocks. you couldnt pay me enough to do that from inside.
What do you think of this method? Anyone got a .50 Cal? Looks like fun, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
tuney, i'm not going to even answer that question. if you look at the videos that cat 420 posted, that's somewhat "similiar" to what happens. only difference being the silo in the movie being dropped was made out of a mortared clay brick/tile. the one that buffaloman wants to drop is made of concrete staves, that interlock with a cast tongue and groove joint. the concrete ones don't have a tendancy to fall straight down, they typically topple at the angle you knock the block out of.
When wifes are away rednecks will play and they bring out the big guns:Cowboy Hmmm Any body know where I can pick me up a .50 cal browning chain feed.
I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you... :bouncegri