Silo demolition.

[wolc123]

20 hours ago, stubborn1VT said:

I helped take down a 60 footer.  Did it the same way.  Two of us with sledge hammers.  We did hook a cable to one of the upper rings and gave it some encouragement with a tractor.  Just like chopping down a tree!

I considered attaching a cable to the top band and assisting with a tractor pull.  I decided against it, because I was more scared of climbing up to that height on a ladder, than I was of blocks falling on me.  I did wear a hardhat for the job.

I pounded out the first block on the side where I wanted it to fall.  Fortunately, it already had a slight lean that way.  Next I worked 1/4 the way around the back side, where I did not have a real good escape route.

I finished up, pounding out the blocks towards the front side, where the escape path was much better.  That worked out well.  Some blocks blew out my way, the instant before the collapse.  I will have to try and watch the video in slow motion, to see how close they came.  Not sure how much protection the hardhat would have provided.

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by wolc123

[wolc123]

It is a good day for working on my 12 foot diameter concrete fire-pit: cool, dry, and a steady breeze.  That, and the old umbrella makes it pretty comfortable pounding out a drainage cut in the back with a hammer and chisel.  Dropping the silo with a sledge was easy compared to this.

[mowin]

58 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

It is a good day for working on my 12 foot diameter concrete fire-pit: cool, dry, and a steady breeze.  That, and the old umbrella makes it pretty comfortable pounding out a drainage cut in the back with a hammer and chisel.  Dropping the silo with a sledge was easy compared to this.

Out of likes . I would have fired up the concrete saw, lol.

[wolc123]

20 minutes ago, mowin said:

Out of likes . I would have fired up the concrete saw, lol.

I considered borrowing one from my brother or renting one.  It is chipping out a bit easier now that I am thru the harder outer layer.  I ran into a 1/2" steel re-rod, about 8" down, so now I got to unplug my radio and go get my electric cut-off wheel.

At least I get a little break every time I drop the chisel in the drink.  The water isn't that deep so finding it hasn't been a problem so far.

Edited April 24, 2021 by wolc123

[dbHunterNY]

Looks like a good job close to being done. Clean up is where all the work is. Took down one that was a little shorter than the 75 ft metal harvestors Grandparent's farm. Cut some bands, knocked out quite a few block at the base and then pulled on it with a couple dozers hooked up to cables from the top.

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[Farflung]

wolc123- hope you are wearing safety glasses with that chisel peening over like that. I've had metal flakes fly off and inbed in stuff. maybe a quick grind to the  chisel might  be a good idea? 

[wolc123]

1 minute ago, Farflung said:

wolc123- hope you are wearing safety glasses with that chisel peening over like that. I've had metal flakes fly off and inbed in stuff. maybe a quick grind to the  chisel might  be a good idea? 

I had my prescription glasses on.  Probably should have had side protection for that job.  They do have impact resistant plastic lenses at least.  Lots of concrete chips was bouncing off of them but they dont look scratched up at all. 

 I made the cut 1 foot deep, which was about all I had in me.  My right elbow was a little sore when i finished yesterday, but feels fine today.  

Next, I will fill the hole with the busted silo blocks (it looks like about half of them broke), and fill it with dirt to about 10" from the top.   There will be no campfires in it until the adjacent barn is down.  Hopefully, I will get that done by the end of the summer.

26 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

Looks like a good job close to being done. Clean up is where all the work is. Took down one that was a little shorter than the 75 ft metal harvestors Grandparent's farm. Cut some bands, knocked out quite a few block at the base and then pulled on it with a couple dozers hooked up to cables from the top.

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If I had to drop another one, I would probably hook a cable to the top and use a tractor to pull it over after pounding out a few less blocks from the bottom course. I could easily double the tractor's pull with a snatch block.  

 It did fall in the direction that I wanted it to, but looking at the video in slow motion, several blocks ended up a bit too close for comfort right before it toppled over.

The problem is, when you knock out all the blocks on the opposite side, those on your side take on much more compression load.  When they pop, there is no avoiding some chunks flying  your way. 

If it were not for the current crazy ammo situation, I would have taken out about the same number of blocks, but left a single one in the center on the side where I wanted it to fall.  Then I would have shot that out (from a safe distance) with deer slugs.

[wolc123]

I stacked the unbroken blocks on pallets this afternoon.    That looks like about half of them.  Next up is throwing the broken ones into the big fire pit.  I will have to wait until it dries up a little, because we got a pretty good rain shortly after I finished stacking.

Some day I may use those blocks to make a retaining wall around a vegetable garden area on the south end of our house.  Stuff don't grow very good there now, because the old barn roof blocks out too much sun.  Hopefully, that will be gone by next season.

 

[wolc123]

I finally got all the busted  blocks piled inside the 12 ft diameter fire pit. That made for a good workout, better than the stationary bike.  If we would only get a few days without rain, I could haul some dirt up with my loader tractor and finish it off.

I am working on the barn dismantling now, pulling the upper siding boards off, up in the hay loft.  That made a nice vantage point for an aerial shot of the big new fire pit:

[ncountry]

Nice! Those blocks are heavy. Must be over 100#s. 25 years or so ago I would help a local guy out on and off. He would tear down silos and rebuild them all over the northeast. I was a pretty tough 220# young man cutting firewood for living.. Not near as tough as him though.

He would carry a block in each hand all day long and swing them up onto the trailer bed. I could keep up for 3-4 hrs , then I was 2 handing them ..lol.. he had shoulders and forearms like a gorrilla. One of the few times I had to admit someone was tougher than me...ha.ha.

I watched him take quite a few down the same way you did , with a sledgehammer.

 

[wolc123]

I hope this old hay fork doesn't get busted up too bad when I pull the barn frame down.  I fondly remember using it to unload wagons of loose hay when was a little kid.  As soon as I reached my teens, my grandad bought a baler.  handling those bales sucked compared to the loose hay.

Those little square bales were nothing compared to these concrete silo blocks though. 

[wolc123]

I closed the big mosquito hotel today by capping my 12 foot diameter concrete fire pit with dirt.  I still need to finish the barn teardown , before the first big campfire in it though.   That fire would likely get a lot bigger than I wanted, with a little south west breeze, if I tried it now.

[Otto]

Looks like a nice spot for a tomato garden!

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[Farflung]

regarding your hay wagon unloader and rail, you might be able to peddle that to the  Amish.... and they would probbly take it down.

[wolc123]

52 minutes ago, Otto said:

Looks like a nice spot for a tomato garden!

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Not a bad idea.  The topsoil I put on top of the busted blocks looks pretty good.  It will take a few good rains to wash it down into all the spaces between concrete chunks.   It will be a long way back to stretch a water hose though.

[left field]

Wolc on a break ... "should I just drink the beer or chew up the glass as well?"

[wolc123]

2 hours ago, Farflung said:

regarding your hay wagon unloader and rail, you might be able to peddle that to the  Amish.... and they would probbly take it down.

My uncle (lives nextdoor on the edge of the homestead), and cousin (lives in a big mansion down in Georgia- he married a rich southern woman) were just over eyeballing it today. 

If the trolley is still in one piece after the barn crashes down, I would like to hang it and a section of the rail up in my new pole barn.  If they ever ban the killing of deer (that's where we get most of our protein now), I would probably raise goats.  I hear they taste similar.  Then I will use them old forks for loading loose hay into my loft.

[wolc123]

32 minutes ago, left field said:

Wolc on a break ... "should I just drink the beer or chew up the glass as well?"

 

[left field]

Wolc vs. me. 

 

[The_Real_TCIII]

Wolc vs. me. 
 

Wolc drives the boat.


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[wolc123]

40 minutes ago, left field said:

Wolc vs. me. 

 

Looks like Shaw is drinking some kind of pansy Nantucket lager.  Real men drink Genny Cream ale.