Most stockmen prefer to build their watering tanks oblong in shape.
Having decided upon the size, locate the tank in a handy, well drained,
wind-sheltered place.
To build a tank like the one shown in the picture, lay out the trough
5 by 16 feet. Make an excavation for a drainage foundation as directed
under SIDEWALKS, page 29. Around the outside dig a 10-inch trench 2 feet
6 inches deep. Lay all in-flow and over-flow pipes (not less than 1½
inches in diameter) so that the ends, fitted for connections, will be
even with the finished bottom of the tank.
Build the forms and have the necessary reinforcing on hand before
mixing any concrete. The tank is 5 by 16 feet by 2½ feet deep with an
8-inch bottom. The walls are 5 inches thick at the top and 10 inches
at the bottom. (The sloping face allows the ice to slip up the sides
instead of pushing directly against them.) Consequently the inside
forms at the bottom are 5 inches shorter at each end than at the top.
The forms are nothing more than shell boxes made from odd lengths of
1-inch siding nailed to 2 by 4-inch studding spaced not more than
2 feet apart. The sides of the forms may be made separate and put
together in place; or, if there is sufficient help, each form may be
entirely completed and set up as one piece. The forms are held in
position by 2 by 4-inch liners at top and bottom, and if necessary by
sloping braces nailed to stakes driven in the ground. Cut strips of
heavy woven wire fencing sufficiently long to cover the bottom and to
project up into the walls.
[Illustration]
With the forms ready, mix a batch of 1: 2: 4 concrete. Beginning at
one end, fill the trench, and upon the gravel foundation place a 2-inch
layer of concrete in width slightly greater than a width of wire. Upon
this concrete lay a section of wire. Tamp in the remaining 6 inches
of concrete and bring up the extra length of the wire so that the
ends will project up into the future side walls. Continue laying the
concrete in sections until the bottom is completed. Finish the surface
with a wooden float.
Immediately set the wall forms in place, and set them level by using a
carpenter’s level. Fill the wall space with concrete. Half way up the
side and 1 inch from the outside, lay a ½-inch iron rod entirely around
the tank. Again 2 inches from the top, and 1 inch from both inner and
outer edges, lay two rods of the same size. If a tank cover is desired,
set bolts in the concrete as directed under CORN CRIB FLOORS,
page 53.
To prevent mud holes, surround the tank with a concrete floor. (See
FEEDING FLOORS, page 43.) Protect the green tank from drying
out according to instructions under SIDEWALKS, pages 28-34.
=Materials Required=
Crushed rock or screened gravel 7 cubic yards at $1.10 $7.70
Sand 3½ cubic yards at 1.00 3.50
Portland cement 11½ barrels at 2.50 28.75
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$39.95