Retaining Wall out of used tires.

Sammy in Kansas · Apr 5, 2009

I know some of you will think this is crazy, but wanted to get everones thoughs on this. I have some property that I need to build a retaining wall aprx. 4 feet high by 40 feet long and then make a 45 degree angle and go from 4 feet high to nothing in a length aprx. 100 feet long. My local cement guy said he will bring left over cement and his truck wash outs to dump in old car tires. I was wondering how a guy might stack them to get them all tied together and if you think this will work. I know from and enviromental point, it is not the best, but neither is most old farm steads where we did not know about pollution years ago. Please advise how to stack them. Thanks again for your time.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 5, 2009

Concrete comes on trucks, cement comes in bags.

Eric SEI · Apr 5, 2009

Seems to me that I read of something similar in Farm Show. As I remember it they just put down a layer of tires, filled them with dirt, tamped the dirt, and then put the next row up like bricks. Of course you can't go straight up, each course sets back a little more, just like a dry joint stone wall is done.

Larry806 · Apr 5, 2009

I'm not a expert but have been told it is illegal to bury a tire unless the sidewall's have been cut . You used to be able to but the made it against the law . I know a guy that did it & the Federal EPA made them dig them up , cost BIG money .

Mark-Mi · Apr 5, 2009

That's not a crazy idea.My county soil conservation district and Nrcs office have built some from used tires.Laid them like brick the next row starting between tires on the row below it to interlock the tires.Back filled each row with dirt.I would lay them back at a angle so the tires would not push out.Not use the concrete,back fill with dirt and establish a good soil holding plant species or grass on the tires.
Mark

garytomaszewski · Apr 5, 2009

In Illinois, tires are an enviromental hazard and breeding ground for mesquitoes.

Casey in Ky · Apr 5, 2009

If it"s near a stream or waterway, and you were in Kentucky, and the Division of Water finds them, they WILL make you remove them, at your cost. I"d make an an anonymous call to your proper state agency to find out the rules first. OF course, if your in the middle of BFE with no nosey neighbors, might not matter.

DurangoCase · Apr 5, 2009

I"ve done many with dirt. Check this site out for techniques.
Earthships

Bob Kerr · Apr 5, 2009

Best retaining wall I ever saw was bags of concrete laid out like block or sand bags along a river bank. They just piled up the bags with the paper on them, but may have split the bags so the concrete would bind together in the center. After the paper rots off, it looks just like set stone! That wall has been in the river now for many years and still looks great!

Anonymous-0 · Apr 5, 2009

Thats bags of cement, Concrete comes on trucks, cement comes in bags!!!!

NCWayne · Apr 5, 2009

As you allude to in your post, cement is the, usually gray, powder that is mixed with stone, sand, and water to make concrete. If you want you can buy the cement, the stone, and the sand and add water and make your own concrete. That said, and I hate to burst your bubble, you can also buy premixed concrete in bags and all you have to add is the water. Granted what the post was suggesting may have been straight cement but concrete, in bags is indeed readily available.

bodid1998 · Apr 5, 2009

concrete in a bag !http://www.quikrete.com/images/Products/prod_1101.gif

paul · Apr 5, 2009

Depending on who you are, this is a great way to recycle & help keep our environment green; or you are a horrid polluter who should be in jail & horsewipped after fining you for all your money.

If you do this, skip the concrete and use just dirt. Tamp it in so there are no air spaces in the tire, that is the important part! Tires that are not filled and burried will float to the surface over the decades, and air spaces also allow bugs to breed.

See what type of politics affect this in your area, and use dirt instead of concrete if you go ahead.

--->Paul

old · Apr 6, 2009

Seen more then one set up that way and on Planet Green they talk about houses made that way. But they do not use concrete/cement they use dirt. Lay one row down fill and pack then lay the next row down over lapping them half way fill and pack and so on. If you really want them to hold well about every 10 foot or so drive in a fence post, iron that is or old pipe etc. One of the problems now days is tires are filling land fills or being burned or just left lay so doing that is Eco friendly

bill mar · Apr 6, 2009

this comes in a bag
Sakrete
High Strength Concrete Mix High strength concrete mix for anchoring posts and poles, and pouring footings and slabs.

Meets ASTM C 387 strength requirements for structural applications
Premium quality for consitent strength and durability.
Build walks, drives, slabs and steps. Anchor posts and poles.
For applications requiring at least 2 inches in thickness.
Just add water.

VaTom · Apr 6, 2009

Sammy, I know several people who manually pounded dirt in tires to make walls. None of them would ever do it again, too much labor. Concrete will work better. Dennis Weaver's Colorado house was made that way.

A real fast way to use tires to make a wall is with tire bales if there's anybody baling nearby. A guy near Colorado Springs designs houses using them. Tires are free, just pay for the hauling.

Check with Kansas, you may find you can do better than free. Virginia will pay the end-user $1/tire. No water problems here, only ground tires are banned from waterways. Turns out the small pieces didn't stay where they were put.

Billy NY · Apr 6, 2009

One other consideration, does anyone recall the tires, they might even have been shredded, I don't remember, but they used it for a fill area under a highway, lots of it too (think I read the story in engineering news record years back) darned things caught on fire, and were burning underground for quite awhile, not sure if that applies here, but you don't want that happening, we had something like that happen locally, not sure if or how it was put out, think this was a tire dump.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 6, 2009

Ya I think they have quickcrete now or something in bags. Any way I worked for a construction company in the early 90s we did slabs, foundations and concrete pumping, sometimes up to 100yds a day, thats 10 trucks. Well I always called it a cement truck! my boss would always correct me and say what I posted on here. Not trying to start trouble lol j

steve n carol · Apr 6, 2009

I prefer the 'low profile' tires. They are much easier to fill with soil....sl

Bob Kerr · Apr 6, 2009

Concrete comes in bags also. I have some here at the house that say concrete mix on them. Cement also comes in trucks. I guy I used to work with named "Tiny" (400 plus lbs) fell off the top of a phumatic hopper semi trailer hauling cement powder to a concrete plant when the stuck hatch came free. Yes, he was ok and no, he didn't crack the concrete he fell on. (If he wasn't such a good sport, I wouldn't have asked him that one!) He did say he bounced though and his brother who saw it happen confirmed it! That wall on the river was made from sacks of concrete and it does look very good!

Bob Kerr · Apr 6, 2009

I should add that straight cement won't hold up worth a flip. It will freeze and thaw and break apart badly.

LenND · Apr 6, 2009

Make sure you check with Health Dept. and for permits. It is against the law some places. A guy in N.D. had quite a long fence built of tires and the last I heard the court said he had to get rid of them. Now that could be expensive to move.

Retaining Wall out of used tires.

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