# Salt barn idea



## Jeep_thing (Mar 3, 2014)

Putting together a plan to go to bulk salt next season. I have an existing 17 x 20 slab. What do you think about this idea- laying block about 4' high on 3 sides, rebar through the cavities and fill with concrete. Tarp over this for now, possibly take the walls up and add a roof in the coming years. How many yards do you think this would hold without the salt running out of the open front?


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

use the big solid concrete block,they are about 1 yrd concrete each, set them on the outside of the slab, build 3/4 rows up with a slight shim inward

should get at least 20 ton and it will be easier to cover

dont think you idea will hold the outward pressure without perlins


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## Jeep_thing (Mar 3, 2014)

leolkfrm said:


> use the big solid concrete block,they are about 1 yrd concrete each, set them on the outside of the slab, build 3/4 rows up with a slight shim inward
> 
> should get at least 20 ton and it will be easier to cover
> 
> dont think you idea will hold the outward pressure without perlins


I like it!


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

leolkfrm said:


> use the big solid concrete block,they are about 1 yrd concrete each, set them on the outside of the slab, build 3/4 rows up with a slight shim inward
> 
> should get at least 20 ton and it will be easier to cover
> 
> dont think you idea will hold the outward pressure without perlins


I also know a guy in my town that did the same thing with the big blocks next to slab. Then put one of the fabric hoop roofs over it. It's tall enough he can pull his 3 yard loader in it.


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## JMHConstruction (Aug 22, 2011)

I have seen the blocks also, seem to work well. The company I sub for uses old shipping containers in a U shape to keep in the salt contained. Then they use the shipping containers to hold their pallets of bagged ice melt for the sidewalks crews. Works great for them, and they can lock their bags up. Not sure how big your outfit is.


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

JMHConstruction said:


> I have seen the blocks also, seem to work well. The company I sub for uses old shipping containers in a U shape to keep in the salt contained. Then they use the shipping containers to hold their pallets of bagged ice melt for the sidewalks crews. Works great for them, and they can lock their bags up. Not sure how big your outfit is.


That's a good idea.


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## jdsquire (Nov 19, 2015)

Used an old grain silo in the past. No extra equipment needed to load, we just built a bigger hopper for the delivery dump truck to unload into. Air and heat circulation kept it all nice and dry.


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

JMHConstruction said:


> I have seen the blocks also, seem to work well. The company I sub for uses old shipping containers in a U shape to keep in the salt contained. Then they use the shipping containers to hold their pallets of bagged ice melt for the sidewalks crews. Works great for them, and they can lock their bags up. Not sure how big your outfit is.


That's a pretty good idea. And extra storage in the summer.

I wonder how they'd hold up to long term salt contact on the outside.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

jdsquire said:


> Used an old grain silo in the past. No extra equipment needed to load, we just built a bigger hopper for the delivery dump truck to unload into. Air and heat circulation kept it all nice and dry.


Do tell more about this...


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## On a Call (Jan 14, 2015)

jdsquire said:


> Used an old grain silo in the past. No extra equipment needed to load, we just built a bigger hopper for the delivery dump truck to unload into. Air and heat circulation kept it all nice and dry.


I too would like to hear more.

However I would think loading would be slow, unless it is huge silo ??

Any photos ???


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Jeep_thing said:


> Putting together a plan to go to bulk salt next season. I have an existing 17 x 20 slab. What do you think about this idea- laying block about 4' high on 3 sides, rebar through the cavities and fill with concrete. Tarp over this for now, possibly take the walls up and add a roof in the coming years. How many yards do you think this would hold without the salt running out of the open front?


You need them big solid blocks like you see on a big retaining wall with a big berm behind them I think they are 2'x2', You get your first layer level and fill with crush & run, It's a piece of cake from there. Start in the corners where you can stagger them this is how they are the strongest. I can't remember where but the huge landscape supply companies in Rochester should have them. You will need a decent size excavator or loader to set them.

If the shipping containers are more reasonable they will work too. Good Luck


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

those 2x3 walls look nice but i think the big blocks with the locking v in th middle might be more cost effective and hold better

btw, use some kind of foam to seal the seams


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## rick W (Dec 17, 2015)

The concrete blocks are very cheap in our area. In fact if you can call a few of the concrete guys and get ahold of the boss, (they just make them with left over concrete) they often are happy to get rid of them and will deliver very inexpensively. Most we have bought have ridges so they lock together and also a wire hook in them so a backhoe can move with a chain. We stacked them 4 high on gravel pad. Bought a poly hoop structure from one of the greenhouse supply houses fairly cheap, and then when done, bought some hot asphalt and put in a 3" floor and rolled the heck out of it. Been great for 7 years so far....total cost about 3500 all in an holds 80-100 tons.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

leolkfrm said:


> those 2x3 walls look nice but i think the big blocks with the locking v in th middle might be more cost effective and hold better
> 
> btw, use some kind of foam to seal the seams


Them are the ones I'm talking about, I thought they were 2x2 been a long time since I set any, Yes they interlock and have 2 smaller holes on top you fill with crusher. They will hold salt with no problem. They are rather inexpensive.


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## JMHConstruction (Aug 22, 2011)

John_DeereGreen said:


> That's a pretty good idea. And extra storage in the summer.
> 
> I wonder how they'd hold up to long term salt contact on the outside.


They definitely show some rust and wear. I'm not sure how long they have uses the 3 they currently have. I've only worked for them the last 2 years.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

leolkfrm said:


> use the big solid concrete block,they are about 1 yrd concrete each, set them on the outside of the slab, build 3/4 rows up with a slight shim inward


Dang, wish I would have thought of that.


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## jdsquire (Nov 19, 2015)

Philbilly & On a Call......we did this about 20 years ago before camera phones and I don't work for the guy anymore. What we had done was just take an old grain silo and built a bigger "hopper" I guess you'd call it and used the coal chute on the dump truck to unload and auger it to the top of the silo. Had the warm air circulation to keep it dry, and when we were ready to go out salting, just pull up under the silo unload and load your hopper, tarp it and roll.


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## JustJeff (Sep 9, 2009)

This is one of our temporary ones at work. It's behind a strip mall. The walls are about 5', and I'm guessing it holds 30 yards? Not really sure how much it will hold, that's just a rough guess.


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

JustJeff said:


> This is one of our temporary ones at work. It's behind a strip mall. The walls are about 5', and I'm guessing it holds 30 yards? Not really sure how much it will hold, that's just a rough guess.
> 
> View attachment 169746


That's exactly what I was talking about.


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## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

My bin is 12x12 6' tall. I get 30 tons in it stacked with the loader.


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## Jeep_thing (Mar 3, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions and photos!


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

Heres another idea for you! If you can get some? I managed to pickup six 13 foot jersey barriers for free, all I had to do was get them! At 5k lbs each you will need a large skid or folk lift to move them, but once placed there not going anywhere... we added a 60foot by 15 wide leantoo on our shop! Paved the entire strip in the photo as well. Open on the back end so we store the tractors in summer and the trailers in winter! Front 35 feet holds about 65-70ton with a large rolling door... with paneling and a metal roof I was Alittle over 3k!


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

I like it. I don't need a salt bin, but I could use something like that for multiple different things, and I hadn't thought of the Jersey barriers to act as pony walls. I'm gonna see if I can find a source for them around me.Thumbs Up


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

Ya it worked out great.. and at 30000+lbs it's not going anywhere quick. Luckily our SVL90 can pick th up


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

Here's a pic of it finished. Just need Alittle tin bent and a gutter...


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

I don't have equipment that could handle them, but I have friends that do. Do they have eye bolts on them so you can chain them, or do you need the picker attachment that squeezes the top of them as you lift up? I've never actually moved them so kinda ignorant on the subject.


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

ktfbgb said:


> I don't have equipment that could handle them, but I have friends that do. Do they have eye bolts on them so you can chain them, or do you need the picker attachment that squeezes the top of them as you lift up? I've never actually moved them so kinda ignorant on the subject.


Pallet forks will move them around just fine. That's how we move the ones we use for temporary bins if it's only 1 layer tall.


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

John_DeereGreen said:


> Pallet forks will move them around just fine. That's how we move the ones we use for temporary bins if it's only 1 layer tall.


Sweet Thumbs Up


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

Yes they have a 4ft slot on the bottom middle


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

nice idea, but i dont like the post on top, they should be in the ground for frost heave....basically at work they built barns and used the big blocks for containment, the jersey barriers will work the same way, just not really stackable.


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

leolkfrm said:


> nice idea, but i dont like the post on top, they should be in the ground for frost heave....basically at work they built barns and used the big blocks for containment, the jersey barriers will work the same way, just not really stackable.


It would work fine around me. We have mostly cinder soil because we are so close to mountain, which means it drains well. If you excavate a few inches under where the barriers will be placed and compact it, then fill with 3/4 angular rock for drainage, and then compact that, frost heave should be minimal since the barriers are on top of the soil. You start getting frost heaving when something is placed in the ground, above frost line. Then the soil has something to grab onto and heave. But in this case, as a storage area where some movement is fine since you don't have plumbing in The walls to brake, or drywall to crack, it shouldn't be an issue. I have several sheds on my property that sit on skids, no heaving, or at least not enough to notice. If you have poor draining/unstable soil, that moves a lot between summer and winter, then it would be a problem, and you would need to dig a footer below frost line, and fill with a good draining rock, compacting every 6-8 inch lift, or do an actual concrete footer.


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

100%. I put drainage pipe on the outside and the wall is sitting on stone! Basically stays dry for the most part! If the wall was to move a few inches up from frost it really don't matter as our entire leantoo is floating anyway! It works great!! Having everything under a roof year round is a beautiful thing!! Usually in the summer all our pushers and salt bins are in the salt side (off the ground) and tractors are in the back half! Winter has my boat and 3 trailers in the back half...


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

leolkfrm said:


> nice idea, but i dont like the post on top, they should be in the ground for frost heave....basically at work they built barns and used the big blocks for containment, the jersey barriers will work the same way, just not really stackable.


There's actually a reason for this way I did it! There was a pond here 5 years back and what's in the old pond for fill won't really let me put post in? Lol


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## ktfbgb (Jan 31, 2016)

Hysert said:


> There's actually a reason for this way I did it! There was a pond here 5 years back and what's in the old pond for fill won't really let me put post in? Lol


Ya you would of had to go past frost line, down to undisturbed native soil, if you wanted a true footer. For that application forget that.


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Hysert said:


> There's actually a reason for this way I did it! There was a pond here 5 years back and what's in the old pond for fill won't really let me put post in? Lol


I know of a few filled in areas like this in our township.


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## Jeep_thing (Mar 3, 2014)

Hysert said:


> Heres another idea for you! If you can get some? I managed to pickup six 13 foot jersey barriers for free, all I had to do was get them! At 5k lbs each you will need a large skid or folk lift to move them, but once placed there not going anywhere... we added a 60foot by 15 wide leantoo on our shop! Paved the entire strip in the photo as well. Open on the back end so we store the tractors in summer and the trailers in winter! Front 35 feet holds about 65-70ton with a large rolling door... with paneling and a metal roof I was Alittle over 3k!


Nice idea and I actually may have a connection for a handful of barriers. I would have to calculate if enclosing my 17x20 existing slab would give me enough storage with the sides the height of the barriers. I suppose I could enlarge the slab...


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

You could add 4x8 sheets of ply to extend the side height, just use concrete anchors to fasten them! Our 6x6 post were anchored with the buckets to the concrete! Goodluck!! Having bulk salt to load and unload as you want is one of the best things we've ever done not to mention the $$ savings.... our local builders is charging $125/yrd and $150/yrd after hrs for white! Treated is $160 day and $185 after hrs... think Im paying $89/mt


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