Silo door way

[Anonymous-0]

I'm buying a piece of property that has a cement block silo that about 35 feet tall with the steel rings around it to hold it together. I have no use for it. I've seen picture where some one has put in a stair case and a look out at the top. My question is how do you make the door way big enough to get though it with out having it fall on you. You have to cut out some of the steel rings tieing it together to make the door way big enough. Question two. if I deside to not use it, what is the best way to knock it down?

JRay

 

[Zachary Hoyt]

If there are Amish in the area they will come and remove it for you, at least the do around here. Amish neighbor took down our 12x40 silo this summer, did a good job and got it done quickly. They disassemble them from the top down with a scaffolding on the inside. You can knock it down yourself but then you have a lot of concrete to dispose of somehow, and a big mess.
Zach

 

[Dean]

I had one taken down about 2 years ago after the remnants of hurricane Ike collapsed the adjacent barn. It was amazing what it took to demolish it even though the bottom two rings had long since rusted through and fallen off.

The procedure is to knock a couple of holes in it at the bottom about about 120 - 160 degrees apart, insert a stout chain or wire rope through the holes and pull out the side toward the direction that you want it to fall with a bull dozer or other suitable machine.

In my case the silo continued to stand even though the bottom had been pulled out nearly half way around.

Dean

 

[Anonymous-0]

When you did get it to tip over, did it break up all the blocks? I was looking at the blocks and wondering if They could be used like paver blocks in a drive way.

Jray

 

[Dean]

Not all but probably more than 50%.

I used them to line a wash so did not care.

Dean

 

[retired farmer]

I would keep it, it is a piece of history. When they are all torn down there won't be any more.

 

[retired farmer]

Don't forget to include Silverstein too.

 

[N. TX Tim]

From experience, if you attempt to take down a silo by yourself, be VERY careful. We had a ceramic block silo behind our house when I grew up (the barn had been pulled down). For years my grandfather had said that all we needed to do was knock 13 blocks out of the bottom of the silo (with a sledge or high powered rifle) and it would fall over. Well, when I was in my late 20"s, I was home on leave and a little bored, so I decided I would just take care of that silo for Dad. With my brother standing right behind me watching the silo for movement, I started at the ladder/door opening and knocked blocks out about 1/4 of the way around the silo. Then we went to the other side and knocked out another 1/4 of the blocks. With 1/2 of a row of blocks removed, nothing happened. By that time Dad came out and made us get back from the silo. He thought it was too risky for me to continue with the sledge, so he made me get my 30-30 and try to shoot out a block...but the bullet just made a small hole in it. Since we were at a point of no return, Dad decided he would try with the sledge while we stood WAY back. He hit that last block one time with the sledge and we saw a puff of dust from the top and then the whole thing collapsed STRAIGHT down...with the biggest pile of blocks where Dad had stood. When we saw the dust, we yelled and Dad slipped and fell trying to run away, but luckily he was able to scramble on his hands and knees under the front of an old Diamond T he had parked out back, and escaped without any injuries.

That was one of the scariest things that I have witnessed. We were really luck that day. I always expected that thing to fall like a tree...not collapse straight down.

I would only attempt this with a very long chain or pull strap and a tractor.
Tim

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a large stave silo as well. I wonder if it would be possible to use some U-channel at the outer edges of the stave, and then weld the ring to the channel. Maybe then you could cut the ring at the door while keeping tension on the rest of the staves.

 

[Steve In WPa]

My brother & I knocked one down in 1990. The barn was burned down in 1976 and a new one rebuilt on site the following year. It was mine. I was never going to fill it, thought it to be unsafe. I started it knocking out a block going side to side. got better than 1/2 way around & the blocks just started to explode as we hit it with a sledge. I ran out of nerve, but not my brother. the next block did the trick. It fell like a tree right where we wanted it. I have a still photo of it lying on the ground still in tubular shape. Of course it shattered immediately, but still a neat photo.

Be careful, be safe, have a safe route in mind.

Steve