Silo demolition advise needed

[buffaloman]

I am interested in advise from some of you that may have experience in bringing down a couple of old unwanted concrete silos. These two silos are owned by my neighbor and located very close to his barn and machine shed. He would like to have them removed without spending much money, and I would like to salvage the concrete blocks to use as a base in a creek crossing I plan to make nearby. If we can get these to come down in a "controlled" manner without damaging the barn or shed it would be benificial for both of us. I own an old Caterpillar D8H that I use for my own personal use around my farm. I'm not sure it can be used in bringing the silos down but they are only about 250 - 300 feet from where my creek crossing will be built and I could just push the material to my location. I am posting a pic of the silos and buildings, which are on the left side of the pic, and the proposed creek crossing area, which is a little right of center very near a telephone pole. The crossing will be dug from the road to the bottom of the creek bed and then back up the other side with about the same amount of slope as from the road down. This will provide better access from the raod into the small field behind the telephone pole. The concrete would be pushed in after the dirt work is done to provide a solid base to drive over.
Any advise or ideas on the best way to bring the silos down without damaging the buildings will be considered and appreciated.
I'm having trouble getting the pic to post so here is a direct link to it. Thanks.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6725/creekcrossing6yx.jpg

 

[digger242j]

The link is taking me to the image shack site, but not to your pic...

 

[buffaloman]

Correct link to pic (I hope)

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/486/creekcrossing1ot.jpg

 

[digger242j]

How about this? :wink2 (Although following the link will make it bigger on your screen.)

 

[Squizzy246B]

To be honest it looks like a job for the explosives guys. Either that or you are in big excavator territory. Roughly how high are those silos?

 

[digger242j]

I posted a suggestion, but them thought better of it--somebody, not posting here but just lurking, might actually try it.

He would like to have them removed without spending much money,

That's an ingredient in the recipie for lots of disasters....

 

[Steve Frazier]

Probably the safest way would be to erect a scaffold and dismantle it one hoop and row of blocks at a time. As close as the buildings are, I think any attempt to topple the silos will result in peripheral damage. As far as toppling them, I think the explosives idea would have the least chance for injury. Whatever you decide, be sure to video tape the job!

 

[digger242j]

I think the explosives idea would have the least chance for injury.

But I doubt the people that have that expertise work cheap.

I've never done it, but I'd be happy to take a shot at it...:bouncegri

 

[Squizzy246B]

But I doubt the people that have that expertise work cheap.

We have a lot of expertise in wrecking things ...and we ain't cheap either:bouncegri

 

[digger242j]

LOL!

I just noticed the modification to your signature... :lmao

 

[Squizzy246B]

LOL!

I just noticed the modification to your signature... :lmao

Yeah well...the first line has two meanings....the hidden meaning goes along the lines of me tonight, asking "her" where "she" parked her broom...no sense of humour women

 

[dayexco]

i live in south dakota. i've taken down probably 20 silos...DISCLAIMER!!! THIS HAS WORKED WELL FOR US, BUT DO NOT SUGGEST ANYBODY ELSE ATTEMPT TO DO IT. what you need to do is take a chop saw and cut the bottom steel bands that you can reach without a ladder. whatever direction you want it to fall, you take two guys with 8 lbs. sledges...start with the block at waist level in the direction you want it to fall. all you need to do is crack/displace them, both of you work your way out. typically only have to crack 10-12 block, and it'll go over like the the leaning tower of pisa with very flew block busted. LIKE I POSTED ABOVE!!!! I AM NOT SUGGESTING NOR RECOMMEND ANY OF YOU TRY THIS UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN IT DONE, OR HAVE DONE IT BEFORE!!!

 

[tylermckee]

i live in south dakota. i've taken down probably 20 silos...DISCLAIMER!!! THIS HAS WORKED WELL FOR US, BUT DO NOT SUGGEST ANYBODY ELSE ATTEMPT TO DO IT. what you need to do is take a chop saw and cut the bottom steel bands that you can reach without a ladder. whatever direction you want it to fall, you take two guys with 8 lbs. sledges...start with the block at waist level in the direction you want it to fall. all you need to do is crack/displace them, both of you work your way out. typically only have to crack 10-12 block, and it'll go over like the the leaning tower of pisa with very flew block busted. LIKE I POSTED ABOVE!!!! I AM NOT SUGGESTING NOR RECOMMEND ANY OF YOU TRY THIS UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN IT DONE, OR HAVE DONE IT BEFORE!!!

So i'm not crazy for thinking that would work. similar to taking down a big tree, take out your hinge and it should fall in the direction you want it to, if all goes well at least.

You could always call this guy

 

[buffaloman]

digger242j - Thanks for the help with the pic!

Sqizzy246B - I would guess the smaller silo at about 50 ft. and the bigger one at about 60 ft.

Does anyone think that by removing the lower blocks on the side of the direction we want it to fall (basically forming a hinge effect), that the silo might begin to buckle and "backwash" into the side of the barn?

Thanks to all of you for some great input!

 

[Dusty]

A Guy Here Tried The Knocking Out The Bottom Block And It Didnt Go Well He Was Doing A Smoke Stack About 150 Ft Tall The News Filmed It And It Went Right Through A Building Opps

 

[digger242j]

That was along the lines of the suggestion I posted and then edited out, and for the reasons mentioned, and others, yet to be discovered.

 

[dayexco]

let me add this. ANYTHING you're uncomfortable doing, you should not do. if you feel for safety's sake it is better to set up scaffolding, take it down block by block, have at it. there used to be a farm every half section here when i grew up as a kid. now there might be one every 3-4 sections of land. land values have skyrocketed forcing these farmers to clear up old building sites and farm that land. we got into toppling silos during demolition of the old building sites. what i suggested in the earlier post works well, very well....but i didn't add in the darwin factor that might accompany some of those that will attempt it.

 

[digger242j]

I'm not sure how well it would work out, but manlifts are so much more common today than in years past. I'd bet renting one for a week would be as economical as setting up scaffolding.

 

[dayexco]

i've never used one, they typically go 50-80' in the air?

 

[digger242j]

i've never used one, they typically go 50-80' in the air?

Me neither, but there are two on the site I'm mostly working on these days. The carpenters hardly touch their pump jacks any more. I don't know specifically what model the lifts are, but here's a link I just picked from among the first few Google results:

http://www.kdllifts.com/genie-s120.htm

"With working heights from 46 to 131 feet (14 to 39.9 m)...."