SMALL CONCRETE FEEDING TROUGHS

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 1, 15 July 1950, Page 65

SMALL CONCRETE FEEDING TROUGHS

MANY farmers today are realising the advantages of being able to construct on the farm at reasonable cost small but necessary items for farm use. Details of methods used for the construction of small feeding troughs on the Mahora Stud Farm, Hastings, are given in this article by F. H. Collin, Fields Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hastings. The troughs, which have been produced and used on the farm for a number of years, have proved completely satisfactory for feeding swill to pigs and wet mash to poultry. Larger troughs used as watering troughs for stock have also been made, simply by extending the moulds described.

ALL details of measurements for the construction of the moulds are shown on the diagrams. Troughs are reinforced with gin. steel rods, 4 lengths of reinforcing, 3ft. Bin. long and 2 lengths 14in. long being required for each trough. Both ends of the outside mould (Fig. 1) are detachable. The ends are clamped on with iron pins (Fig. 2) before the inside mould (Fig. 3) is fixed in 'place. Before the concrete is mixed all the parts of the mould which come in contact with the concrete are thoroughly oiled with old engine oil. The sheet iron covering the outside portion of the mould is also oiled. The concrete mixture used is 3 to 1 and preferably should consist of 7 parts of Jin. chips, 5 parts of sand, and 4 parts of cement. A in. layer of concrete is laid in the outside mould and two 3ft. Bin. steel rods are worked into position in the wet concrete, care being taken to see that they are kept at least lin. from the bottom of the mould. The inside mould is placed on top of the concrete in the outside . mould and worked into position, care being taken to see that the . space between the moulds is the same at each end. The bolts as shown in the illustration of the mould clamped into position (Fig. 4) are fitted into the holes provided for in the ends of the outer mould. These bolts hold the inside mould firm and prevent it from lifting when the concrete is rammed into the sides.

A piece of oiled cardboard is then fitted on each end of the inside mould (Fig. 5) and a small amount of concrete used to hold it in position. The outside mould is then filled evenly with concrete, and while this is being

done it is essential to tap the sides well and ram the mix with a trowel. The two short pieces of reinforcing are then put in the concrete, one at each end of the mould, and the remaining two long rods on either side. Next the concrete is smoothed off with a trowel and left for 12 hours or a little longer. The bolts holding the inside mould in position are removed and the complete mould lifted from the trough. The cardboard inserted at each end of the inside mould is essential, because without it there is grave danger of the concrete cracking when the mould is lifted. The trough is left for 3 to 4 days in the outside mould before the ends (Fig. 2) are removed. The finished trough (Fig. 6), which has a capacity of 4 gallons, can be used in 14 days.

The initial outlay for timber, sheet iron, bolts, etc., for the moulds is small and the trough can be made very cheaply and quickly.