Retaining wall OT

Sammy in Kansas · Jan 29, 2011

I need to build a retaining wall in shape of a C and the long part will be aprx. 50 feet and each end will be about 15. I have seen RR ties used for this purpose which is what I was planning to use, but have also heard guys talk about old used tires. Just thought I would see what has and has not worked for others on this site. If the tires work, how did you stack them and what kept them in place? Any and all opinions will be appreciated. Thank you

jim in N M · Jan 29, 2011

If you stack them you fill them with dirt on the first row,than stagger them like laying bricks and fill those with dirt and so on !!

old · Jan 29, 2011

Done both but I worked 2 season in this area doing land scraping. Rail road tie are easy, Tires are a bit more tricky. You start big at the bottom and then work up smaller and you fill as you go. Having a fence post in the middle help a lot. You also need to do it in a way that you do a sort of 2 forward one back and between. Hard to explain by way of typing

Adirondack case guy · Jan 29, 2011

I'm not sure what your ground conditions are where you live in KS. You did not say how high the wall will be. If you are trying to retain soils that are clay types, it is vital that you install drainage stone behind any wall to drain water and avoid frost push. Also if you use RR ties you should drape Geo fabrick on the back surface of the ties down to base to prevent silt from seeping out through the cracks. The walls will also require perpendicular ties back into the retained ground, "dead men" , morticed into the ties and pined to the wall with rebar and staked on the other end, and then backfilled. You can also lay the fabric in C shaped layers about a foot thick, back into the retained dirt. This works very well with dry laid stone retaining walls. As far as tires I think they would work very well if you tapered them back and filled them with crushed stone, and pined them with rebar. I can't say the looks would be my "cup of tea" but to each his own.

GEJD60 · Jan 30, 2011

Sammy, not sure what part of Kansas you are in but you should be able to find some seconds or discontinued retaining wall blocks from a block manufacturer. If built right they will last a whole lot longer than RR ties and look a great deal better too.

Kansas Cockshutt · Jan 30, 2011

Are you talking about this method with the tires?
It will last forever, but also takes forever to do:

The tamping process is different when tires are used as the framework. In this case, a sheet of cardboard is placed across the bottom of the hole in the tire, and moistened soil is shoveled into the tire. The dirt is packed by hand into the interior of the tire, and then it is compacted by repeated blows with a sledge hammer. Using this technique, about three wheelbarrow loads (350 lb or 158.9 kg) of soil can be packed into each tire. Pounding the dirt causes the tire"s walls to bulge, interlocking the tire to the row below. As additional layers are added and the wall becomes taller, scaffolding must be constructed so workers have a place to stand while filling and pounding the tires.

(stolen from web- google: rammed earth tire wall)

Mark-Ia · Jan 30, 2011

Broken concrete makes a good retaining wall. It is usually free. Sidewalks, driveways, ect.

Retaining wall OT

Sammy in Kansas

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jim in N M

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old

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Adirondack case guy

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GEJD60

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Kansas Cockshutt

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Mark-Ia

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