Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire IBC Tote

I'm trying to put a plan together for a water system for cattle. Got a pretty good handle on most of it. Wondering if any of you guys have experience with those IBC totes. How long do they last in direct sunlight, things like that.
If I don't figure something out that's cheap and portable, i'll just go with tire tanks.
Thank you gentlemen.

Totes are fine but you need to protect them from uv radiation. That means either paint them with white paint or cover them them with black contractor plastic. Either will do to keep the uv radiation from inbritaling the plastic

we used to get those things onboard the Carrier full of hydraulic fluid. they were indestructible. I would say if you can get some type of shade even if it's a tarp, they will last a LONG time.

I’ve got some on my place that have been out in the sun for 10+ years and are still intact/hold water. Used as wildlife waterer.

Run 2-3 ft of hose to a trough-o-matic valve in a 3-5 gallon watering tray, sat in the ground in cement (so it can’t be scooted around). Wood box with hinged top covers about 1/4 of the tray, so wildlife/cattle can’t mess with the valve.

The sun is worse about promoting algae growth, than it is degrading the tank..

Doc - I always like to learn new words, and was unfamiliar with the term "inbritaling". I thought I was going to expand my vocabulary so I Googled it.

lmao

Don't let water sit to long in them they'll start building algae if left in the hot sun. it would help by putting a 2" vent in the cover

Painting it black will help with algae.
Can't grow without sunlight.

plastic ones?

theyll get brittle over time.

this? This was a "tote tank" offshore made by IBC.



and yes, if you hook a hose to it, pick up with a crane, and don't open the vent.....

itll look like a flattened beer can.

I had a couple of the clear plastic totes inside a tubular metal frame. I used them just as you describe for stock water. The plastic began disintegrating after about ten years of all year direct sunlight.

But those totes were built nearly forty years ago. Perhaps the plastic is more UV resistant today.

I was thinking of cutting it down, using the bottom half with the pallet so I can move it easy with the tractor, leave the cage on it so when they rub on it they don't destroy it. Put a float through the side, slide it under the hot wire so they don't try to jump in the middle of it and break the float or stop the water feeder line.

It's a rent place. 80 acres, no water, no fence. And without a long term lease I'm looking at options I can take with me. It does border me, so I was going to tie into my system and run HDPE pipe on top the ground to feed these tanks.

Sounds like I need to paint them... That should enhance life long enough to serve this purpose and save me 1200-2000.00.

and as far as algae goes... This herd will be guzzling down 3500 gallons a day in the summer.

Thank you gents.

They are so cheap here that you could replace them every year cheaper than repainting them ? We have a guy that recycles all different kinds of plastic containers... he sells the chemical ones for 20 and food grade for 40..... I was going to use one for an okie septic tank for the little bathroom in the shop but once I told him what it was for he sold me a 600 gal double wall plastic tank that had chlorine in it for the same price....thing is indestructible ..... he also always has those double size milk crates for like 5 bucks each.... helluva guy to know...lol. It's like a redneck paradise.

Do not remove from the cage and fill up, will look like a stepped on marshmallow.

We use them at my work indoors in an industrial setting daily. They hold up to being moved around and banged into things occasionally with fork trucks just fine. I have no idea what there UV rating is but they seem plenty durable for your purposes otherwise.

Not to be condescending.

Do you have cattle experience?
Not quite sure your plan, it might be fine.

But if you give the hard heads a place they shouldn't go,
or something they can destroy.
They love the challenge.
And usually succeed.

Yes, but I don't want to sound condescending...

Where's he at in NorCal and does he have a website?

When you see one eating the spark plug wires on a running irrigation engine, you have seen it all.