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Concrete Vs Plastic Water Troughs

nhg

Hi Guys, just planning on dividing an outfarm into paddocks for forward stores and need to put in a good few large water troughs (large size as land uphill and not to have too much pressure on a well/pump - have to drill a well and put in an electricity connection).

We have mostly large black JFC tanks on the home farm but we notice alot of concrete tanks being put in recently - which do you recommend?

(alot of the JFC fittings not a good as they used to be - notice alot of newer tank fittings leaking lately)

TIA...

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kevthegaff

Concrete

The part time boy

I have all plastic . Put a lot of money into them too . 90 l and more recently the bigger round ones.

If I had my time again I not touch plastic ones with a barge pole . They either leak . Hard to keep dead level and if go empty cattle will drag them around

Mooooo

Concrete all the way. At least if anything happens supply you won't arrive on to the cattle playing football with the trough

A cow called Daisy

In my experience JFC plastic drinkers give plenty of hassle. I've had leaks, poor ball valves supplied with them, overflowing etc. Why should you have to bend the arm on a new ball valve/drinker to stop it over flowing. Also, easily shunted if near empty. Intend to replace them with concrete ones which, round here, as OP says in his area have also got very common.
In related question, top or bottom fill?

Cavanjack

Concrete unless you want to change the all again in a few years

Wessel3

best with large round concrete one in the middle area with paddocks all around it,

The part time boy

A cow called Daisy wrote: »

Why should you have to bend the arm on a new ball valve/drinker to stop it over flowing.

This !!!!

F**king drives me mad !

Dozer1

concrete all the way but be wary there are sh*t ones of them too, there was a thread on it previously.

last ones I got were through Dairygold a crowd in Tipp and they are good looking troughs with a nice finish

mythos110

I lost about 10 concrete troughs back in the really cold weather in 2010/11. The bottoms all popped with the ice. Installed plastic as replacements have had relatively little trouble but I did set them into the ground with the digger to stop them moving around and to get them level.

I do agree with the comment on having to bend the ball-cocks though. Madness that they don't have them set to stop 2-3 inches short of the top rim....

Gravelly

mythos110 wrote: »

I lost about 10 concrete troughs back in the really cold weather in 2010/11. The bottoms all popped with the ice. Installed plastic as replacements have had relatively little trouble but I did set them into the ground with the digger to stop them moving around and to get them level.

I do agree with the comment on having to bend the ball-cocks though. Madness that they don't have them set to stop 2-3 inches short of the top rim....

Throw a football in the concrete ones during the winter and it'll stop them bursting with the frost.

Bass Reeves

Concrete troughs as well here. They all survived the big freeze. They have sloped sides so as water froze it was pushed up into the air. with plastic troughs manufacturer's are keeping ballcocks very high to be able to claim extra capacity in tank. Another issue with plastic troughs is after a few years when tank is half empty ballcock will go down sideways and get stuck in side of covered ballcock area on the way up and trough will over flow.

mahoney_j

nhg wrote: »

Hi Guys, just planning on dividing an outfarm into paddocks for forward stores and need to put in a good few large water troughs (large size as land uphill and not to have too much pressure on a well/pump - have to drill a well and put in an electricity connection).

We have mostly large black JFC tanks on the home farm but we notice alot of concrete tanks being put in recently - which do you recommend?

(alot of the JFC fittings not a good as they used to be - notice alot of newer tank fittings leaking lately)

TIA...

Concrete and don't even think about plastic jfc troughs ,***** of yokes,shirt ballcocks and cattle will nudge them .moleploughed out farm and homeblock this year and used concrete spliiane troughs ,had some murphy concrete troughs,avoid them

GrasstoMilk

Have both here. Have no issue with either only that concrete are cheaper than plastic and can't be moved if the trough goes empty for some reason. The most important thing is a good base under any of them.
I've round ones down 8 years now and have never leaked.
Water pipe ran underneath them to stop the cows pushing it around and lots of gravel

49801

Have bought both in recent years
Prefer concrete. Ones with a drain plug.

For the plastic ones I've had to put concrete base around them to stop moving

kevthegaff

mahoney_j wrote:

Concrete and don't even think about plastic jfc troughs ,***** of yokes,shirt ballcocks and cattle will nudge them .moleploughed out farm and homeblock this year and used concrete spliiane troughs ,had some murphy concrete troughs,avoid them

Spillane s make a good trough +1

Willfarman

Throw a few tyres in the concrete ones as frost protection.

dohc turbo2

Did the farm two years ago , all new piping and concrete troughs , got off McMahon in limerick , have the big drain on them we take the plugs off during winter. Delighted with them

memorystick

An interesting thread. How much for a concrete trough for around 50 stores? Hoping to install paddocks. Not sure if I should share troughs under division wire or at the end of the paddock. I don't want them walking to a designated water point for the whole season. Constant muck. Sound

alps

Plastic troughs should be banned and JFC should be made apologise to the nation.

Bass Reeves

memorystick wrote: »

An interesting thread. How much for a concrete trough for around 50 stores? Hoping to install paddocks. Not sure if I should share troughs under division wire or at the end of the paddock. I don't want them walking to a designated water point for the whole season. Constant muck. Sound

Under the division wire and in the middle of he paddock so you can split again when grass growth is high. If you can put stone around trough stops cattle dragging at ground around it

The part time boy

Willfarman wrote: »

Throw a few tyres in the concrete ones as frost protection.

Not too sure but water soaking up all the chemicals that would be in a tyre can't be good for a cow to be drinking

Keepgrowing

Coccrete if I was buying, cheaper and less likely to leak.

Tip for concrete over winter is a block of timber or a half filled gallon can, something that can handle the expansion.

If you go plastic don't plumb on top as supplied but tap in at the bottom, no leaky valve then. Fit stop valve at each trough. This makes you check water when cattle enter and leave paddock.

Gravelly

The part time boy wrote: »

Willfarman wrote: »

Throw a few tyres in the concrete ones as frost protection.

Not too sure but water soaking up all the chemicals that would be in a tyre can't be good for a cow to be drinking

As I said earlier in the thread, throw in a football and that stops them bursting with frost. Less likely to get caught around animals neck if you forget to remove it too.

White Clover

Gravelly wrote: »

As I said earlier in the thread, throw in a football and that stops them bursting with frost. Less likely to get caught around animals neck if you forget to remove it too.

Would the football not float on top?

Gravelly

White Clover wrote: »

Would the football not float on top?

It floats half in and half out if you know what I mean. When the water freezes it compresses the ball rather than bursting the trough.

my3cents

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Coccrete if I was buying, cheaper and less likely to leak.

Tip for concrete over winter is a block of timber or a half filled gallon can, something that can handle the expansion.

If you go plastic don't plumb on top as supplied but tap in at the bottom, no leaky valve then. Fit stop valve at each trough. This makes you check water when cattle enter and leave paddock.

Is that legal on mains water without a one way valve to prevent the water in the trough ending up back in the water main?

Keepgrowing

my3cents wrote: »

Is that legal on mains water without a one way valve to prevent the water in the trough ending up back in the water main?

No idea but all water meters and local schemes have non return valves at connection.

dohc turbo2

I've heard of lads putting in a timber post over the winter to protect against frost

nhg

Concrete it is so...

Recommendations on best brands greatly appreciated as we have 5 to buy (thinking along the lines of 140 gallon Top Fill with emptying bung)

Sam Kade

Gravelly wrote: »

It floats half in and half out if you know what I mean. When the water freezes it compresses the ball rather than bursting the trough.

Wouldn't it make more sense to remove the drain plug during winter as you will have to drain the stagnant water after the winter anyway?