7 Uses For Old Tires On The Farm

There are so many different types of farm equipment that need strong, sturdy tires that it doesn’t take long for old tires stack up all around your farm. Even when they wear out or become damaged, old tires are still fairly indestructible in terms of being able to break down naturally. As matter of fact, an old tire thrown into the landfill will remain virtually unchanged in perpetuity.

This very indestructible quality is exactly what makes old tires so useful for repurposing in many ways around the farm. In this article, we review some of uses for old tires on the farm. Read on to learn more.

How To Re-Purpose Old Tires On A Farm

 

Here are seven simple ideas for reusing old tires:

1. Make a hay feeder

This type of feeder is very safe because it’s comparatively soft and flexible. Old tires can be used as is or turned inside out to hold hay for cattle and horses. Be advised, turning a tire inside out is no easy matter. The British gentleman in this video is able to turn a small tire inside out by himself to make a planter, but if you want to turn a tractor tire inside out, you’ll need lots of strong men and/or some heavy equipment to carry it off.

Struggle To Turn Tyre Inside Out

2. Plant a garden

Large old tires are a natural when it comes to making a raised bed garden. All you need to do is lay down a barrier over the area where you wish to set up your garden and then arrange your tires over the barrier. Fill them up with compost and soil and you’re good to go.

3. Build a swing

You can use old tires to make both practical and decorative tire swings. A good strong rope tossed over a sturdy tree branch with a tire attached can be the source of a lot of pleasant childhood memories.

Tire Swing

If you don’t have kids around, you may want to create a tire swing planter in much the same way. Instead of filling the tire with little kids, plant a few pretty plants to fill your decorative tire swing with flowers. Many people like to paint the tire before planting.

TIP: Whether you are making a tire swing for play or planting, drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

4. Hold down a roof

If you have a shed roof that wants to blow away, you can temporarily hold it in place with an old tire. This is a good way to make do in a pinch and avoid losing your roof in inclement weather.

5. Weigh down plastic or tarps

Old tires add weight to anything that you want to hold down. For example, if you’re storing grain or other materials in underground bunkers, you can use old tires to hold down the plastic that you’re using as protection.

6. Prevent erosion

If you have an eroding hillside, you can do a little landscaping and install old tires to create a tiered incline and prevent having your topsoil wash away.

Upcycling Tires Into Erosion Embankments

7. Old tires can be used for construction in some instances

For example, it’s possible to build dams using old tires or even build a shed or outbuilding with them.

40 Amazing Uses For Old Tires

What If You Have Too Many Old Tires?

Of course it’s entirely possible that the time may come when you’ll have more tires than you know what to do with. If this becomes the case, talk with your County extension agent to find out where you might take unwanted tires for recycling.

It may also be possible to set up some kind of an exchange or donation deal with other farmers or organizations who may actually be in need of used tires.

Avoid having multiple tires stacked up or stored together. It’s possible for them to become tremendously hot and spontaneously combust.

When this happens, dangerous levels of toxins are released into the air. Additionally, it’s extremely difficult to put out this sort of fire. It’s dangerous for the firefighters and usually requires a great deal of costly foam concentrate.

Whatever you do, don’t improperly dump tires in out-of-the-way places or in landfills:

1. In the first place, this sort of littering is incredibly irresponsible and destructive.
2. In the second place, you may end up facing some heavy fines if you get caught doing this sort of thing.

Discarded tires are not just unsightly, they are also dangerous in the environment. They release high levels of benzene and mercury along with a good many other harmful toxins.