Old tyres for retaining wall

[Dan_574]

Hi All,

I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with building a reatining wall out of old car tyres. It would be a maximum of 1m high so as not to need engineering. I was thinking of two types, 1. just stacking the tyres vertically wiring or bolting them together and filling with soil and compacting, would possibly drive a post or similar every so often to increase strength. 2. again laying them on top of each other but going back at an angle, like a set of steps leaving spaces to plant trees, bushes etc to hide the tyres and increase stability, again would either wire or bolt tyres together. Tyres arnt a problem to obtain, tyre places have to pay to get rid of them and a small place near where I live get rid of about 200 a week. The length of the wall would be considerable, one being about 60m and the other about 30m. I have thought about other products but Im looking for something that wont cost the earth. If anyone has any experience or advice please let me know.

[silentC]

Oddly enough, I was thinking of doing this myself. We have a heap of tyres to get rid of. I was going to lay them in two rows, the front row would be partially exposed and the second row buried inside the bank. They would be connected together some how, maybe with wire, and then the fill over the top. The idea of the second row was to anchor the front row (and also use up more tyres). The only downside I can see is the look of it.

[Dan_574]

Yeah exactly what my wife said, there is a mob called ecoflex www.ecoflex.com.au that do it and they put shade cloth or something over it and either render or just leave it, this looks ugly. If i was to step it back and then plant creepers or ground cover to conceal the tyres, it would look ugly for a while but over time it would be covered by vegetation. Another idea with stepping it back would be to cover it in a thin layer of top soil and grow grass over it. The possibilities are endless I suppose, especially with a waste product that you can get for nothing.

[bitingmidge]

The only downside I can see is the look of it.

You could paint each one a different colour and turn it into a tourist attraction.

P :D

[silentC]

Yeah, I could get a grant from the NSW Tourism Commission to buy the wire and the paint. Good thinking 99.

[echnidna]

I have seen a horse lunging yard made of tyres and it looked quite good.
They were laid flat and built up brick fashion then tied together.
The idea of offsetting them and planting in them should be attractive.

[craigb]

Yeah, I could get a grant from the NSW Tourism Commission to buy the wire and the paint. Good thinking 99.

If you stick a coupla tyre swans on top of it you can add an element of art to your craft.

[silentC]

My neighbours would love that :eek: I think I'll do it ;)

[glock40sw]

G'day All.
If you are in a Bushfire prone area, the tyres are not a good idea.
they burn like buggery and the EPA will be crawling up your back passage due to the black smoke.
We built a tyre wall to use as a stop butt for a rifle range a few years ago. A fire from a local sawmill got away and crossed to the range. Burnt tyres leave a hell of a mess.

Just my .02 cents worth.
Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
grafton

[wombat47]

From ABC's Gardening Australia -

"Instead of paying for pavers, sleepers or stones why not use some discarded tyres to makes some very cheap and practical garden steps. Just dig them into the landscape and fill them with soil for stability. To keep the surface clean and weed free, finish it with mulch.

Using the same method tyres can also be used to make retaining walls. To make the most of the wall, stack them in such a way as to create planting pockets. Because the tyres will absorb heat in an exposed situation, Mediterranean type plants and herbs are ideal in these conditions, and drip irrigation is a perfect way to water them. When the plants grow they will spill over the edge of the tyres and cover them."

My tip - use soil with a high organic content to ensure plenty of microbes to "eat up" the nasties leaching out of the tyres.

If you are only using a few courses, and fill as you go, the weight should keep it fairly stable.

[Toymaker Len]

Rubber tyres are notorius for working their way up out of the soil. It seems that as they expand and contract they float up on the dirt that drops down the sides and underneath. I other words you might have a hell of a lot of trouble keeping them in the retaining wall.

[wombat47]

As far as working their way out of the soil, I think there might be a bit of difference between tipping a load of tyres into a gully or whatever and then covering with soil (which is going to leave a lot of air pockets which will allow for movement) and building a wall, filling tyres with soil as you go.

Tyres are used for retaining walls in Brazil, up to 4 metres high, and apparently cope quite well and the Australian Army has used them as retaining wall along roadsides in East Timor. I guess they must have something going for them, apart from being cheap and environmentally friendly.

[Tonyz]

My old (ahem) boss has done this. Very time consuming. Laid a row of tyres Tilted slightly into the bank, then filled and filled completely !!!! then another row overlapping the first. When finished planted lot of ivy/creeper type stuff VERY drought resistant and several years later you wouldny know whats underneath. Wont the new owners get a surprise. Tonto

[fxst]

I cant see aprob using tyres for a retaining wall..they make houses out of them (google up earthships) and plaster them with clay.
they are plentiful and rather than damage the enviroment by dumping or whatever make them useful in any way you can
Pete who is building a gen set room from tyres

[TSHSR]

Some years ago the Pre school my little one used to attend had various retaining walls built with tyres, this was OK till some of the tyres started to deteriorate and various bits of the steel belts started to protrude. As you can imagine the resultant lose of claret from the offspring caused all sorts of problems, not least with the authorities.

The big drama was digging the flaming things out and replacing them with treated pine. (I am lead to believe this will need to be removed as a health hazard in kids playgrounds now as well.)

If the tyres will remain exposed, just be aware of this problem.

Tony

[Dan_574]

just an update, experimented with 9 tyres 3 rows of 3, i think i will be waiting till i can afford sleepers. Not only is it hard yakka digging a flat base but its just as hard fillin them with dirt and I didnt even wire them together. And you have to find the fill as well. No I think I know why they are not widely used

[Don Nethercott]

I have a retaining wall of tyres. It is only 4 tyres high at this stage but will be adding another row shortly. I drilled 4 holes in the top side of each tyre to let out any air or water that might build up. I put a galvanised star picket in the space in the middle, but touching the tyres at the back, to give some added stability. You could still do this with staggered tryes. Run a galvanised wire through the tyres - one side to the other through the star picket - this will help keep them together. Mine I filled with rubble (brick, etc) and eventually will pour a little concrete in each for extra stability - don't think you need to do this as mine is holding back a river - it is covered with water when the tides are extra high.
Don

[wombat47]

You don't say why you are building this retaining wall (to retain something) but, as you don't mention the need for footings, I'm guessing this is a landscape thing.

There are a number of plants which do a fantastic job of holding soil together on banks. The day lily is just one example - tough as old boots and drought resistant. Common ivy is also a suitable groundcover and will prevent soil loss during rain. If you are into native plants, there are a number of ornamental native grasses which would also do the job.

While you are saving up for your sleepers, you might consider planting up the area.

[griffo]

My old man (RIP) built a number of walls in our back yard when I was younger, back in the seventies anyway. As far as I know they still standing and doing what they were intended to do (hold the dirt back).
They are a bugger to lay though. It's really hard yakka filling them properly as well as digging a wide enough flat footing for the first row. I see it has caught on as an enviromentally friendly thing to do. He was doing it cause the tyres were free.

P :D