Where can I purchase or find a giant tire?

You can often find them as surplus from old mine sites, quarries, or other locations that deal in large equipment. With a little calling around you can usually find a source to get the tires for free. Check with your local tire distributors and ask them if they have any available. There are also businesses that will sell them already cut and with all the valves and equipment you need to install them. A little searching on the internet and you should be able to locate either one in your area. 

Who did you contact to find a large tire?

With a little calling around you can usually find a source to get the tires for free. Check with your local tire distributors and ask them if they have any available. There are also businesses that will sell them already cut and with all the valves and equipment you need to install them. A little searching on the internet and you should be able to locate either one in your area. The majority of our tires have been obtained for free from waste stockpiles. The best way to find one is to call people that you might expect to deal with equipment that uses large tires. They will likely have a stockpile of waste tires.

How do the black balls work to prevent water from freezing?

They provide some additional insulation to the water. The black color absorbs some solar energy. thus slightly increasing their temperature relatives to their surroundings. They also reduce the interaction of the surface of the water with cold air. We have not been able to completely reduce freezing with this product. 

Where did you purchase the black balls?

We  purchased them from Precision Plastic Ball Company. Unfortunately, they do not plan on making any more unless an extremely large order was placed. Here is their website www.precisionplasticball.com

Are you doing anything else to prevent water from Freezing?

We have experimented with tock tank deicers, heat riser tubes, and a hybrid solar/wind powered heating element/ The stock tank deicer works well if you have access to AC power. The heat riser tube has had limited success. It is our experience that it will not prevent freezing during extreme cold. The hybrid solar/wind powered heating element did not produce enough power to effectively clear the ice from the tank. It may be able to do so if scaled up substantially, however, it becomes price restrictive quickly. Some producers have had success with creating insulated covers with limited access openings for use during freezing conditions. 

does eden shale farm sell a kit or the materials for a large tire waterer?

No, Eden Shale Farm does not sell anything. We provide the designs and list of materials, but do not sell any materials or kits. ​

       When producers exclude livestock access to stream and ponds and their associated riparian buffers, an alternative source of water is required. Automatic water fountains are one commonly used means of providing cattle with water from an alternate source. A water tank constructed using a heavy equipment tire may serve as a viable option for supplying livestock with an alternate source of water. A tire-tank waterer uses a loader, grader, dump truck, or similar OTR (off-the-road) tire as the reservoir. Because these tires have a large circumference, livestock have more access for drinking as compared to traditional automatic water fountains. A tire-tank waterer should remain operational for over 10 years, and in many cases, will cost less than other types of permanent water sources.