where to get cheap 55 gallon plastic drums

Any one know where I can possibly get 4 to 6. Looking to build a floating duck blind.

Where do you live?

Garret has all the metal ones you will need.

those are not for sale...yet

craigs list. Also all the high volume car washes buy their soap in plastic 55 gallon drums. You can try them as well.

And you get 90lbs of peeled crawfish in every drum.

if he wants crawfish he needs to PM me for a quote, I cant roll out the cooker for free

I'm near denton, and yeah crawfish I'm down. Thought about car washes and pool supply places.

crawfish season is over, PM me next year for your next event/party

I found some on craigslist at a place located on Harry Hines. They were used to store liquid fragrances for incense and such. Washed them out with water and bleach and now use them to store my water for the camper, but I don't drink the water. He advertises $20 a barrel, but I talked him down to $15 since I bought 3. I'm not sure if that was cheap, but it worked for me.

If your planning on storing water or feed get food grade barrels.

Yeah these will be used in the lake to keep the blind afloat. I'd like 6 but will take 4.

You need to post some pics of the floating blind, I would like to see it. I thought about floating my blind. I bet after 1 year the plastic barrels lose air, cave in. I got one from a car wash just to think about how I would use them to float my blind, after one year, just sitting in my back yard, it caved in, I guess just from the cold and heat weather changes. Good luck with it.

There is a place in Justin along Fm 156 on the north side of town that sell blue 55 gallon plastic drums. I haven't driven by in a while, so I don't know for sure if they still have them.

Here's one I just built Guy. I finished decking it and the dog entry platform today so should test float it this weekend. I am going to use 6 barrels to float it. Dimensions are 10x8 to the outside. It is about 5 feet between the pontoons. It's all galvanized so if I have to spend a $100 every couple years on new barrels for whatever reason that is fine with me. The frame will last forever.

Here it is before I got it galvanized and before I put the dog/person entry platform on it. I had to put that on afterwards or it would not have fit in the galvanizing trough. Welding galvanized metal sucks big time and getting it hot dip galavanized was only like $.25/lb I think.

Wow that's cool. I like the platform the blind sits on and dog platform,but I would go with a lower profile dr duck blind type style, and would also like to have a platform to walk around the blind, like a cat walk. Looks good though, post more pics when its done.

The dog will actually exit through a hole in the front of the blind. That platform will be for someone to step out of the blind and grab the dog and let him shake off outside the blind. As far as how high up it sits it should not be too big of a problem because we hunt in big patches of reeds that stick up at least 5 ft above the water, 6 ft in a lot of places. A cat walk would be nice though. This is just a prototype. The next one will be much nicer. I am anxious to see how stable it will be. I made the shooting slot narrow in attempt to keep everyone's weight towards the center while standing up and moving to shoot.

I Iike the low profile blind, not just for cover, but being able to step up, out and above the roof, for a 360 shooting range and working the ducks.

I had to build a platform so my son could step up and out of the blind...

Try Fulton's Hardware there on 377 south of 35E. I got some steel barrels there last week and I think I saw some plastic ones in the back. Might be wrong but worth the phone call since it's in Denton. It's south of Fulton's recycling. Don't confuse the two.

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Yeah that blind above is awesome. Mine will be much simpler. I plan on towing it out using two old wake boards and my john boat anchoring it down and leaving it so I have a spot I can drive to on the boat hop out and not have to be in freezing water w waders on

Not sure where you're located. There's a place in Ben Wheeler just off of HWY 64 that sells them. I don't know the price but he alwasy has a ton of them sitting out.

Got the first floating blind done. It is loaded up to be transported to its final destination and to be test floated. Time to start on number 2.

SEE! A guy who owns a level!

Pics of the blind floating? I would want the blind to sit as close to the water as possible, may require making those barrels sit further up into the blind.

Here is is floating with 440 lbs on one end of it. Not even close to tipping. We also rocked it every way we could as hard as possible and it never even came close to tipping. The blind is perfect height. As you can see in the background the reeds we will be hiding it in are at least 6 feet tall over the water.

Barrels on the end would give some good stability.

First off it is way too late to add a spot for barrels on the end. If I just stuck one under the blind it would not sit level with all the other barrels. Second, I like how it leans from side to side. It will make it easier for the dog to swim up onto the platform and then hop into the blind.

Time to start on number 2. There is a couple things I will do differently on the second one. First, I am going to make it about 6 inches shorter in the front than in the back so my girlfriend won't have any problem at all shooting over it. I'm gonna have to build a 6 inch platform for this one so she or anyone else shorter than 5'10 can shoot easily over the side. And second the next blind will have a bench and shelf in it. I didn't put a bench or shelf in this one because I planned on it being a double sided blind but seeing as how it floats there is really no point for that. If we want to hunt facing a different direction we can just spin it around. Oh and I was also able to find black barrels for the second one so I won't have to worry about trying to paint plastic.

If anyone wants to build something like this and is worried about how stable it will be, worry no more. These floating blinds are going to be a game changer later in the season.

Looks like what I need for a floating dock platform

I have 3 of those blue barrels. If anyone wants them they can have them for free.

I would be worried about stability. I would set it up where shots are taken sitting down. Sitting, then shooters standing to take a shot, with unstable footing, not good. Most of the shots I take I never get out of my chair/stool.

These are the plans I drew up to float my blind. Barrels all the way around the out side of the blind. Blue are the barrels, yellow is my blind, blind is in three 4'x6' sections... 12'x6' total size.

I feel like you are trying to screw with me but at the same time I think you are serious... Here is a video of us trying to pretty much flip it. I understand it is not a solid wooden frame blind but it is plenty stable for me and anyone I hunt with!

http://youtu.be/Msr76yyrxks

Where can I find 2 foot long barrels?

How long are the berrals? I did those plans several years ago, obviously not exact. The idea was 3 berrals long on the outside, no need for barrels in the middle. Diagram below is before the blind goes on. The actual design would probably end up being a lot wider than what is shown below, 10 ft wide...

Actually the best design is were none of the berrals are under the blind "yellow". I would work it differently than what I show above.

No, I'm being serious, but at the same time I'm letting the BS roll.. lol. So yeah, I think you got it right.

That video does show it to be more stable than I thought, but I would still be careful. I have never shot off something like that. Good luck with it, thanks for the pic, and let us know how it works.

I've been thinking about this too. I want to build a low profile floating deck to put a pair of layout blinds on. No worries, it'll be in less than 3 ft of water, MAX. Problem is there is very little cover for 2 hundred yards in any direction. 55gallon drums will ride too high out of the water. Thinking about this:


Oh, and if you need 55s, go to your dry cleaners and look out back. They should have plenty and they're probably free if you're a good customer.

Thought about the same thing, that is floating layouts. I was simply going going to use plywood floor with a plywood back rest, and throw brush on top. But I would not go with that milk carton duck tap rig, first I doubt that thing will last, that duck tap will come all undone. And there is no point in the milk cartons on top of the floor. Styrofoam probably a better option, but you could make berrals work too, they make smaller ones.

No way I would actually do the milk jug thing! Just thought it was funny...

Let me know if you come up with an idea on the floating layout. If you're in DFW I'd come help you build it just to see how.

You could very easily make 55 gallon drums work. I built mine that high because that is how high it needs to be to see over the 6-7' tall reeds we are going to hide it in.

You could make a saddle to go over the barrels like I did and then just recess the floor however many inches you would like (say 8 inches). With 2 barrels on each side and 2 people sitting in between that would probably put yall right above water level. You'd obviously have to camo the barrels but it would work pretty well I think.

^^^ is what I was thinking. Berrals on the side, 2 shooters with dog in the middle laying down.

Hey Guy, it's barrels. I could have over looked it once or twice, but 4x and your asking for it.

Are you the new internet spelling warden?

for your layouts, if the water is going to be less than 3ft MAX, we have made some stands out of small square tubing, doubling the legs with two different sizes so that they telescope, with holes drilled for a pin to go through. On the end of the leg have and approximate 3" x 3" piece of plate welded so they don't sink into the mud as bad. They work out quite well and are much more comfortable than a layout on the ground. If you space the runners out on the frame right according to your layout blind, you will have a "hammock" effect...and stability is not an issue.

Only since you became the safety police.

Ok, I'll keep giving my opinion on duck blinds, and you keep up your fine work playing grade school teacher. You told me how many I got wrong, but how many did I get right? You must be tracking all this and taking notes on my spelling errors.

Just trying to poke a little fun. I'll leave the off topic posts to the veterans.

Oh common, don't give up so easy. You point out my spelling errors, but you need to be a fair spelling teacher and give me credit where my spelling is right. I bet my spelling is at least 95% right, that's an A+.

Once is a typo
Twice is illiteracy

Smiley face for you

and btw...it's "duct tape"

Quit trying to be a teacher pleaser guy. Your spelling does rilly steenk

Or you could put sand in each barrel to have them sit lower in the water. Easy to measure by weight. Equal amounts for each barrel

Shows how much you know. You know Einstein was a terrible speller? Some people's brains are wired for spelling, and some aren't . I'm 53 years old, never could spell worth a spit, but the last person (of importance) that gave a crap was my undergrad freshman English teacher 1987.

English was Einsteins 2nd language. Kind of hard to misspell

You got that word at 2/6 on this thread. Since we've apparently had a class change and are now on to math that's a good batting average.

By the way, ever heard the saying "A and B students work for the C students"?

PS somebody check my punctuation, I never was good at the sentences with embedded quotations.

I wouldn't be so sure. I use "duck tape".

That is a brand name

This was a good thread, till hijacked by spelling bee wannabes...

Ya don't say?

Oh common, don't give up so easy Einstein

#berrals