A 55 gallon barrel makes a nifty mechanical bull.
Back during the big fad for riding mechanical bulls, a lot of enterprising souls decided to make their own versions of the mechanical bull from 55-gallon drums suspended from trees or posts. These can be made considerably safer with proper padding and a soft fall surface. A barrel mechanical bull isn't something kids should use unsupervised, since falling is part of the fun. For consenting grownups, these things can be a hoot!
Instructions
1. Dig four holes 3 feet deep at the corners of a rectangle 15 feet wide by 20 feet long. Dig the holes wider at the bottom than at the top for stability. Scoop out an 18-foot circle 18 inches or deeper in the center of the rectangle, and fill it with sawdust.
2. Place the posts in the holes with one flat side of each post facing diagonally toward the opposite diagonal post. Fill the bottom of the hole around the post with 4 inches of pea gravel. Mix a bag of concrete for each hole in a wheelbarrow. Pour the wet concrete in the hole and fill the hole to within 6 inches of the surface. Level the posts and allow them to sit overnight till the concrete cures. Fill the rest of the holes with dirt.
3. Drill a 5/16-inch hole through the four posts between 6 and 7 feet high on the corner posts so the eyes face toward the center. Insert the 6-inch-long eye bolts, put washers on both sides of the post and the lock washer on the outside next to the nut, and tighten securely.
4. Drill 5/16-inch holes in the sides of the barrel. Drill two on one side, each 2 inches from the top or bottom. Drill two more on the opposite side in the same place. Attach four 2-inch-long eye bolts in the holes with a washer on the inside and outside and lock washer on the inside next to the nut. Put the lid on the barrel and the keeper ring. Rotate the keeper ring so that the bolt for tightening it will be under the barrel where it won't endanger the rider.
5. Cut the 5/16-inch rope into four 15-foot lengths. Tie boat hooks to one end of each rope and hook to the eye bolts on the barrel. Tie the second hook on each line about 10 feet from the barrel. Get friends to lift the barrel while you hook the other ends of the support ropes to the eye bolts on the posts. Adjust the length of each rope till the barrel hangs 24 to 30 inches above the sawdust. Throw on an extra mound of sawdust in likely fall areas.
6. Cinch the saddle in place on top of the barrel. You'll need to retighten the saddle every time or two that someone rides. Wrap each of the support ropes with foam pipe insulation and wrap a turn of duct tape in three or four places on the insulation to hold it in place. Tie the 3/8-inch rope between the two eye bolts on the barrel just in front of the saddle and across the top of the barrel to use as reins.
Tags: holes with, mechanical bull, bolts barrel, Drill 16-inch, each rope