How To Build A Retaining Wall With Wood Railroad Ties

Retaining walls are an essential part of holding back dirt and preventing erosion. Check out this video to see how you can build a retaining wall from railroad ties and use it to prevent erosion on your hill.
Materials needed. I highly recommend purchasing 3 drill bits. You're very likely to break one or two.
Railroad Ties
Contact the local railroad office or go to Menards
12 Inch Nail
ebay.us/qcWk9R
Pilot Bit For Spikes - 3/8" x 16" Paddle Bit
ebay.us/37PlOc
Pilot Bit For Spikes - 3/8" x 18" Spiral Bit
ebay.us/ooP9fR
1/2 Inch Rebar
ebay.us/2emJS3
3/4 Inch Rebar
Check your local Menards, Fleet Farm, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
Pilot Bit For 3/4" Rebar - 5/8" x 16" Paddle Bit
ebay.us/jSZdkp
Pilot Bit For 3/4" Rebar - 5/8" x 18" Spiral Bit
ebay.us/atl5M7
8lb Sledge Hammer
ebay.us/ZPFIKt
3lb Hammer
ebay.us/9z34P3
Round Spade Shovel
ebay.us/UEjcMN
Pick Axe
ebay.us/Hf6T9b
Hammer Drill
ebay.us/bZZMqp
Better Hammer Drill
ebay.us/9CSJFI
8 Amp Corded Drill
ebay.us/DCvX8V
50 Foot Extension Cord
ebay.us/BbeOTd
Leather Work Gloves
ebay.us/HPw3CB
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[@HowToVideoChannel]

Materials needed. I highly recommend purchasing 3 drill bits. You're very likely to break one or two. Railroad Ties Contact the local railroad office or go to Menards 12 Inch Nail ebay.us/qcWk9R Pilot Bit For Spikes - 3/8" x 16" Paddle Bit ebay.us/37PlOc Pilot Bit For Spikes - 3/8" x 18" Spiral Bit ebay.us/ooP9fR 1/2 Inch Rebar ebay.us/2emJS3 3/4 Inch Rebar Check your local Menards, Fleet Farm, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Pilot Bit For 3/4" Rebar - 5/8" x 16" Paddle Bit ebay.us/jSZdkp Pilot Bit For 3/4" Rebar - 5/8" x 18" Spiral Bit ebay.us/atl5M7 8lb Sledge Hammer ebay.us/ZPFIKt 3lb Hammer ebay.us/9z34P3 Round Spade Shovel ebay.us/UEjcMN Pick Axe ebay.us/Hf6T9b Hammer Drill ebay.us/bZZMqp Better Hammer Drill ebay.us/9CSJFI 8 Amp Corded Drill ebay.us/DCvX8V 50 Foot Extension Cord ebay.us/BbeOTd Leather Work Gloves ebay.us/HPw3CB

[@rahulrathan]

I bought 18 railroad ties today, and will be using your video as a main reference for my retaining wall.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

That’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that this video is going to help you with your construction! Thank you!!!

[@tomcartwright7134]

When building higher than three feet , you must include a dead man . That is a rail tie which is placed at a 90 degree angle to the wall about every six feet. Other wise hydrostatic pressure from rain water can push the wall over . Set the first ties on a gravel bed which has been compacted. Then add French drain tile behind the first course. The French drain tile must provide drainage behind the wall. Add the next course of wood and cover the drain tile with several inches of non course stone or gravel. If you can make a barrier of Tyvec or thick plastic sheets on the back of the wall before you backfill. The wall will with proper drainage last 25 to 30 years. Happy DIY!

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Yes, “dead mans” are essential as well as the drain tiles. Thank you for your expertise!

[@bobdabbert]

By far the best of all the railroad tie retaining wall videos I watched. Very informative, using it for my project.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Awesome, thank you!

[@flbeachinggirl]

Wow. I made a trench. Lined bottom and back with cloth then add paver base, leveling sand and drain rock. Few inches of prep material. Then add first row of ties. Layer of mortar to level ties. Then install second row of ties in a brick pattern. Some were sawed in half. I used 1/2 inch rebar into pre drilled spade holes. Bits can break, needed a spare spade. Used a sledgehammer get those rebar in. A lot of work! Three rows high. Half of the first row ties are on rock and base in the ground. Fill behind ties with drain rock a few inches deep along the backside of ties, and almost up to the top tie. Then fold landscape cloth over rear of rocks and cover with topsoil and grass or mulch or decor rock. Lots of drainage for water to seep through slowly so that the ties stay in place without rotting for many years.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Sounds like a great project!

[@damnskippy1988]

I have a good size project coming up and will be using this for reference. Thank you

[@HowToVideoChannel]

You’re welcome! I hope the video helps!

[@jeffreygonzalez2760]

Thank you for your videos. Super helpful

[@HowToVideoChannel]

You’re welcome! I’m glad they are helping!

[@ericwanderweg8525]

I went through this exact process a couple months ago. The only problem I had was being in New England, there’s a LOT of rocks underground. When I went to pound the rebar in, I ended up drilling several holes in different spots before I was able to drive the rebar all the way down. Big pain. Other than that, this is a simple (labor intensive) process. Those ties are heavy!

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Yes, they are very solid. We also encountered some trouble with rocks and had to relocate a few times. Our largest complication was trying to pull the rebar back out of the hole. On a couple instances, we ended up cutting it off all together.

[@tylernelson7046]

Thanks

[@HowToVideoChannel]

You’re welcome! I hope it helps.

[@carlosenriquez2092]

Hey guys I have a suggestion I do these retaining wall often. I use a rotary hammer and a ground rod driver it's not a cheap tool but If you doo these often enough it's worth it. The heavier duty the better take a look at driving ground rod videos you will find examples of what I'm talking about.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Thanks for the information!

[@flbeachinggirl]

Every tie is different. Mortar. Chinking. Helps with leveling.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Yes, they are all different shapes and sizes.

[@kyleplayz834]

Hey man, can they be any 12 inch long nail? I'm buying around 50 of these this week, and I was curious to know if they have to be the Hillman nails? Because on Amazon those are $10+ each for one nail. I found a 50 pack for like $30. Plus, are the spikes necessary? Couldn't I just hammer the rebar down through both of them?

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Yes, they can be any 12 inch long nail. Brand shouldn’t matter. Make sure you drill the pilot holes before pounding them in though. Otherwise they could bend for sure. I’d strongly suggest bonding your layers together somehow. Whether you use the nails or some form of adhesive. The rebar is more to help stabilize the wall rather than to hold the layers together.

[@kyleplayz834]

@@HowToVideoChannel Thanks buddy, I found some rebar spikes which are basically rebar and nails made into one, so hopefully they'll work.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Hopefully they work well for you!

[@hollyfisher4398]

What size drill bit are you using for your pilot holes? How long did it stay sharp?

[@HowToVideoChannel]

As listed in the video description. The bit for the pilot holes for the nails is 3/8. The bit for the pilot holes for the rebar is 5/8. I had two of each but for the project in case one of them broke. They stayed sharp through the project.

[@marcerrn]

Regarding the rebar, are you running a continuous piece from the very top of the wall or just through the first two tiers of rebar and then nails the rest of the way?

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Only through the first two tiers. Then nails. On a taller wall, you could do 3 tiers.

[@flbeachinggirl]

Try Vetiver Grass behind your wall! For erosion control!

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Thanks for the tip!

[@buddyhamilton4106]

Should use "deadman" anchors to secure better.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Yes, deadman’s are great for higher walls or walls that you can backfill. It’s important to add the “T” on the end of the deadman as well.

[@tifflove2238]

What kind of drill are you using? My drill bit has got stuck twice!

[@HowToVideoChannel]

For this video I used an old electric drill. However, The best drill for the job would be a hammer drill. I’ve used several different drills and I found that a Milwaukee is a really good one.

[@charlescoker7752]

Is the drill bit slightly smaller than the rebar? What size rebar did you use?

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Yes, slightly smaller. Specific details are in the description.

[@TheRTM]

What's size of both the drill bits you used?

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Read the video description or check the pinned comment.

[@hoppy760]

How long does the rebar last? Will they corrode?

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Should last longer than both you and me!

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

@@HowToVideoChannel the problem at some point is not the rebar, but the rotting nasty toxic railroad ties. I spent a week removing them from my yard and yes having to cut them all up and off to the dump was a pain in the rear. Yes the rebar was all intact and still needed to be sawzalled as well.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

@@JohnDoe-np3zk Very true.

[@simonrees8049]

as other have said, needs deadman anchors. Inadequate as it is.

[@HowToVideoChannel]

Very strong and sturdy wall as it is.