How to Build Bull-Barrels

Bull barrels, also called bucking barrels, are a useful way to learn the basics of bull riding and sharpen your technique without the danger of a 2,000-lb. thrashing animal. Although at some point a rodeo rider will have to get on an actual bull, a DIY bucking barrel can help him prepare for the experience. A homemade bucking barrel can also be a source of entertainment for you and your friends.

Things You'll Need

  • 55-gallon plastic drum
  • Thick rope
  • 4 wooden posts
  • 4 springs
  • 8 eye bolts
  • 4 matching nuts and washers
  • Concrete mix
  • Drill bit
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Instructions

    • 1

      Mark a 6-foot square on the ground. Dig a hole at each corner.

    • 2

      Set four wooden posts at least 10 feet tall in each hole. Fill the holes with concrete mix and allow them to dry.

    • 3

      Screw an eye bolt in each post exactly 8 feet off the ground. Make sure the eye bolts are facing toward the inside of the square. It may be useful to drill holes into the posts first that are slightly smaller than the diameter of the eye bolts.

    • 4

      Pass the rope through an eye bolt, tie a slip knot and then cut the rope so that when pulled tight it is 6 feet from the eye bolt. Do this at every post.

    • 5

      Lay the barrel lengthwise and mark a halfway line down its length on both sides. Drill two holes on each side, making sure the holes on opposite sides are directly across from each other. Install eye bolts in each hole, using a washer and nut to secure them. You'll have to cut a hole in the top and bottom of the barrel so you can reach your hand in and tighten the nuts.

    • 6

      Cut four pieces of rope that are each 2 feet long. Tie one end of each rope to an eye bolt on the barrel and one to a spring.

    • 7

      Tie each rope coming from a post to the other other end of a spring. This should connect the entire assembly. From each post to the barrel it should be rope-spring-rope.

    • 8

      Have a person pull on each slip knot coming out of a post while you are on the barrel to simulate a bucking bronco.