Ridgerunner
Garden Master
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
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You do like to present a challenge don’t you? I built one of those a few years back and used it for about a month. Then I decided it was too much work to move it that much. I actually built it in two sections, each 4x8, and could join them together to get a bigger unit. I still had to move it every couple of days. I now have a 4x8 grow-out coop and another 4x8 coop I can isolate chickens in when I need to. I often use that one for a broody and her chicks when the main coop is getting crowded.
One problem is the choice of wheels, and they are not cheap. I figure you already know all this but I’ll say it anyway. The bigger the diameter the better they handle rough ground. The wider they are, the less they sink into soft ground. Pneumatic tires sink in less than hard tires but go flat. Mounting them low gives you more ground clearance, but do you move them with chickens inside? You don’t want to raise it high enough for chickens to get out, but I see that you have wire on the bottom so that is not a problem for you. I don’t know where you can find suitable wheels without spending a small fortune, maybe Craigslist?
Do you move it by hand or use something to pull it? Especially if you move it by hand, I’d want the back wheels moved forward with it that heavy. It’s about leverage and weight distribution. The more you center the wheels under the center of gravity, the more weight the wheels take and the less you have to lift.
You also have the problem of the axle. It has to be strong enough and attached firmly enough with the framing strong enough so the wheel doesn’t just lay down. I think those are the design considerations.
I think I’d take the wheels off the back and relocate them forward a bit. Maybe run a 2x4 vertical from the top to the bottom 2x4 some distance forward from the back to brace it. When you pick the front up to move it, the back will drop down some so how much you can move it forward depends on how big your wheels are and where they ae mounted.
Drill holes near the bottom of those new supports and through the existing 2x4 bottom horizontals and put a bar all the way across to be the axle. That long and heavy a bar is going to be expensive. To put those wheels on, you will need to lift the back. You could use a jack. The way I did it was to use a lever and fulcrum. I used a paver as the fulcrum, set that pretty close to the back, and used a 2x4 or maybe a 2x6 to raise it. Can’t remember which. That did not raise it high enough so I stacked a few pavers next to the ones already there so I could raise it higher. Then put your wheels on, move it, and reverse the process to take them off. You see why I said it was too much work to move it. It really didn’t take that long once I got my system down but I gave up on a tractor.
If I were building from scratch I would try to come up with a way to put the wheels on a pivot but I can’t see a way to retrofit yours. I’ll try to describe it anyway. Mount the wheels on the ends of some 2x4’s (or 2x6’s) and attach the 2x4’s so you can rotate them to a vertical position. Make the pivot point a bit off the ground so you have the wheels hanging off the back of the coop and the 2x4’s run along the outside of the coop. When you want it move it, rotate the wheel down to the ground, lifting the back of the coop off the ground. Then lock them in place. I think you would need to build your tractor with this in mind so you get the clearances and the strength where you need it but maybe you can see a way.
Good luck with it. I don’t really see an easy way.
One problem is the choice of wheels, and they are not cheap. I figure you already know all this but I’ll say it anyway. The bigger the diameter the better they handle rough ground. The wider they are, the less they sink into soft ground. Pneumatic tires sink in less than hard tires but go flat. Mounting them low gives you more ground clearance, but do you move them with chickens inside? You don’t want to raise it high enough for chickens to get out, but I see that you have wire on the bottom so that is not a problem for you. I don’t know where you can find suitable wheels without spending a small fortune, maybe Craigslist?
Do you move it by hand or use something to pull it? Especially if you move it by hand, I’d want the back wheels moved forward with it that heavy. It’s about leverage and weight distribution. The more you center the wheels under the center of gravity, the more weight the wheels take and the less you have to lift.
You also have the problem of the axle. It has to be strong enough and attached firmly enough with the framing strong enough so the wheel doesn’t just lay down. I think those are the design considerations.
I think I’d take the wheels off the back and relocate them forward a bit. Maybe run a 2x4 vertical from the top to the bottom 2x4 some distance forward from the back to brace it. When you pick the front up to move it, the back will drop down some so how much you can move it forward depends on how big your wheels are and where they ae mounted.
Drill holes near the bottom of those new supports and through the existing 2x4 bottom horizontals and put a bar all the way across to be the axle. That long and heavy a bar is going to be expensive. To put those wheels on, you will need to lift the back. You could use a jack. The way I did it was to use a lever and fulcrum. I used a paver as the fulcrum, set that pretty close to the back, and used a 2x4 or maybe a 2x6 to raise it. Can’t remember which. That did not raise it high enough so I stacked a few pavers next to the ones already there so I could raise it higher. Then put your wheels on, move it, and reverse the process to take them off. You see why I said it was too much work to move it. It really didn’t take that long once I got my system down but I gave up on a tractor.
If I were building from scratch I would try to come up with a way to put the wheels on a pivot but I can’t see a way to retrofit yours. I’ll try to describe it anyway. Mount the wheels on the ends of some 2x4’s (or 2x6’s) and attach the 2x4’s so you can rotate them to a vertical position. Make the pivot point a bit off the ground so you have the wheels hanging off the back of the coop and the 2x4’s run along the outside of the coop. When you want it move it, rotate the wheel down to the ground, lifting the back of the coop off the ground. Then lock them in place. I think you would need to build your tractor with this in mind so you get the clearances and the strength where you need it but maybe you can see a way.
Good luck with it. I don’t really see an easy way.
