Can this coop be a tractor?

[chafin]

Need some advice. I re-did this coop and made a lot of improvements. I was thinking of trying to make it into a tractor but it is very heavy. I was thinking of putting two wheels on the left long side and attaching 12' 2x4s on the opposite side to make the run part of the tractor. I don't know if even with the long run attached for leverage if it could be lifted and moved easily. Was thinking I may could put it on 4 wheels as it is very heavy but this would also leave gaps in the bottom for predators to get through. I would like for them to free range as we have a lot of room but we live in the middle of the woods and I am afraid predators would get them easily during the day. I have attached pics of our yard. Can I get some recommendations on how this can be made into a tractor or whether I am stuck with it being a permanent coop?

 

[skylavaulter]

How big is it?

 

[chafin]

It is about 2.5' x 6' but the 4x4 legs are 4' apart on the wide sides

 

[tbatz11]

You can attach 2x4's at the base of the legs and put wheels on all 4 sides. The 2x4's will keep the legs from moving and getting wobbly.
We are building a very heavy 4x4 coop and plan to do the same.

They sell tractor kit wheels online, but they can be pretty expensive. You can find out how to make your own by looking in the forums here or just google it.

 

[chafin]

Got the run part framed out. Next is hardware cloth and adding the wheels. Not sure how I will end up doing the wheels yet.

 

[tbatz11]

It's looking good! I don't know how we are going to get wheels on ours either, but that's still a while away.

 

[chafin]

Thanks. Not sure if I can get away with just two wheels on the back or if I need to elevate it an inch and put wheels all around it

 

[tbatz11]

I've been doing some online searching for wheel plans and I think I found something that might work.

http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Wheel_lift_for_a_chicken_tractor/

Whether you need 2 or 4 depends on how heavy the coop is. I think you might be able to lift it with the bar you have on the end.
Only one way to find out though.

I'm going to keep looking too, maybe something else will come up.

 

[chafin]

Thanks!

 

[tbatz11]

Found another similar one on here!