converting old coop into a chicken tractor

[jjb1953]

Hi all.
I am fairly new to the world of backyard chickens.
I have been studying the coops and tractors on this site for the past couple of months and just love what everyone has done.

I am very fortunate and was recently given someones old coop.
It had been on legs but he legs were cut off for transport.
For the summer, I am hoping to convert the coop into a chicken tractor and have lots of questions.

Below are some pics.
So first of all, the coop is very solid and very heavy.
My first question is what is the best way to put wheels on it and what types of wheels.
We were thinking since it is so heavy to put wheels on all four corners and are wondering if it might be a good idea to use swivel wheels?
Any other tips re chicken tractors?

Thanks

J

 

[Habibs Hens]

get wheel barrow wheel and put them on all 4 corners and your done

get the inflatable type as they are made to bear heavey loads

 

[jjb1953]

Great. Thanks.
Will get the wheel barrow wheels.
Would simply putting them in the four corners due, or should I do something like this so it maneuvers better?
http://www.shawneestructures.com/2012-chick/chickenrun with quakerbg.jpg

 

[Habibs Hens]

that looks like a good idea

in that case hauler crate wheels would be best as they come on the metal clamps as seen in the link

and yes a handle of sorts to pull is needed

 

[jjb1953]

Ok. So this is what we have so far. I found a set of 8" pneumatic wheels on ebay for a great price, 2 swivel and 2 rigid.
Unfortunately one of the wheels broke as soon as we started to pull. Not sure if the wheel was defective or if they were just to small for the coop.
You can see the wheel below. So we plan on getting larger wheels, either 10 or 12". We will also this week make a run and just use the smaller 8" wheels for that.

 

[aart]

You might be able to get someone to re-weld that broken one, looks like a bad weld ....but those are kind of a small diameter for soft ground, especially to swivel.
Maybe put a handle on the swivel end so you can lift a bit when maneuvering.
Good Luck!

 

[jjb1953]

Ok. Thanks
We will put bigger wheels on it. The 10" wheels look quite a bit bigger than the 8. Do you think they will do?
We will also put the handle on.
When we were moving it, we had a lawn tractor pulling it.
It got stuck with the tractor and oddly, we found it was easier to pull/push by hand.

 

[aart]

The 8 inch might work fine if you can get that one rewelded. Large diameter wheel/tire will almost always be a easier to roll.
Did the wheel axle weld fail when you were pulling it with the tractor and it was stuck?
Swivels are nice but can be tricky on any surface, especially if they are not mounted perfectly level-which can be difficult.

 

[jjb1953]

Quote:
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]When I said it got stuck and we psuhed by hand, that was after the wheel broke. I think the wheel broke as soon as we started to pull with the tractor.[/FONT]
I was driving the tractor while DH was pushing so we could not exactly see. But I think that possibly the wheel was stuck or not facing perfectly forward.
Anyway, we will probably go with the 10" wheels. Take the 8" off and use those on a portable run.

 

[aart]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]When I said it got stuck and we psuhed by hand, that was after the wheel broke. I think the wheel broke as soon as we started to pull with the tractor.[/FONT]
I was driving the tractor while DH was pushing so we could not exactly see. But I think that possibly the wheel was stuck or not facing perfectly forward.
Anyway, we will probably go with the 10" wheels. Take the 8" off and use those on a portable run.

With swivels, if the thing is not moving swivel orientation is the first thing to check for....I've also found that there's a learning curve for each application.
Good Luck!