How to move at 10x12 coop?

[scottyramone]

I need to relocate my coop. Its about 10x12, made with 2x4s and 4x4, it's about 9 feet tall with a roof. I need to move it about 40 feet on grass. Any ideas on how to move such a large coop? The only thing I can think of is to use a comealong or a puller. Mabey try and jack it up and get some longs under it. I assume moving a shed would be the same if anyone has done that before?

Thanks!

 

[azygous]

I have successfully moved a lot of very heavy things all by myself utilizing logs as rollers, replacing the last one to the advance position as progress commences.

It's amazing how little energy is required using this low tech method which has served humans over thousands of years before they had mechanized means to replace human muscle.

In addition, a hydraulic car jack has been my most important tool for moving things that far exceed human strength. I've moved a shed, a chicken coop, railroad ties, and countless quarter-ton rocks all alone with the jack and roller method.

 

[raingarden]

^^ this. If you try to drag it over the ground it will just dig in.

 

[mowin]

I've used metal pipe and even PVC pipe if the object wasn't too heavy. If you have a garden tractor or ATV it makes it much easier

 

[saysfaa]

My son, who is an engineer, moved a similar sized coop yesterday for some friends.

They jacked it up, put cement blocks under it. Jacked it up higher, put more cement blocks under it. Until it was high enough to back their trailer under it. Then they jacked it down onto the trailer. Reverse the process at the new location.

Afterwards, I told him about this thread. He said the rollers would work but he would use the same method he used yesterday, even if it was only across the yard. He said modern equipment (jacks, trailers, truck or tractor) makes this a much better option than rollers.

 

[mowin]

My son, who is an engineer, moved a similar sized coop yesterday for some friends.

They jacked it up, put cement blocks under it. Jacked it up higher, put more cement blocks under it. Until it was high enough to back their trailer under it. The jacked it down onto the trailer.

Afterwards, I told him about this thread. He said the rollers would work but he would use the same method he used yesterday, even if it was only across the yard.

Definitely a effective method, if one has a trailer and blocks. By the time the shed was high enough to load it on a trailer, it would be across the lawn and re leveled, using pipes.

 

[azygous]

Not everyone has the space to maneuver a vehicle and trailer. While I live on 36 acres, my coop and run are in a very confined area of tall pines and slopes. That's why I use the jack and rollers. Space is not an issue. You can move the coop a few inches, a few feet, or several yards within a confined space.

 

[azygous]

With the jack and roller method, you need only to jack the structure up a few inches rather than the four or five feet to get it onto a trailer. Then one person can almost always give the structure a little shove onto the rollers, the rollers doing all the work.

At the very real risk of being sexist, okay, I'm being sexist, I can easily picture one woman (as in my case) or even two women, using the jack and roller method, getting the coop moved the few feet to the new location in less than an hour, while in another chicken yard, four men (and beer) will jack around, argue, crack open more beer, jackknife the trailer, move upteen cement blocks getting the structure elevated, over an hour has passed and they've only got the structure up on blocks and at the height of the trailer bed.

Then they get the come-along out and hook one end onto the structure. Someplace. Maybe. Then they crack more beers and argue about how to work the come-along, and another hour passes and still no further progress getting the shed onto the trailer.

That's all. I got tired of watching and left the guys to crack more beers and argue some more.

Sorry guys. I've watched way too many of you work. Yeah, I'm sexist. Shoot me.

 

[saysfaa]

Sorry, I probably should have left off "the best" part. For one thing, he wasn't accessing this situation - he moved that coop across the county, I didn't tell him anything about this except it was across the yard and about the same size.

What I really wanted to do was give another option besides rollers or dragging.

 

[MGG]

This is how we moved mine, haha. Two skid loaders with forks on. We loaded it up on a large trailer, drove it across town to my house, and put it down like this.

And to top it all off, it's ancient. It survived the move just fine and is now being used as a wood shed.