My new hoop tractor

[elmo]

Here's my new hoop tractor, built with row cover hoops I bought from Farmtek.

I really like this model: it's light, easy to move, and easy to tarp for shade and in case of rain (that's a plastic drop cloth there on one end because rain is forecast today).

It was pretty easy to build, too. The only fiddly part was cutting and wrapping the wire to fit the semi circle ends.

 

[chikeemomma25]

Looks great! How did you get it so straight? We made something similar to this but with white pvc. What type of netting is that?

 

[elmo]

It's black vinyl coated hardware cloth, 19 gauge, with 1/2" by 1/2" openings. I can't take credit for the hoops being straight: I bought them! They come in two pieces, and you connect them in the middle. I used metal conduit clamps I got at Home Depot so I wouldn't have to mess with drilling holes in the metal tubes.

Here's where I bought the hoops:

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_coldframes_hightunnels;pg104155.html

They're actually made for garden row covers.

 

[chikeemomma25]

Great! Thanks! Can't wait to show my hubby! So you have a piece of wood connecting them all at the top? I guess I am trying tofigure out how they secure to the wood to keep them from wobbling back and forth....

 

[FourPawz]

That's a great tractor. If I may ask, did you get the wire mesh from the same site or did you pick it up locally?

 

[elmo]

Quote:
I used that piece of wood sort of like a purlin to make things more secure, since I planned on moving the tractor around the yard a lot. I attached the hoops to the wood purlin using this same kind of fastener (couldn't get a really good picture of the connection on the purlin):

As you can see from the first photo, these are the fasteners I used to connect the hoops to the baseboards, too. Two fasteners secure each leg of the hoop.

I just walked down the aisle in Home Depot in the electrical metal conduit section and took a look at what different kinds of pipe fasterers there are. These looked like they'd do the job...and they did! I'm sure there are other ways to fasten pipe to wood, too.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Thanks! I order my wire from these folks:

http://www.wadavidson.com/

 

[poularde]

I like your tractor. Thank you for giving me some ideas. I like your other coops also. Nice progression.

 

[nelgkel]

Nice job!!

 

[CoopCrazy]

So did you have to have them delivered or do thy sell them locally .. these are amazing.. I had such a hard time doing my hoophouses but with these , I mean wiow you dont have to bend anything... I must find these and the price is defintly right....