Steel framed tractor?

[backwoods]

Think I am going to build a tractor out of steel tubing to be lighter and easier to move than wood. Figure I could anchor it with dog tie outs or something of the sort. Any input, ideas? I am a much better welder than carpenter so it makes ever more sense to me.

 

[arlee453]

I know people make them out of PVC piping for lightweight, so steel tubing should work also.

I'm toying with the idea of a PVC tractor for the meat birds that are coming in a month....

 

[sugarbush]

You will have to keep the tubing clean, chicken poop will eat through it rather quickley.

 

[pdpatch]

We just finished a turkey run that I made out of metal. The main frame is made from some old 1 1/2" conduit. I welded the connectors to the tubing rather then making sleaves. The outside that the that the snow fence hangs on is 3/4 tubing. Most of it has it's cheap black paint on it that it is protected with.

I used some scafolding wheels so it's movable.

The walk in door is from an old fence gate we had laying around. Just about everything I used was surplus or from the junk yard. The runs is 8 about 2 x 25 Feet in size.

Out side of run

Inside the run, the white pieces is 1 1/2 inches non galvenized conduct. The dark pieces is 3/4 inch tubing I got in a trade a few years ago. The sides is green snow fencing, the roof is a couple of pieces of old surplus cammoflage netting. I should have covered the roof with sheet metal in hind site, as there was not enough shade. It not designed to be preaditor proof but to keep the turkeys from wandering off.

The walk in door is an old chian link gate we had laying around.

we anchored the run bu using a half circle welded to a t-post. I amde the drive from about a 2" steam pipe with a cap on it.

I made a t-post puller out of some scrap metal pieces I had laying around.

I used some fancy adjustable cable, but some small webbed strapping could be used.

 

[bills]

That's quite a coop PD!

Have coop will travel...just load them into the coop, close the doors, and drive them off to the slaughter house.

Great recycling!

Backwoods, I can't see any reason why not to make it out of metal. It won't rot, and if you use galvanized, or paint it, the poop shouldn't hurt it for many years. The dog anchors should work great as well. It would take a pretty strong predator, to get them out of the ground.