Chicken Tractor, help needed with wheels ...

[rustylady]

Yep, but he's a bloke - I'm sure there's something that could entice him to drill a few holes

Oh he would drill holes, but would they be in the right places?

[Aberdeenplotter]

Hmm, looks like a good place to advertise my handyman services. Mind I'd want travelling time and mileage

[Potstubsdustbins]

Post in 'blonde' to 2sheds, not me I want to reach my next birthday.

As to your problem does Mr 2Sheds play golf you could nick the wheels of his trolly.

If not wheeliebin wheels look a good bet as they come with the axle already attached available from castors-online.co.uk £5 + vat each.

I see two problems. (a) the structure is not made for regular movement and will need some reinforcing where you fix the wheels. (b) The house will need to be flat on the ground when in use to stop the Gp's escaping. So we will have to devise something that raises the coop of the ground to move it and then drops it back down for use.

If I am making sense let me know and I will have a think. Can you measure the dims of the corner uprights width & depth.

Colin

[Glutton4...]

an easier way,might be to put strips of something durable and slippy,like a hard plastic,vynal,on to the bottom wood frame that comes into contact with the grass,this will make it slide,it will act like a ski

Yeah - skids! They use them on field shelters for Horses, and other livestock. Just attach a rope to your tractor/4x4 and pull it to new ground. The theory would work here, too, and no 'raise-and-lower' issues!

Now, what kind of strips to use...?

[lottie dolly]

Yeah - skids! They use them on field shelters for Horses, and other livestock. Just attach a rope to your tractor/4x4 and pull it to new ground. The theory would work here, too, and no 'raise-and-lower' issues!

Now, what kind of strips to use...?

am gland someone else thinks it a good idea,it needs a material thats strong and a bit flexible,so it can be turned up a couple of inches onto the body,this would help it run smoother,if needed all 4 sideds could be done the same,as long as they all turn up in the same direction,could also be glued on,so as not to get snaged up on the grass,just a few takc on the turned up area,some floor coverings are ideal, if needed i could do a sketch and post for you to see TS,but am sure you know what i mean,

[Potstubsdustbins]

Just a thought unless thats a giant rabbit the structure is not that large/heavy would two long carrying handles attached length ways along it so that two people could carry it work?

Colin

[veggiechicken]

... like a sedan chair. Certainly the easiest option - no moving parts apart from the legs of the carriers!

[snohare]

Assuming that the guinea pigs have been put upstairs while being shifted, I see a really simple, DIY-less way of shifting this.
Get two broom handles, or round fence posts/tree stakes, long enough to go from one side of the hutch to the other.
Say the hutch is one metre wide, and you want to move it one metre to the left. Put one handle/post on the ground, right next to the left hand edge of the hutch, and the other one about 75 centimetres to the left.
Lift the hutch onto the first roller. This can be done using a lever, by tipping it slightly backwards, or simply by kicking a wedge in under the edge of the hutch until the bottom lifts up enough to kick the handle in under it. The handle doesn't need to be exactly parallel to the direction of travel, although that might help.
Then pull sideways; as the hutch rises and rolls along the roller, it will move easily until the weight begins to tip down again. At that point it should land on the second roller and will still be easily pullable. (I'm assuming a flat lawn here.)
Once the hutch arrives at where you want it, raise it slightly again with a wedge, and remove first of all the second roller, and then the first if needs be. Then remove the wedge. Job done.

Oops, I lied. It's not quite DIY-less. You might need to attach a string to the wedge so that you can pull it free, and you might even have to cut a wedge yourself, if you want a big one. (Big ones are easier to use. But they don't have to be symmetrical, in fact it's better if they are not.)
If you wanted to be daring, you could add handles to the hutch, but that's really complicated...

If you want that translated into blonde, let me know...

[veggiechicken]

... and thus they moved the Bluestones from Pembrokeshire to Stonehenge...........

[Two_Sheds]

Just a thought ... the structure is not that large/heavy

two people could carry it?

It is heavy, it's as tall as my waist and I can't even push it. And there's only me to move it, hence the need for wheels.

[Two_Sheds]

Thanks everyone, I hope you've enjoyed the challenge

You've given me some more thoughts to ponder, I'll have a proper read through the replies when I get a spare minute.

[roitelet]

One thing I would add is use wheels as wide as possible. Narrow wheels like bike wheels will get stuck if the ground is soggy.

[Potstubsdustbins]

2Sheds can you lift 1 narrow side? Say 6" whilst leaving the other side resting on the grass.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

So ....



... Mr TS had a day off last week.

I now have a broken hutch roof, a broken drill, 2 big holes where he tried and failed to fit an axle, a load of mess just left on the floor, and a bill for £22 of nuts & bolts ):

[rustylady]

So ....



... Mr TS had a day off last week.

I now have a broken hutch roof, a broken drill, 2 big holes where he tried and failed to fit an axle, a load of mess just left on the floor, and a bill for £22 of nuts & bolts ):

Do you want Mum to come and fix it?