Hydraulic Lift for Chicken Tractor

[Tractorable]

Good point, for us we want to get our hens out into the pasture because when we let them free range around the house they destroy the flower beds and landscaping. However, when they’re out in the pasture they’re vulnerable to predation so we want a secure coop that can be moved about once a week. It takes us about 5-10 minutes to move our other chicken tractor, kick the chickens out, fold up their ramp, lower the wheels, back the 8N up to it and lift it on the ball hitch, tow it around like a trailer. Very easy and we don’t have to much cleaning at all.

 

[ericm979]

A chicken tractor like Tractorable's very nice one lets you pasture the chickens while keeping them enclosed and safe from predators. It also lets you manage where they pasture, keeping them in small spaces which you rotate frequently. For a lot of reasons that's a bit better for the pasture than letting them roam over the whole area continually. If you move the tractor slowly the chickens move along with it.

M5's idea is a good one. Simple and easy.

 

[Dave M7040]

I added two swing arms with pneumatic tires and wheels on my 90" inverted snowblower to be able to avoid scalping gravel and ground before everything is frozen.

What I learned in this process is that, even with each wheel with its own cylinder, the forces on the assembly were offset. The wheel and the cylinder cannot be in line with each other because the tire is what generates the force on the ground whereas the swing arm is a short distance from the tire. This offset caused the swing arm to twist badly even though it was made from 1" thick x 4" wide steel plate.

In the end, the solution was simple, connect the two swing arms with an axle. Now the axle is managing the swing arm twisting and both wheel staying vertical under load.

I think the chicken trailer will need the same design feature.

Dave M7040

 

[Tractorable]

Yes, I’m planning to weld an axle in between the two swingarms, 2”x2” x 1/4” wall thickness square tube. Will butress it with some angle to keep lateral and twisting forces in check. The “axle” will be set close to the coop so we don’t have to step over it to open the rear door.

 

[Tractorable]

The new chicken tractor is officially mobile and had its maiden voyage this morning! In the end, frugality prevailed and we end up using a single trailer jack to lift the coop and move the swing arm. I wanted to go for a high speed solution with linear actuators but the cost was $330/ea then I’d have to buy a switch, battery, and solar charger and probably would’ve been about $900 total.

The wife said “it’s a chicken coop, don’t spend a lot of money on it”, so we spent $62 on the trailer jack instead. Wise woman, guess we need’em around to keep things in check.