wheels for chicken coop?

[shadowman]

hey folks,
I've built a 4' x 8' coop and have it well insulated for winter. I want to put wheels on it so I can move it around easily, but I'm not sure what kind of wheels to get and how to attach them securely. The coop probably weighs about 300 pounds. Canadian Tire has wheels for wheelbarrows that are 8" in diameter and it says they take a 3/8' axle. Any ideas?

 

[bjash]

I built a chicken tractor of a similar size (and weight). I ended up having to get bigger tires than that (the 8" ones just dug down into the ground too much to easily move it around). I got 12" tires (I believe they took at least a half inch sized axle--used carriage bolts)--I remember the nuts were at least an inch in size--possibly 1 1/2 inch (big!).

The 12" tires work much better now.

 

[Cargo]

Here you go. I made a tutorial: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=68711-tractor-wheels

 

[shadowman]

that's awesome! the wheels I was looking at cost $20.00 each. Thanks! I'm going to order some!

 

[shadowman]

Might have a problem ordering from harbour freight. There's no option on their sight for Canadian orders. I have e-mailed them, so, I'll wait and see what happens. I was thinking about ordering the swivel casters?

 

[Cargo]

With swivel caster your coop will be a lot higher in the air.
Not a bad thing, if you can put them on and take them off again easily.
Or engineer a different mounting system.

If you have trouble with them let me know. We have a local Harbor Freight store I can mail you some. They are heavy though, shipping may be a pain in the wallet.

 

[shadowman]

Wow! that is a generous offer. I LOVE THIS SITE! It may come to that. I'll have to see what their reply is. I wanted the coop off the ground a bit anyway. The floor has 3'' of insulation, so there is no problem with a cold wind blowing underneath it.
Thanks for the offer, I may have to take you up on it soon. For some reason, Canadian suppliers don't seem to carry any castors of that size and nature.

 

[bjash]

I live in Michigan, so if you need to do double shipping, let me know (might be a bit cheaper going to Ontario from here), plus we have a Harbor Freight locally too (Grand Rapids).

 

[patandchickens]

Have you tried Princess Auto? I don't know if you have one around, but if you do, they are very very good as a Canadian source for that kind of thing. www.princessauto.com/locations (Note to non-Canadians, Princess Auto has about as much to do with auto supplies as Canadian Tire has to do with tires, lol)

Pat

 

[shadowman]

Thanks Pat, I never knew about Princess Auto. I did a check but I didn't find what I was looking for, but they do have other things I may need in the near future. I'm iun ontario as well. I'm going to build three coops,,, I'm planning on insulating them all, do you think that is overkill for our climate? I already have an 8' x 4' nearly finished and I have insulated that one for my silkies.

bjash,,, thanks for the kind offer, that's closer yet to where I am. I'm not quite ready for them yet,but I may need to call on you when the time comes.