Ok, I know I promised last week that I would build a new chicken tractor using this conduit bender.
I procrastinated.
So this evening I was making a chicken tractor and taking pictures. It didn’t last that long – when the rain started pouring, though, I gave up. Apparently I’m a fair-weather farmer.
Hence, here is how I’m building this year’s chicken tractor – PART 1.
But first, a quick description of just what a chicken tractor is. It’s a light-weight chicken pen without a floor, so that chickens can live directly on the pasture and be moved to a fresh spot daily. In this climate, they are only used in the warm months.
I said that I am currently enamored with conduit, right? Well, this stuff pictured above – ain’t it. This is top-rail for a chainlink fence. Two lengths are 5 ft (cut with the all-powerful sawzall) and the other two are 10 foot, 6 in.
Hint: Top-rail is sold in 10 ft, 6 in lengths. (I’m lazy.)
Then I used chainlink fence T connectors on all four corners to form the base frame. As shown, the 10 ft, 6 in sides has that 6 in overlap on one end, essentially making the frame 10 ft by 5 ft.
Next, I bent the 1/2 in conduit. This was way too much fun. They didn’t bend quite perfectly, but they sufficed and I think that the bender was a success, over all.
I bent five in all.
Next, I drilled 1/2 in holes along the base frame, spaced evenly 2 1/2 feet apart on the long side of the frame.
See the rain starting?
Then I inserted the arced conduit into the holes, just to see how it looked.
Then the rain began dripping down my shoulders, and I came into the house to drink tea and play my guitar. Because sometimes that’s the type of farmer I am.
Next week, it will be done.
I hope.