This is our journal of what we pray is our sojourn of life (Hebrews 11:8-10) along the narrow way (Matthew 7:14), even the old paths (Jeremiah 6:16), submitting to the Bible as a light unto both (Psalms 119:105). It is our prayer that these documented moments in our earthly time benefit whom God might choose to edify, but ultimately that God glorifies Himself through them.

Shack Caddy

The initial plan for our goat sheds was to make them portable. On one I put some wheels; but on the subsequent ones, I decided it wasn’t worth the time nor expense. I am able to lift one side and shuffle them along, which is fine for moving them around inside an individual pen; but moving them from pen to pen would take some effort. I thought it might be nice to inexpensively throw together something on which to haul them around.

Here’s what I came up with: essentially it’s a shed tote made of landscape timbers, bolted together in a square, with the back cross timber on top of the skid timbers, and the front cross timber below, which would angle the skids up allowing for it to be more easily dragged along.

And here it is:

The next pictures show the process of a move:





And the goats check out the “new” place!

Thanks to the Lord for this idea and for the resources to be able to put it together.

— David

6 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Great idea David. I tend to over design things when something simple will suffice. Thankfully I am learning from folks like you. May God continue to bless your work.

  2. David and Susan Sifford

    Thanks, poststop.

    — David

  3. Anonymous

    I would not have thought to build one with the "skid" perpendicular to the direction of travel, but I can see some benefits to doing it that way.

    I built my chicken coop with integrated skids so that I could move it around, but by the time my idea of a coop was modified by my wife's idea of a coop, the thing is so heavy it is not going anywhere.

    Thanks for stepping up to the plate with a more frequent day-in-your-life posting. I have enjoyed it a lot.

    – Todd

  4. David and Susan Sifford

    Hi Todd,

    Thanks for the comment. I assume you're talking about the front cross timber. I did it that way mostly to elevate the front of the skids so I didn't have to get creative with the front of them (like shape them, etc.) in trying to keep them from burying into the ground when pulling; and even though the design made for a cross timber to be possibly dragging on the ground, I figured if I could get whatever would be pulling close enough and the chain tight enough, the pulling action might bring that front cross timber off the ground, even a little bit, which I hoped would relieve some of the drag. I believe it did do that, somewhat anyway. Plus, given the lighter weight of the shed, the cross timber doesn't really seems to cause too much drag anyway, sliding broadside like that.

    Thanks again,

    — David

  5. Anonymous

    Without knowing the size and weight of the goat shacks, or the distance they had to be moved; I've wondered if bigger diametor round logs could have been used (unconnected) to roll the shack on, by lifting the back or front bottom edge onto one and having about 3 more ready to roll onto; then lifting/rotating the logs to the front of the building, as you pushed the building in the desired direction to relocate it? Would take 2-3 people though I'm sure, and perhaps some 2×4's or other smaller logs to pry the bottom with. The bigger/rounder the logs, the less drag/hangup on soil, I'd think.

    Great job with your moving project and skid building for truck use. Enjoyed reading about it.

    Our land up north is very rolling and the woods thick with a few steep hills and many fallen trees, logs, that need to be cleaned out. We'd initially probably need a skidsteer (skidster?) to get the pulling out of them accomplished within the hills. Once the woods were more cleared and we had a trail or two, we could do more hand work.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Beth

  6. David and Susan Sifford

    Sounds like an interesting plan.

    Thanks, Beth.

    — David

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