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Post by oxbowfarm on Apr 11, 2013 11:34:27 GMT -5
The very nice commercial mobile high tunnels have permanent skids or wheel-and-track systems to move them. Our houses are homebuilt cob-jobs so we use some homemade wheel boxes built around standard garden cart wheels to move them. Close-up of the wheel boxing and our high tech attachment system. Our field is fairly flat so we've never worried about "breaking the spine". There are actually 7 "spines' running the length of the house, two angle-iron base rails, two hip boards, two purlins and the ridgepole. There is also wind bracing running the length of the houses that stiffen things up and distribute stress around.
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Post by dustdevil on Apr 11, 2013 15:44:37 GMT -5
Ox, thank you for posting the pics and info about your wheel system.
I see the angle iron sits under the rib ends. How is the angle iron attached?
Can two people pull this, or do you use tractor and chains/cable connected to the angle iron?
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Post by oxbowfarm on Apr 11, 2013 17:01:53 GMT -5
The angle iron is is attached to the hoop with U-bolts, you can see them in the picture of the wheel box. It required a great deal of tedious drilling and completely chewed up several twist bits and one drive belt on the drill press. Fortunately my Dad was here on a visit and I Tom Sawyered him into doing the lion's share of the drilling work. We don't own a tractor at the moment. It can easily be pushed by two people when help is available but generally I end up pushing them all by myself which is a bit of a workout.
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Post by dustdevil on Apr 11, 2013 20:22:24 GMT -5
Ahhh...now I see the U-bolts! I understand how your wheel setup works now. Thanks for sharing your design.
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Post by steev on Apr 11, 2013 20:31:57 GMT -5
Be careful with that "all by myself" stuff; too much of that finally caught up with me and just cost me a trifecta of hernia surgery, which wasn't so awful, but I missed a week-end on the farm; damn! that hurt!
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 11, 2013 21:46:57 GMT -5
Be careful with that "all by myself" stuff; too much of that finally caught up with me and just cost me a trifecta of hernia surgery, which wasn't so awful, but I missed a week-end on the farm; damn! that hurt! Note that Steev went out and cut down a tree....while he was supposed to be RESTING.
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Post by steev on Apr 12, 2013 0:04:21 GMT -5
Didn't have to cut it down; it had fallen, just a slice-and-dice job; I barely broke a sweat.
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Post by bunkie on Apr 12, 2013 10:34:24 GMT -5
What a great setup Ox! Looks like our 'hills' might not be a good idea for the system.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Apr 20, 2014 8:59:47 GMT -5
Finally have some good crops coming out of the big new house, arugula, komatsuna, pac choi, radishes, mustard greens, and very soon some lettuce. Odds and ends of Russian Kales, Senposai, and some Vivid Choi in house #4, only harvested some of the Vivid Choi from in here. Just getting some plantings going outside, lettuce, mustard, spinach, peas, carrots and beets.
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 20, 2014 14:38:23 GMT -5
Vivid Choi, great stuff! Looks good. I'm beat from planting corn.
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Post by steev on Apr 20, 2014 22:57:09 GMT -5
While I envy your greenhouses, I doubt I could adapt them to withstand my farm's occasional winds. If I could move them, they'd become kites.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Apr 21, 2014 6:43:16 GMT -5
We are usually protected from the most severe winds being down in the valley bottom, but I did lose my first house to a big gust when I stupidly left one end of it unanchored for a while. They've withstood 50+ mph sustained winds during Hurricane Sandy and those were hitting us straight on from the north. The key is focussed anchoring. The easiest anchors are the auger type, I can't use them in my soil, but those are easiest to install.
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 21, 2014 20:11:04 GMT -5
Oxbow, you could use rocks..... Oh, sorry couldn't help myself. (We use window weights for just about everything that needs to be held down. Tarps, etc. By the by, Red Ruffled Ox is now in season. Right there in the second photo between the carrots. foothillfarm.blogspot.com/
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Post by oxbowfarm on Apr 21, 2014 21:24:12 GMT -5
That one is totally a mixed bag Holly. When I sent it to you i thought it was a distinct variety that got mixed into my Black Seeded Simpson, but now I know that it was a F1 plant. That F2 seed gives all kinds of stuff. Whatever the pollen parent was, it was someting really red, because lots of the offspring are super dark. I've got another tray going of that to see if I can pick any interesting reds out. The only plant I kept from last season that gave me good seed was a green leaf.
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 22, 2014 13:47:08 GMT -5
I'm always happy to trial a pretty lettuce. I like butter lettuce from Ferdzy's visit to Turkey and it's wonderful. I think I have to let it go to seed this year. What do you get when you plant a mixed bag of Red Ruffled Ox with Turkish Majus Kiralya?
Corral ya Ox?
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