The Toyota Cab Coop
Because we have plans to utilize the frame from the old Toyota Chicken Truck to do a frame swap on the LUV truck, we had to come up with a solution that allows us to still use the overall chicken coop. This simple idea incorporates just the cab from the truck, which will be mounted on a crude foundation as a standalone structure, while still maintaining the same functions as the cab did when it was part of the TCT. We previously removed the bed and shell from the TCT and removed the body mounts, leaving just the extraction of the cab from the frame. To lighten the load I did remove the doors and hood from the cab so there won't be as much strain on the forklift tractor when we use it to lift the cab off the frame. With the help of the tractor with added forks on the front end loader, I was able to lift the cab off the frame fully and onto the ground, clear of the frame. Since I did weld part of the nesting box area to conduits that were welded to the frame, the old floor in the nesting area was ripped up part way. It's just as well as the floor was rusted and in need of replacement. Once the cab was fully separated from the frame, the frame was removed from the chicken yard and staged next to the LUV truck pending the beginning of that project. From there I set up four concrete foundation blocks on a spot in the chicken yard where our old shed coop was located. A couple 2x8x8 boards were cut into 4ft sections and screwed together with deck screws to make the foundation. From here the forklift tractor was used to lift and move the cab into the foundation, having to work the cab further into position by hand until it was well seated on the wood frame.
After first picking the cab up from under the roof and ripping the nesting box floor, I set the cab back down partway off the frame, then forked the cab from under the rocker panels. I used some tow chain to secure the cab to the tractor as I fully lifted the cab free and laid it down on the ground, clear of the frame, which was later pulled from the chicken yard and staged next to the LUV truck.
With the cab on the wood frame, I drilled four holes at the spots where the old body mounts were and using deck screws with washers, secured the cab to the wood frame further. I put the doors and hood back on, then turned my attention to the nesting box floor. After cutting that rusty metal out, I cut a patch panel from a section of roof panel I cut out of the old S10 cab roof when stripping that truck down. This panel was welded in place in the nesting box area, and even without the conduits to support it, the single piece of sheet metal is rigid enough to not need added support. Moving along, I reestablished power to the coop by plugging up an extension cord to the cord that was already hooked up to the cab for the existing electrical system. This cord was then plugged to the power cord protruding from the ground on the other side of the old Mustang Chicken Coupe. Since that car is slated to be turned back into a car, it won't need that power run anymore.
After forking the cab at an angle partially onto the foundation, I had to work the cab onto the wood frame by hand until it sat evenly over the wood frame. I secured the cab to the frame via four wood screws with washers. I drilled holes in the metal where the old body mounts were, allowing me to place the deck screws into the wood frame, further securing the cab. The doors and hood were reattached, and with the doors in place, the cab is able to sit on the frame with the front clip overhanging as seen in the picture. There is no imbalance due to the majority of the weight being on the cab itself, versus the front clip.
As for the water, this incorporated the old watering apparatus that was in the old Toyota Chicken Truck's bed. I took away one of the drinker cups from the manifold to save on space. I cut a hole in the back of the cab to pass the PVC pipe through to the outside. The reservoir bucket was propped on an old metal can, placing it at the right level to allow for the hose barbs on the bucket and the manifold assembly to line up for easy clean coupling with a short length of hose, as before in the TCT. I still have to replace the pressure regulator on the input line so a garden hose can be hooked up to feed this thing, but in a pinch, the bucket can be manually filled via the yard hose. The hose that will be hooked up to this setup will be connected to the spigot on the other side of the old Mustang Chicken Coupe where it used to feed the TCT just as well. Since I still have to move the Mustang, I'll wait to bury the power cord and the water hose when its set up.
The drinker cup watering system salvaged from the old Toyota Chicken Truck is reused here, with one of the drinker cups removed to save on space. An angle brace is bolted to the side and zip tied to the end of the drinker cup manifold. A conduit brace is used on the left side of the manifold to hold it in place on the back of the cab. A hole is cut in the back for the PVC pipe to exit out.
The hole in the cab where the PVC pipe comes out has a tab of metal that is left in place and used as an anchor point, with the pipe zip tied to the metal tab. The bucket reservoir is set on top of a metal can to bring it to the height to bring the output hose barb to the same level with the PVC pipe manifold where a short length of hose connects the two. I still need to install a pressure regulator on the float valve line and connect a hose to the regulator and to the spigot that fed the old Toyota Chicken Truck and Mustang Chicken Coupe.
For the time being, since the coop was being used as a brooder box, the rear opening was blocked off with some chicken wire. When we do set up another cab coop, which we do have a couple more cabs to use, then I will convert this cab coop back into a standard adult bird coop, removing the screen from the rear opening. I'll also fabricate a ramp so the birds can go in and out with ease, allowing me to keep both doors closed so inclement weather won't affect the birds contained within. I have a Ranger cab that I plan on setting up as a brooder box after its stripped from the frame its currently on. I also have the S10 Ranger chicken coop that will be separated into its two parts, with the bed being cut up and the cab being turned into another cab coop. After I move the Mustang from the yard and complete these plans, we'll have three cab coops side by side in the area, serving the birds as they were intended to.
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