Poly Dome Shelters: Securing & transporting livestock

[TOU]

Hey All

As some of you know, I while back I became the Exclusive Dealer for Poly Dome Products in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Nevada & Western Wyoming. ("Poly Dome of Utah"...Ogden, Utah) Our huts are amazing shelters for your goats...full size or kids...small/young calves, sheep, small horses/ponies, alpacas or LARGE dogs etc. (My LGD is 120 lbs & 34" at the shoulder!) They keep animals warm, safe, protected, shaded, secure, well ventilated and out of the elements and last for decades. (They actually have a 10 year warranty)

That said, I wanted to let you know about a kit I have come up with that makes three of our hut offerings EXTREMELY utilitarian, even more useful & a bigger bang for you dollar! It is our new "Securing-Door-Kit". It works with & fits our Warm Weather Hut as well the Squares & Big-Foot Huts.

The "Securing-Door-Kit" allow these shelters to function DOUBLE & even TRIPLE duty by securing the animals in the hut. Among other things, this can really come in handy for isolating or securing animals at night when kidding & securing them from predators etc. They are locked in a moment & released even faster by quickly pulling/sliding out the securing rods & panel. They are strong enough to keep safe & secure the wiliest life stock...as well as keep many predators out.

This kit consist of a small but very strong 4x4-square securing panel (similar to a small goat/sheep fence panel), 8: 5/16" diameter eyebolts, securing rods, hitch pins & associated hardware. It goes together easily by drilling 8 holes in the polyethylene walls. (Large fender washers and Nylock-nuts secure & strengthen the attachment points.) Additional eyebolts can be added inside or out for temporarily tethering your animals if desired. So nothing ever gets lost but is always ready to go...there are two more eyebolts on the side that you can lock the "securing panel" out of the way when not in use.

While the huts were not originally designed for the following purpose, with a "Securing-Door-Kit", (Insert your normal cautions and disclaimers etc.) clients have found our huts even more utilitarian (I.E.TRIPLE-duty) as strong-inexpensive, secure animal transporting shelters in full size truck beds or nearly any utility trailer...AND they of course again quickly & easily make a great shelter once at the destination. (Please see attached photos.)

The Warm Climate Hut is especially amazing for this because it is a little bit smaller than the others. (44” wide x 60” long x 48” high ...The lips push its actual footprint to 48" W x 65" L.) THIS makes it the perfect size to fit in any full size truck bed or utility trailer. Because it weighs less than 80 lbs...it is easily moved & load by nearly anyone. Additionally, since the animals are used to living in the shelters, loading is made easier & less stressful for animals and they load in easily. Shelters are easily & quickly anchored in minutes...animals are then locked, loaded & secured in a few more minutes. When you arrive, simply pull the securing rods & pins in 30 seconds and the animal are out and ready to go!

As noted, the "Warm Climate Hut", "Poly Square Hut" & "Big-Foot Huts" use the exact same "Securing-Door-Kit" as the kit fits identically as they all have the identical door cut outs. The Big-Foot is great for hauling larger or additional animals & fits well in a 8' bed. It & the Square actually fit OVER/ON the wheel wells & hence needs additional blocking supports in the corners for stability. Obviously this makes it sit higher allowing larger animals as well as humans ability to walk around nearly upright. It also allows it to get the usage of the full with of the bed. (The Big-Foot is 60" wide x 90" long...that's is 7.5 feet long! Obviously in a utility or flat deck a blocking kit is not necessary for securing it.

* PLEASE NOTE: If you're going to use the huts in the back of trucks or trailers for transporting...securing & anchoring them down well is key! This is up to the purchaser though & we make no claim on the best way to anchor your shelter in your truck or trailer.

That said, one way I have seen is anchoring & securing them for transport is using 2 new & secure ratchet style tie-downs to your truck's 4 anchor points. Others have suggested directly bolting them down to their truck bed or trailer...AGAIN, this is up to the purchaser.

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A little bit about the huts themselves...

• Made from high-impact UV stabilized polyethylene.
• One piece, seamless roto-molded design
• No rivets to break, no cracks to let snow and rain sift in and need no steel rim around the bottom for strength that rots out (imagine how hard this is to clean).
• All huts are tough as nails and have a 10 year warranty (Pro-rated)
• Available in white opaque material to eliminate the solar effect. It blocks out the sun’s heat–not sunlight...or natural material to absorb the suns’ rays to help heat and dry the unit.
• Center flow adjustable vents
• Easy cleaned & sanitized
• Stackable

All huts are totally free-standing–no foundation required. The Poly Squares & Big-Foots have inverted ribs for better wind resistance, a wider stance (5’) for better stability. They also have the Center Roof Vent, the leading vent system on the market today. The Warm Climate Hut top features an adjustable sliding cover over 8 vent openings. There are also several options including bucket holder, buckets, fence brackets, hay feeders, additional adjustable vents (especially nice on the Warm Climate Hut), rear & side feeding doors.

Securing-Door-Kit = $40

Warm Climate Hut = shell only $235 White Opaque -- 44” wide x 60” long x 48” high, 75-80 pounds.

Poly Square Hut = shell only $328 White Opaque -- 60"' Wide x 78" long, 100 pounds

Big-Foot Hut = shell only $346 White Opaque -- 60" wide x 90" long, 110 pounds. It has the biggest sleeping area of any hutch on the market today (38 square ft)

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Incidentally, I will be donating one the Warm Climate Huts for sale at this year's NAPgA Rendezvous & donating 100% of the proceeds to NAPgA. I'm also willing to deliver them to the Rendezvous if pre-purchased. (Transportation home is up to the purchaser.)

Anyway, mostly informing you all of something that works well with our goats but happy to help you with your needs as well.

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Here are some pictures:

Warm Climate Hut

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