We love old lawn tractors. Any time there is an ad in the local newspaper under the “Free, You Haul” column, we are there. We have several different items fabricated from old riding mowers and odds and ends.

Graham Robertson with a handy sheep hauler, made very cheaply from salvaged materials.

We made a sheep hauler using a salvaged steel plate with the rear wheels from an old lawn tractor, the axles welded together inside a length of pipe, and the mounts and bearings sawed off the transmission to attach to the steel plate bottom.

Hauler’s front axle: “A” shows one side’s steering rod. “B” shows where the bolt is welded to the steering rod. This is then bolted to the wagon tongue. The other end of the steering rod is just barely visible to the right of “B,” behind the wagon tongue.

The front was the front wheel-and-axle assembly from the front of the same mower. We reversed the axles so the tie rod that steers the front wheels is in front of the wheels.

A bolt—welded to center of the steering rod—fits into a length of industrial “all-channel” whose end is attached to a bracket on the original cross frame—the cross frame that that holds the axle.

The cross frame provides a strong pulling point and steering rod turns the wheels when the wagon tongue turns.

The tractor end of the wagon-tongue channel has a welded bolt, with a hole drilled for a retaining pin, to fit a lawn tractor attachment hole.

The sheep hauler was made to fit the door leading into the lambing jugs.

The doorframe of the “cage” was fabricated from box 2″ steel—a piece of salvaged gym equipment.

The cage itself is leftover cattle stockade fencing.

Floor was made “non-slip” with leftover carpet. Probably the cost to build was around $5.00 for welding rods and supplies.

Sheep usual climbs right out of the barn and into the hauler.

It does exactly what I needed—to move one animal, or a ewe with lambs—from one pasture to another. Normally makes this a one-person job.

Loading from the barn is usually a snap: Back the mover up to the lower open door in the barn we use for a jug.

The back of the hauler fits “sheep tight,” and usually the sheep just climbs in. I guess to their mind, it is a path to freedom.

Close the door, and we’re off!