Feed Trough Design

For many years at the farm, supplemental grain feeding of sheep in pasture areas has been part of the program.  Jeffrey built these first feed troughs that have been in service for many years.  Now some of the wood legs are starting to deteriorate and with increasing numbers of sheep, we need more troughs.  I just finished putting together some additional troughs.

Eight inch PVC water pipe is cut in half lengthwise.  I bought the pipe several years ago and made the cuts.  The cut pipe then languished in the barn for a couple years, collecting dust and being in the way. Finally the critical need for more troughs and more floor space in the barn forced me into action.

Earlier, I set up 4 troughs using treated 2x4 lumber.  They were so heavy I could barely move them around.  So for this set, I used treated 1x4 and 1x2 lumber.  The result seems spindly and insubstantial, but is lightweight and easier for me to move around.  We will see how long they last.  Next time I think I will use 2x2 instead of 1x2 lumber.  That would not add much weight and be a little bit more substantial at connection points.

Plans for the legs are sketched out below.  The legs and trough uprights are attached to the 1x4 horizontal support with two 1 1/4" deck screws.  The pipe is attached to the leg assembly at three points, pipe bottom (37.5" from end with 1 5/8" screw) and the two edges (36.75" from end with 1 1/4" screw).

The trough assemblies seem to stack well enough, facilitating transport.

Jeffrey's original design has lasted for years and most are still in good shape.  Some of the leg connection points are starting to loosen and the ground contact is starting to rot a bit.

My design of a couple years ago is very sturdy and stacks well, but is almost too heavy to move around.

The spring ewe flock is using all the feed troughs.  They don't care about the trough design; they just want to see feed in it.

Update:  I was right, my new design is too flimsy.  After a couple of days use, I found a couple leg assemblies that were starting to break apart.  The 1x material is more like 5/8 to 3/4 inches thick, I had to use 1 1/4 inch deck screws (1 5/8 inch would have poked through the other side) and did not provide enough purchase into the wood to hold well.  I need to use 2x2 lumber instead of 1x2 and I think that should work.