The latest product that I designed for YOLO Colours just went in production. It is a calf hutch, or as YOLO calls it, a Moo Igloo.
The project was done in cooperation with the Wynn-with Dairy Farm, who approached me a few months ago and asked if I can design and manufacture a calf hutch. They needed it for their own calves, and it turned out that there is nothing like it available on the South African dairy farm market, although it is quite common in North America and Europe.
I knew right away that it is a product that will fit perfectly in the expanding YOLO range. Lisa agreed, and a few months later YOLO made its first delivery of Moo Igloos to the Wynn-with farm.
The hutch itself is rotomoulded from white PE. The white colour is cooler in the sun than other products. I designed the hutch to fit calves up to 3 months old, and I added a couple of features that make it stiff and strong without having to make it too heavy. The adjustable vent holes at the back is a nifty feature too.
The hutch come standard with a galvanised steel base, to make it even more sturdy. This is needed as the hutches are turned upside down after use to let the sun’s UV rays kill all germs inside.
The galvanised steel fence is sold as a separate product, as some farmers prefer to do their own steel work. I designed the fence to hinge at the bottom. This allows the fence to pivot 90 degrees. When pivoted, the fence rests on the flange around the base of the hutch, making it possible for one person to move the whole setup to a different location.
Both the rotomoulded hutch and the steel frames are manufactured and assembled for YOLO by my company Tramp Design.
The CAD renderings above show what I designed. The final production product is shown below. For more info on this product, just click here.
