Johnny's Selected Seeds Quick Hoops 7300 User manual

www.johnnyseeds.com17300.999Rev2.2‐3/23/15‐AL
955 Benton Ave., Winslow, ME 04901 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] Web Site: Johnnyseeds.com
Overview:
High tunnels with a Gothic peak have long been the gold standard for shedding snow in Northern climates.
This is why Johnny’s has developed the Quick Hoops™ Gothic High Tunnel Bender. In addition to shedding
snow, the Gothic-style peak allows for a wider tunnel; 14’ to be exact. Within the tunnel, four 30” beds can be
prepared for growing. For those who grow in the winter, one Quick Hoops™ 6’ wide Low Tunnel will fit over two
of these beds for another layer of protection. Even further, the addition of the peak sections gives the tunnel
more height, allowing more room for trellised crops. This added height also slows down the heat lost during
cool nights, preventing drastic temperature fluctuations. Finally, the taller tunnel allows small tractors and other
farm equipment to fit into the tunnel with ease.
This manual has two main parts: It will illustrate how to pre-fabricate
your bows as well as show you how to build an entire tunnel such as the
one above, but at any length you desire. We will also give you some
creative options for end-walls and how to create roll-up sides for efficient
venting.
1-3/8” top rail for chain link fence is available in 10 ft. sections. 2-1/2
pieces are joined to create 14 ft. wide peaked hoops with this bender. A
10 ft. piece of 3/4" EMT conduit is also used to provide the main source
of strength for these bows.
August,2014GothicTunneltrialat
Johnny'sResearchFarm,Albion,ME
Instruction Manual for 7300
Quick Hoops™ Gothic High Tunnel Bender
Copyright © 2014 Johnny’s Selected Seeds. All rights reserved.
1‐3/8”Chain‐LinkTopRail

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Construction Options:
We provide instructions on two main methods to build your tunnel:
Eliot Coleman is credited for the conception of this hoop design as he incorporated it into the plans for his
modular moveable 'Cathedral' tunnel. His design criteria included requirements that the structure needed to
span four 30" beds, could shed snow easily, and could be moved in any direction. In the Fall of 2013, the
modular Cathedral tunnel was born. It was comprised of three 14' x 16' tunnel modules (the frame of one
module is shown above left) that are connected with a 1' space between to create a 50' structure. His idea was
that home gardeners could also build a single module for backyard use.
Johnny's has developed instructions using Eliot's hoop design, which we adapted to create traditional, fixed
high tunnels. This includes the use of more traditional elements, such as driven ground posts, framed end-
walls, hipboards, footboards, and roll-up side vents. This allows you to create a very solid, fixed structure with
a relatively small investment.
Eliot's original plans called for creating the side-hoops of the bows with the 9018 Quick Hoops™ High Tunnel
Bender and illustrated creating a jig to bend the 5 ft. peak section. Since then, Johnny's has developed the
7300 Quick Hoops™ Gothic High Tunnel Bender, which simplifies the process by including the 9018 Bender
plus a special jig for the peak sections. If you already own a 9018 Bender, you can choose to buy just the
7300.100 Peak Jig instead of the complete 7300 High Tunnel Bender. Both the 7300 and the 7300.100 will
include both sets of instructions so you can build either of these types of tunnels.
If you would like to build the Modular, Moveable 'Cathedral' tunnel, please refer to the other set of instructions.
The remainder of this set of instructions is written for the Traditional, Fixed 'Gothic' style tunnel.
14'x200'GothicTunnelatJohnny'sResearchFarm,Albion,ME
Modular, Moveable 'Cathedral' Tunnel Traditional, Fixed 'Gothic' Tunnel

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Materials:
This Excel spreadsheet calculator
has been developed to allow you
to custom design a tunnel to meet
your own operational and financial
needs. It may be downloaded from
the product page for the 7300
Quick Hoops™ Gothic High
Tunnel Bender or from the
Growers Library on our website.
For your convenience, all part
numbers listed on it link to product
pages of their own on our website
as well as other sources' websites.
Simply input the values in the
different option boxes on the upper
left and the spreadsheet will
automatically tell you the following:
How many of each component
you will need,
Suggest where you may
purchase them,
Give you a square footage
calculation,
Estimated total cost calculation,
And cost per square foot.
It will allow you to quickly see cost
estimates for different tunnel
options and allow you to quickly
determine which ones meet your
needs and your budget.

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Contents for Part# 7300:
Curved bender and long lever bar (for “finishing”
the bend) *
Peak Jig and (2) short lever bars
Hardware for mounting to wood surfaces: (4)
1/4" x 5" lag screws, (4) 1/4" x 6" carriage bolts,
(4) 1/4" nuts, and (4) fender washers*
Detailed instructions for both types of tunnels -
Modular, Moveable 'Cathedral' tunnel and the
Traditional, Fixed 'Gothic' style tunnel
*Note: If you already have Johnny's 9018 High Tunnel Bender and have purchased part# 7300.100, everything
above will be included except the curved bender long lever bar and exactly half of the mounting hardware.
Mounting the Peak Jig:
Both the curved bender and the Peak Jig may be mounted to any solid surface, such as a workbench, a picnic
table, hay wagon, etc. They may be lag-screwed or thru-bolted into place. 5/16” mounting holes are provided
on them and the screws, bolts, etc. to mount them are also included. By securing the bender and jig fixed
positions, and pulling the tubing around them the operators can maintain precise control of the tubing being
bent.
The curved bender, wherever mounted, must have enough room to accommodate the infeed and outfeed of
pipe, as well as some type of support at the outfeed end about ¾” above the mounting surface. This will
prevent ‘corkscrewing’ and ensure that the hoophouse bows created are in a single plane and not warped
looking. This can best be accomplished with 3/4” plywood (shown above).
The Peak Jig should be mounted such that there are a couple inches between the pipe being bent and the
edge of the mounting surface.
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Bending the Side Hoops:
1. After determining how many bows your high
tunnel will have, set aside twice that many
pipes to be bent.
2. Insert the swaged end of a pipe into the
holding strap at the end of the bender. Insert
just past the swage to prevent canting or
kinking that portion of the pipe.
3. With a smooth motion, pull back as if on a
long oar (do not push), and bend the pipe all
the way around the bender until the pipe just
touches the bender at the end closest to you.
Stop. Do not bend past the end, or the arc
you create will not be smooth.
4. Release tension until the pipe is loose in the
holding strap and move it through the holding
strap about half the length of the bender itself.
5. Repeat Steps 3. and 4. until about 3’ of
unbent pipe remains beyond the closest end
of the bender, or if bending becomes difficult.
6. Insert the lever bar into the female end of the
pipe. This effectively makes the pipe longer
and will instantly give you more leverage for
bending the rest of the pipe.
7. Continue, repeating Steps 3. and 4. until you
have bent all but 18” of the pipe. Keep this
end straight. Doing so allows the bow to more
easily fit into the ground posts.
8. Repeat Steps 2. through 7. for all other
unbent pipes, always inserting the swaged
end of the pipe into the bender holding strap
first, until all pipes for the side hoops are
bent.

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Creating the Peak Sections:
1. Prefabrication:
a. From the calculator, determine the number
of peak sections you will need for your
tunnel. Set aside half as many pieces of 10’
top-rail.
b. Cut two 5’ sections from each piece of top-
rail, excluding the swaged ends.
c. Pre-drill a 5/16” hole through the center of
each piece to be used as a peak section.
Only drill through one wall. This will prevent
the opposite side from cracking when it is
being bent.
d. De-burr any cut ends of the pipe as well as
pre-drilled holes using a hand file, die
grinder, or bench grinder. It may be
necessary to ream out drilled holes after
deburring by re-drilling.

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2. Bending:
a. Place the first 5’ section of top-rail on the
Quick Hoops™ Gothic High Tunnel Bender,
inserting the 1/4" bolt on the bender into the
pre-drilled hole in the center of the underside
of the peak section. This will both center it
and keep it from slipping.
b. With another person, insert a short lever bar
into each end of the section of top-rail.
c. Together, push down on the end of the lever
bars until each side of the peak section
reaches the cross-bar on the bender.
d. Repeat Steps 2.a. through 2.c. for the
remaining pieces of top-rail to create the rest
of the peak sections.
e. Compare peak sections after bending to
ensure they are of the same angle. Adjust as
necessary.

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Creating Collar Ties:
1. Collar Ties are made with
10 ft. lengths of ¾” EMT
electrical conduit. These will
be placed on every bow.
Insert ¾-1” of one end
inside a bench vise with the
mark positioned as shown.
Fully compress the vise.
Remove and repeat for the
opposite end. Ensure that
the flattened areas face the
same direction. The ends
may alternately be flattened
with a hammer.
2. With a 5/16” drill bit (cobalt bits work best), drill through the center of the flattened area on each
tie.
3. 'Dog ear' one side of the flattened area by sawing one corner off on each side. Hand file or bench grind
the edge to remove any burrs. It may be necessary to ream out the holes after deburring by re-drilling.
Creating Angle Braces:
1. Eight angle braces (four
for each end of the
tunnel) must be made
from four pieces of 1-
3/8" top rail. These
pieces should be about 4
ft. long (exact length is
not critical). Do this by
cutting the swaged end
off the top rail and then
cutting it in half.
2. As with the collar ties,
flatten the ends with a
large bench vise or
hammer; ensure that the
flats face the same
direction.
3. 'Dog ear' cut both
corners off each end.
See photo to right. Then,
pre-drill each end with a
5/16" drill bit.
4. De-burr any cut ends of
the pipe and pre-drilled
holes using a hand file,
die grinder, or bench
grinder. It may be
necessary to ream out
the holes after deburring
by re-drilling.

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Assembling the Bows:
1. Use two pieces of top-rail as part of the jig for
assembling the bows. On a flat area of
ground, arrange some small stakes to create
the jig around the top-rail as shown above.
2. Place one side hoop in the left side of the jig,
as shown.
3. Place on side hoop in the right side of the jig,
as shown.
4. Insert the swaged ends of the side hoops into
the peak section.
5. Ensure that both ends of the side hoops are
firmly seated between the stakes of the jig
and that the entire bow is lying more or less
flat.

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6. Secure the peak section to the hoops with
#10 x 3/4" hex self-drilling tek screws.
7. Slip a 1 3/8” brace band over the end of
each bow and slide them up toward the
peak section.
8. Secure the collar tie loosely to the brace
bands on the bow with 5/16”-18 x 1.25”
carriage bolts and 5/16” hex nuts. Place
the collar ties so that the dog-eared
portions of the flattened ends are facing
toward the peak.
9. Ensure that both ends of the bows are still
firmly seated in the jig.
10. Adjust the location of the brace bands so
that they are exactly the same distance
from the peak. Arrange four small stakes
around the collar tie as shown in the
diagram on page 8 to create a jig to make
assembly of all the rest of the bows easier.
Wait to tighten the hex nuts until step 8 on
page 23.
11. Start a pre-drilled hole on the side of each
brace band for self-drilling tek screws to go
into in step 8. Leave brace bands and
carriage bolts loose for now.
12. Using the existing hole in the corner of the
peak section as a guide, drill through the
peak fully with a 5/16" drill bit.
13. Flip the bow over and secure this side of
the peak section to the hoops with self-
drilling tek screws. Start a pre-drilled hole
on the side of each brace band on this side
as well.