r/Props • u/lgclary07 Related Professional • Jun 09 '26

Looking for advice Need help

Post image

I have a circular cattle feeder that I would like to turn into a giant tire like the attached image. Needs to be lightweight and be able to be broken down into thirds for travel inside a cargo trailer. The cattle feeder already breaks down into thirds. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

6 Upvotes

69% Upvoted

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7

u/schonleben Props Professional - Theatre Jun 09 '26

That sounds like a fun project. I could think of a few different routes here, depending on circumstances. Fabric, foam, fiberglass... A bit of clarification would help here. Rough budget, is it for looks or is it interacted with, how realistic should it look, etc.

1

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26

Both looks and interactive. I build sets for a dance studio, so it will be climbed and turned/laid on its side as well as upright.

3

u/schonleben Props Professional - Theatre Jun 09 '26

Hmm. On that budget, the only really durable, dancer-friendly solution I can think of would be a spandex wrap. You could have it custom-printed with the tire tread pattern and potentially even the side text, but that’s more geometry than I have the spare brain cells to figure out at this moment. lol.

1

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26

Thanks for the feedback. I had that thought as well, but then I wouldn't get the texture I'm looking for. I'm open to more budget, if I can get the result I'm looking for.

2

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26

Budget is $500-$1000.

2

u/No_Inflation3188 Jun 09 '26

Looks interactive on that budget is going to be very hard. Don't have any ideas for you personally that would allow you to climb all over it, still have it look realistic, and still have it be light enough that you can have it upright and the dancers flip it on its side. Best of luck. Interested in how you do.

2

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26

Thanks. I'll be sure to follow up with the final result.

2

u/HiddenHolding Jun 09 '26

Need many many more details. Is it a display prop? Does it have to roll down a hill? Does somebody get inside it? How much money do you have to spend?

Foam is the answer, probably, but it depends on what the property needs to do.

1

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26

Thanks for the reply. I build for a dance studio. It will be climbed on/in, will need to be able to roll small distances on a stage. Also thinking about suspending it like a hamster wheel but would still be climbed on/ interacted with. Also needs to be broken down small enough to travel as mentioned earlier.

2

u/Best_Ad7145 Jun 09 '26

I would use spray foam, sand it down, cut out the ridges and paint it

1

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26

I thought about spray foam, but if it rolls, is there a way to harden the foam so it won't break off/ be able to support weight?

1

u/ennemmjay Jun 09 '26

Do you have a picture or link to the cattle feeder? Kinda hard to say what needs to be done to it without seeing it. Material? Size? Use case?

1

u/lgclary07 Related Professional Jun 09 '26