Part No. 6100001 Rev 6/17 Installing Tunnel Shu:ers® Page 5
3.
General
Tunnel Shu:ers® come in 4 foot wide modular units that connect together allowing a
conRnuous run of Shu:ers for any required lengths. The modular units can be divided into as many
“secRonal groups” as desired. An addiRonal Gear/Motor machine will be required for each secRon or
group of Shu:er units. Currently the only machine authorized for use with Tunnel Shu:ers® is the
Di
Drive
by Diversified.
Required Materials:
Straight Pressure treated 2x4s (equal to length of Tunnel openings)
Heavy nails or deck screws to install support 2x4s, and Silicone Caulking.
Required Tools:
Cordless Drills with 1/2” and 9/16” nut drivers, 2 _ Carpenters Square, 3 _ Level, Allen
Wrenches (4mm), Sockets/Wrenches for 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 9/16, and 17mm bolt/nut heads, Marker pen,
tape measure, and a hammer. Work bench or Saw horses. Also required is a “Z” square tool for easy
installaRon of the torque tube support brackets when installing in doghouses. This simple tool will be
provided with each shipment of Tunnel Shu:ers. You will not require the “Z” tool if you are using the
“Hangers” for the torque tube supports.
4.
Framing Specifica$ons
Shu:er units can cover window/tunnel openings with heights of 4 to 6 feet high and run
for any required length of opening as required. The individual Shu:er units are exactly 4 feet wide on
center, so the total length of the window/tunnel opening should equal a distance that is divisional by
4
(ex. 16, 40, 88, 100 feet) and then subtract 2 inches from this length.
The wall studs of should be spaced 4 feet on center to align with the Shu:er’s “VerRcal
Rails” (also 4 feet on center) as these rails require center support behind them. However, houses with
Stud spacing that is not 4 feet on center can have a verRcal
2x4
stud placed behind each shu:er VerRcal
Rail. This will provide the required support behind the Shu:er’s VerRcal Rails. The wall studs need to be
flush with the header and footer of the window opening to properly support the VerRcal Rails. In most
cases this can easily be done by covering the wall Studs with the same plywood that is on the header/
footer of the wall.
It is also recommended that 1 to 2 feet of wall space area is available at each end of the
window/tunnel opening to ensure clearance for the Di Drive machine and provide tolerance for the ends
of the Tunnel Shu:ers® secRons (picture on page 7).
4.1 New Construc$on Doghouses
For construcRon of new houses it is recommended that the Doghouses have a minimum height of 8 Ft.
(inner wall), the Studs placed on 4 Ft centers, the tunnel window opening is no higher than 59 inches, the
window opening is kept low on the wall with the bo:om of the window sill no higher than 12 inches from
the floor,
and the Doghouse internal width is 22 to 28 inches wide
. It is also necessary to cover the
Studs with the same thickness of plywood so the Studs are faired evenly with the Wall surfaces.
It is also recommended that the
chicken wire
is placed under the plywood of the inner wall and Studs
of the Doghouse.
See the drawings on the next page (6) for new construc$on specifica$ons.
