Covering 3 pt implements ?

[Bdavis]

I have a small shed for my Tractor but do not have any place out of the weather to store my implements.( 5 foot bush hog, 5 foot grader box , and a 6 foot finish mower.) I just can not stand to leave them out in the weather. So far I have been taking old tarps and long pieces of 2 X 4, rope and wire and covering each of them individually by making a little tent over them. I also put the implements on cinder blocks.

I have been doing this for about 2 years and it does seem to work but is a pain if I do a lot of implement switching. (Just installed the Pat's easy change system so plan on switching more regularly now)

I was just curious if anyone has solved a similar problem ?

If the only answer is to build a shed, any simple pole shed ideas would be appreciated. I would want it to be at least 10 feet tall at the open end so I could just back my tractor in with the roll bar up and unhitch. I really only see a need for a 3 sided structure at this point.

Thanks
Bill

 

[BuzzardA91]

Mine stay outside up off ground. I cover them with Fluid Film and it seems to be working. I bought a used FEL plow and the guy kept everything on blocks and under tarps like you. All his stuff looked new storing it that way. I'm sure inside is always best. But if you don't have the room.....

 

[Earl Ohl]

I have a small shed for my Tractor but do not have any place out of the weather to store my implements.( 5 foot bush hog, 5 foot grader box , and a 6 foot finish mower.) I just can not stand to leave them out in the weather. So far I have been taking old tarps and long pieces of 2 X 4, rope and wire and covering each of them individually by making a little tent over them. I also put the implements on cider blocks.

I have been doing this for about 2 years and it does seem to work but is a pain if I do a lot of implement switching. (Just installed the Pat's easy change system so plan on switching more regularly now)

I was just curious if anyone has solved a similar problem ?

If the only answer is to build a shed, any simple pole shed ideas would be appreciated. I would want it to be at least 10 feet tall at the open end so I could just back my tractor in with the roll bar up and unhitch. I really only see a need for a 3 sided structure at this point.

Thanks
Bill

Well, I built a "shed" LOL! It cost about $ 30,000 if I remember correctly. It's a 30x50x16ft. high pole building. Insulated, heated, & 6" thick concrete. Before that I had a lean-to on the lower end of the garage at the old place where we used to live. The weather still got to my stuff in the lean-to but it was better than having it sit outside under tarps, which is what I did prior to the lean-to. You probably don't need something as fancy as I had built, and neither do I at this point. But I was 48 years old when I did this & am now almost 55 & not getting any younger! It's really nice to have a warm place to work on something when it breaks down in the winter. Or just to do regular maintenance. So you might want to consider building for the future. And like my builder said "It's cheap to go up". (in building height)

 

[RoyJackson]

It's not really going to hurt the implements being stored outside. I'm sure most TBNers (including me) have done it sometime or another. I put a plastic tarp on mine...just made sure there was plenty of airflow to ensure water, snow or condensation could evaporate. I used a spray preservative (now it's Fluid Film exclusively) on the PTO drive shaft halves for seasonal storage (but don't forget to apply grease before using them). I also sprayed the U-joints and splines. The tractor end of the drive shaft was held up off the ground using a bungee affixed to the upper A frame of the implement.
Like BuzzardA91, I put blocks under the implement.
If you do have some room...I'd put the RFM inside. That's the most expensive implement you have.

I do have a shed now, so everything is inside. No tarp now, but I still preserve the drive shafts and support the tractor end of the drive shaft. Since the shed has a dirt floor, I still use blocks too.

 

[PILOON]

Yep, lots of airflow and maybe park the implement on a pallet or blocks of wood.
I have a small supply of treated 4 x 4 cut offs that I keep for that usage.
Also on my snow blower I always use a rattle can with matching red for a simple paint film just for summer protection, Come first snow that is blown off but then frozen metal won't rust.
Same for tractor, lucky for me Tremclad med blue in rattle can is perfect match.

Your question was 'cover implement' !
My thoughts are that covering (with a tarp) might even be worst than uncovered as you'd then be trapping moisture under the tarp.
Results could however vary depending on locations.

 

[CobyRupert]

Fluid film? What kind of store sells this and what department is it sold in? Lubricant, car wax, floor wax, ice cream topping?

I keep a brush hog outside, but off the ground. No tarp, so the sun will probably put a beating on the paint, but mechanically as long as it has grease and oil I think it will continue to work.

 

[Bdavis]

Yep, lots of airflow and maybe park the implement on a pallet or blocks of wood.
I have a small supply of treated 4 x 4 cut offs that I keep for that usage.
Also on my snow blower I always use a rattle can with matching red for a simple paint film just for summer protection, Come first snow that is blown off but then frozen metal won't rust.
Same for tractor, lucky for me Tremclad med blue in rattle can is perfect match.

Your question was 'cover implement' !
My thoughts are that covering (with a tarp) might even be worst than uncovered as you'd then be trapping moisture under the tarp.
Results could however vary depending on locations.

I was a little concerned at first about the moisture trapping but that has not been a problem.
I did not use my box blade for almost a year and it looked great when I pulled it out. We don't get any snow down here but lots of rain. I had it sitting about 6 inches off the ground on blocks and the tarp did not go all the way to the ground (about 3 inches) from the ground. The Tent configuration with steep sloping sides usually staked and roped at the corners does a good job of getting all the water to run off the tarp.

I am sure it probably does not hurt them to sit uncovered , it just bugs me. I will probably just keep tarping for awhile.
Thanks

 

[bubbacuse77]

The only real way to keep them from not only the element but from the sun is to use a shed. The draw back to the shed is then you have to maintain the the shed and incur the cost of building it. I personally built my shed so that I didn't have to look at them all laying around. I built it so that it was easy to get loader and 3 point implements in and out by having access to one entire side with sliding doors. I still have yet to build the heavy duty "shelves" to organize all the implements, so for now the ones that are already rusty stay outside until I get it organized.

 

[TomSeller]

The only real way to keep them from not only the element but from the sun is to use a shed. The draw back to the shed is then you have to maintain the the shed and incur the cost of building it. I personally built my shed so that I didn't have to look at them all laying around. I built it so that it was easy to get loader and 3 point implements in and out by having access to one entire side with sliding doors. I still have yet to build the heavy duty "shelves" to organize all the implements, so for now the ones that are already rusty stay outside until I get it organized.

Very nice looking shed. Good job.

 

[94BULLITT]

Most of my stuff is outside. I would not use a tarp to cover them because it will trap the moisture under the tarp (like a green house) and rust worse than out in the elements.

The most economical way to get them under a roof would be a carport. Carolina Carports - Homepage

 

[Ken45101]

I too like to keep my stuff inside but I don't have room for everything unless it becomes a major hassle moving three or four things to get to anothert. I've thought about building some sort of open sided shed but I can't justify the economics of spending more money for protection than it would cost to replace the implements in ten years. I definitely keep things like the mowers/bush hogs inside but box blades, scraper blades, etc. aren't really going to be hurt be being left outside.

Tarps don't work here, it's too windy.

Probably the most economical structure is the aluminum carport type shed as along as you get it built tall enough to get the tractor underneath.

 

[BeezFun]

I'm now up to four fabric hoop buildings I bought at Menards. They're 12x20 and about 10' high at the peak, I think the first one I bought was $275, now they're up to about $500 but that's still cheap. And there's no taxes on them, which is a big savings around here. My oldest one is now 6 years, I had to replace the top on it, that was about $150 as I recall. We also kept hay in them while we were putting up our barn. When I needed to move one I had 5 friends over, we picked it up and carried it to the new location. Hard to beat for a cheap cover.

 

[Daver1963]

Fluid film? What kind of store sells this and what department is it sold in? Lubricant, car wax, floor wax, ice cream topping?

I keep a brush hog outside, but off the ground. No tarp, so the sun will probably put a beating on the paint, but mechanically as long as it has grease and oil I think it will continue to work.

O'Reillys has it and you can get it on EBay.

 

[cartod]

Most of my stuff is outside. I would not use a tarp to cover them because it will trap the moisture under the tarp (like a green house) and rust worse than out in the elements.

The most economical way to get them under a roof would be a carport. Carolina Carports - Homepage

I opted for the Carolina carport.

 

[RoyJackson]

Tarps don't work here, it's too windy.

When I left implements outside, I used plastic tarps with the eyelets...tied them to the implement tightly, but left enough slack in the tie downs to ensure the tarp didn't blow off. Worst case is the tarp would tear (which doesn't make it unusable).

 

[RoyJackson]

I opted for the Carolina carport.

View attachment 348734

That's pretty nice. Is it a pre-fab type building?

 

[ovrszd]

I'm OCD about inside storage. At our farm my tractor and all attachments that have hydraulics or PTO are at a minimum in open fronted sheds. In Winter my tractor lives in a heated shop. If starting with nothing, I'd build an open fronted pole building, tall enough for the tractor, and designed so sliding doors could be added as money allowed. In the end, it's all driven by money.

 

[DKCDKC]

Got a shed for the tractor and any implement on it. Other implements sit outside on cinderblocks - no covers. I do cover a trailer because it's got a wood floor. But I have never covered things like a box blade, rock rake, back blade or cutter. I do remove the PTO shaft from the cutter and store it inside, and put an old plastic container over the gearbox to keep it dry. But that's it. My father did the same thing. And we've never replaced an implement due to rust - just due to wear or major metal damage.

I'd like to have a shed for everything so I could work on them in the dry, but the cost for that luxury is just too high.

 

[eventer79]

O'Reillys has it and you can get it on EBay.

Thanks, I was wondering what this was too!

Carolina Carports is building my horses' run-in/farrier/vet shed, they have been good so far, since I have to work for our agency at the state fair every year, I talked to a couple of their reps there, very knowledgeable, and very affordable (b/c I wanted engineered, certified, 12g steel) but still waiting for delivery. However, no more $$$$ left.

What I have been happy with thus far is a ShelterLogic shed I bought for my hay. Yep, it's a mass-produced IKEA-version of a giant tent (and don't believe them when they say their auger anchors are easy!!), but it was $220 for 10 x 10 x 8' sidewall. For another $80 you can get a 12 x 20, I think. I'm also going to stake an extra tarp over top to prevent the UV wear many users report.

My ground is super hard where I put it up, so I said screw this after some water and rebar pounding and had neighbour bring up his hydraulic post driver. Now those **** anchors will never move. If there is a hurricane, it might rip the whole shed off but those anchors will still be there, dangit!!

I ordered it from HomeDepot, free shipping that way. If I could afford it, I'd get another for implements (I do have them up off the dirt a little, need to find some bigger branches) and more hay, but for now I'll scavenge tarps from my truck bed.

 

[oosik]

I store all my implements outside - each one sitting on its own pallet. I "goop" all the cutting/earth engagement parts with heavy grease and I do not cover them. The "winterizing" of eight implements is almost as bad as hitting all the grease zerks on the tractor/loader. Fortunately I have never changed implements in the winter time so that situation presents no problems. I too want a storage shed - for implement storage and a place where I can "fiddle/work" on them out of the wx and where I can make it warm. One stall of my carport is for the tractor - so its out of the wx in the winter and out of the sun in the summer. But until my next shipment of gold arrives I'm pretty sure its going to be this way.