Did you build or buy your tractor shed/garage

[Rmally]

Hey folks,

Soon to be first time tractor owner, what have y'all done for tractor parking? Shed, pole barn, pre-fab unit, carport, etc.

Thanks for any input.....if you have some pictures I'd love to see them.

FYI....I'm planning on a cab and probably anywhere from a 35hp to 55hp. Just don't want it to sit out in the weather.



Oops, just found the search window and saw some great designs. Feel free to delete this post.

 

[s219]

Are you looking for something temporary, or permanent? If permanent, I'd go with a pole barn and build it twice as big as you think you need. Pole barns go up quickly and are suitable for 1-2 man crews.

I did a 20x20 and later added a 12x16 addition. It will serve me fine but I should have gone twice as big from the very beginning. May add another addition at some point, perhaps with open sides, to store implements and free up more space inside.

 

[paulfun9]

The old barn was here long before me and holds the big tractors. The pole barn houses my workshop and was built 2 years before my current home by a friend that builds them for a living, it houses the smaller internationals. A pre fab shed for the little JD purchased on the spur of he moment because I was looking to compare costs and was offered a great deal on it and happened to have a trailer on the truck that could haul it right then and there. My DK sits inside the garage most of the time simply because the wife uses it most and the garage is attached. The garage and pole barn are both heated provided I cut enough wood and didn’t get lazy and let the fire go out. The garage is heated by the same stoaker that heats the house so it’s always warm there.

Many homes are built with garage doors that won’t accept the height of a larger cab tractor so it will be important to make sure of what you have to begin with. Pre fab garages will start to cost more than building once you start adding the height to fit a 55 hp tractor, but some of the steel frame ones I have seen come set up with doors that will work for the average 55 hp size machine for a very reasonable cost and some are of very reasonable quality for the cost.
Your best bet will be to shop around what is available in your area

 

[keegs]

I hired a local high school teacher during the summer to help me build this. With the ground prep, slab and 9' overhead door it cost about $13k. It's 24 x 24 w/ 10' walls. Five years on I could use more space for attachments.

 

[Alan W.]

I bought the tarp that covers my tractor now. But if all goes well I will be building a shed to house it and some other stuff this spring. This site and others have a wealth of designs to pick and choose from.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I originally put a 12 x 20 lean-to shed on the back of my barn to house my, at that time, JD 350 dozer. It has since housed my first Kubota L4630, and now the M. Electricity on site when I need to plug it in.

 

[Turbys_1700]

The lowest cost and quickest option is a metal car shed type unit. It will get you in the dry quicker. If I had the time and budget I would prefer a pole building. I'm using old pole barns and sheds for my tractors and implements that need to be kept in the dry. Those old buildings are over 60 years old and need occasional repair of tin for the roof and such but still serve my needs well. My workshop is a metal car shed that was converted to a building by my father to house his camper. It is 45x20x14.

 

[CMV]

I bought a 40' shipping container. I just fit inside with ROPS folded.

Being the brilliant guy that I am I figured get a 40' instead of a 20' so I could also store all the implements inside too. Great idea until I tried & realized I'm emptying the thing one piece at a time to get to whatever is at the back. 6' stuff can't pass other 6' stuff inside an 8' box But I did manage to find other stuff to store in it and really like it. Couldn't build or buy any other type structure that's waterproof, mouseproof!, and secures reasonably well for the $. Really fast too - order it, get it in a couple days, took all of 15 min to have it off the rollback, in position, and leveled on blocks.

Not hard to add a lean-to roof. Another member here posted a great build with 2 parked next to each other and a roof built to cover the space between them. That made a huge covered area + lots of dry storage. I put a gutter on mine and collect rainwater from it. Lot you can do with them.

Of course if you choose a cab, that rules out a container. A lot of basic carports too - the RV style would work.

 

[Looking4new]

In 2012 when I got the ck27, I set up a 13x20' shelter logic garage in a box. It has been the ONLY shelter for the Kioti since then. It is good, but a pole barn would be better.

 

[Tomtint]

I built a post and beam "shed" out of rough sawn lumber. It's 20x18 with a 20x8 overhang to put the skidsteer under. ( tractor goes inside ) it was a fun project but a lot of work. Stick framing would have been easier and lighter. ..but the P&B looks so cool. ��

 

[Gary Fowler]

In 2009 I compared cost to built a steel shed vs wood frame, both on concrete slab, and found that wood was much cheaper at the time. Steel may win out now or vice versa due to cost of materials. I built a 30 x 30 with 12 x 30 wings on each side. One side I took in a 12 x 12 section for a bathroom and additional storage. After a year or two I found that this was not sufficient so I added an additional 30 x 14 fully enclosed and insulated shed on the back for storing my boat, fuel tank and lawnmowers. The front 30 x 30 holds my truck, one car, my Goldwing motorcycle and a work space for my welding, etc. I am just about out of space again. Both tractors are stored in the lean to sheds that are open on the sides. This is an old photo of the shop prior to putting on the back shed. Cost to build in 2009 was $30K. It is fully insulated, wired for 220v and 110 receptacles all around the walls plus outside in the wing sheds. Interior is sealed with1/4" plywood. Both garage doors have electric openers. I can get my Kubota B26 inside but not my LS. The walls are 9 foot studs setting on 1 course of cinder blocks so the garage doors are a full 9 feet high. There is also a fully floored attic (center section only where there is 6 feet of head room) for additional storage of small items.

 

[LD48750]

I go with what he dealers around here do, leave it outside.
Car dealers do the same thing with their inventory and I don't have a garage either.
So far, I haven't had any functional problems related to stuff being exposed to natural weather.

 

[shooterdon]

My thoughts are a car port as it is inexpensive and does the job of keeping the sun and elements off the tractor and attachments. Being exposed and open, it may attract less mice than keeping the tractor in a building. I currently have mine in a stick built garage but with all the attachments it takes up a lot of space. Looking at a carport to store my firewood and getting it big enough for the tractor as well.

BTW, if you go with a carport, run power out there. Handy for sure and I keep a battery tender on my tractor all the time.

Down the road, a car port can be enclosed if desired and when money is available. A 20x26x10 unit is less than $2500 installed if you can do the ground preparation yourself.

http://allsteelcarports.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/MI-Region-CARPORT.pdf

 

[CMV]

In 2009 I compared cost to built a steel shed vs wood frame.....

That is very nice building and love how it's laid out with the covered parking areas on both sides! I like the different door sizes too. Looks like you put LOTS of thought into it & ended up with something extremely useful.

 

[joeyd]

I started with a 24x30 pole barn to park my truck and use as a work shop. I stored the tractor outside under a tarp but I found that inconvenient and added a 10x20 lean to for the tractor. Anything over 200 sq/ft required a permit and engineering. I wish I knew in advance how ea$y it was to make more flat land and I would have added to the pole barn from the beginning.

 

[eyi]

Built a 28X32 on concrete slab plus a 12X28 lean-to, so total is 28X40. Happy with the size but I need something else to store other implements I actually keep outside, just a kind of roof.

Each time I roll an implement on a dolley ( they now all are on dolleys ) and hook it to the tractor I smile and congratulate myself !!!

On very rare occasions will the tractor sleep inside, Bota lives under the lean-to with the log trailer. Lean-to is long enough for both. Another good decision !

 

[Rmally]

Thanks guys, I've been thinking more of a lean-to to start.

I have a Mortons dealer 5 mins from the house....met with them and got a quote...Yikes! I'm sure they are great buildings but those are not in my budget.

I appreciate all the photos, its great seeing what others have built.

 

[iflywhatevr]

Built a 28X32 on concrete slab plus a 12X28 lean-to, so total is 28X40. Happy with the size but I need something else to store other implements I actually keep outside, just a kind of roof.

Each time I roll an implement on a dolley ( they now all are on dolleys ) and hook it to the tractor I smile and congratulate myself !!!

On very rare occasions will the tractor sleep inside, Bota lives under the lean-to with the log trailer. Lean-to is long enough for both. Another good decision !

Do you build your own Dolly’s or does someone make decent heavy duty ones. I’m thinking for my 500ish pound snow blower and whatnot in the off season.

 

[ning]

I went temporary/reusable and bought a high cube container.
Site prep is simple (I had to move a chunk of a hill but that's due to my topography), and the container was dropped and I could immediately use it; it's weatherproof, rodent proof, and relatively theftproof.
If I end up building a shop instead, I can probably sell the container for a decent chunk of what I paid for it, and it's big enough (I got a 40') that I can use a third of it for storage (useful when a tree fell on our garage) and my tractor fits in it just fine with a backhoe on it.

 

[oosik]

My M6040 sits in a tall & wide single bay carport. I built it myself out of rough sawn lumber. It's not fancy - it keeps the weather & sun off the tractor. It has a steel roof. It was built in 1987 and has needed no repairs, to date. Interesting note - the outside was painted with barn red, lead based paint. Still nice and red after 32 years. It's really hard to beat good old lead based paint.

I also have a four bay carport. The pickup, lawn tractor, ATV and PTO chipper are stored there. The remainder of the implements are stored on individual pallets, out in the orchard. I store the chipper under cover because it has moving parts. All of the other implements have no moving parts.


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