Do You Have a Tractor Shed/Barn?

[newbury]

So it is a shed, and not a "shop" in my opinion.

What is needed to make it a shop?

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve found being able to use a jack very helpful and dirt or gravel is problematic…

 

[jyoutz]

Here’s my barn. Double doors are 12’ high and each door is 7’ wide. The barn is 40x60’. The tractor and other equipment is stored in the barn. The carports are for my truck, trailers, and pto implements.

 

[wolc123]

Mine is a 40x70 steel building with gravel floor, power and lights, but no heat or insulation.

So it is a shed, and not a "shop" in my opinion.

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The one and only time it was empty (just after closing on the house, lol).

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Just another day... normally the 5th wheel is parked in there too (and all winter), but it's out next to the house in this pic.

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I love the gravel floor in my pole barn for multiple reasons. First, its no big deal if a tractor drips a little oil on it or a boat leaks some water out of the bilge or live wells. Second, if a little extra clearance is needed to fit something thru the overhead door (like a camper roof top air conditioner), it’s no big deal to scrape out a few inches of gravel to make room.

I do have a couple of shops in there (one also insulated and heated) with concrete floors though, and also have it under my side porch. Sometimes the concrete is nice, like for woodworking for ease of chip cleanup.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

What is needed to make it a shop?

Well, lets see, in no particular order:

Concrete floor for rolling equipment, jacks, etc around, better overhead lighting for doing detail work, and heat and insulation for our winters here. Also need to do shelving down the walls at some point.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I like concrete for doing maintenance, woodworking, honey harvesting, really anything. My tool chests roll easy, my workbench does too. Easy to keep clean.

 

[jyoutz]

I like concrete for doing maintenance, woodworking, honey harvesting, really anything. My tool chests roll easy, my workbench does too. Easy to keep clean.View attachment 864741View attachment 864742View attachment 864743View attachment 864744

That is an amazing shop. It looks far larger than 30x40

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

That is an amazing shop. It looks far larger than 30x40

This one is 40x60. A little larger than my house

 

[wolc123]

This one is 40x60. A little larger than my house

That’s similar square footage to mine (36 x 50 main with 10 x 25 back enclosed shed, 6 x 25 back lean-to woodshed, and 10 x 25 side porch.

The main walls are 12 ft high. I really like the 10 ft truss spacing on this Stockade building because it lets me utilize lots of that upper enclosed space. I am storing lumber recovered from my great great grandads old post and beam barns up there right now.

 

[oosik]

WoW!!! My 1600 SF house would easily fit in your shop - Clover. This is my carport and shed for the tractor. Most of my implements sit on pallets - out in the orchard. Those with moving parts - Wally chipper and Land Pride grapple - are under cover.

Take notice - my nice green lawn is a field of dead grass by July of the year. The first couple of years we were here - I watered the heck out of it. Ended up with a yard full of dead wet grass. It will spring back to life and be green again with the fall rains.

It's just the way Mother Nature operates.

 

[newbury]

WoW!!! My 1600 SF house would easily fit in your shop - Clover. This is my carport and shed for the tractor. Most of my implements sit on pallets - out in the orchard. Those with moving parts - Wally chipper and Land Pride grapple - are under cover.
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Looking at your post I realized that many years ago, before I got into maintaining tractors, I viewed the rural population that left their hoods up on their vehicles as lazy.
Now I view it as a form of rodent control.

 

[oosik]

Newbury - absolutely. It's a constant battle. Mice and Chipmunks. I have the hood open on ALL vehicles - ATV, riding mower, tractor and Power Wagon. Seems the little buggers do not like the open spaces.

 

[newbury]

And from reading your posts you can't keep barn cats around due to coyotes.
Typical problem, not enough *****
cats.

 

[oosik]

Newbury - been out here 42+ years. Three times I've had barn cats. They are the ULTIMATE means to control mice, chipmunks and even to a certain degree - the pocket gophers.

However - they just don't understand. By day its the hawks and coyotes. By night it's the owls and coyotes. I even had a cougar come thru and kill six in one night.

I provide shelter - food - water for these cats. They roam out beyond the influence of the yard light - at night. With my flashlight - I can see the coyote eyeballs. They are out there just waiting - patiently.

I feel sorry for these cats and that's why I haven't obtained more of them.

What I really need - a trained Bob cat or Badger.

 

[jyoutz]

This one is 40x60. A little larger than my house

The same size as mine. But mine isn’t as roomy because it’s broken into a few rooms and a few animal stalls.

 

[wolc123]

For mouse control in my pole barn, where I store (5) tractors, a boat and a truck camper, I use a couple of these little plastic traps, baited with a dab of peanut butter. I catch a dozen or so per year out there in those, mostly in the cooler months.

I’ve never had any mouse damage to any equipment and I leave the hoods closed on all the tractors. I also don’t have any other food sources out there for them (grain, seed, hay, etc) and I think that helps a lot.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

We have something called rat guard on the barn, so the little rats can’t get access. I think if we had sliding doors instead of the roll up door, we would have more issues too.

 

[JethroB]

I quickly learned that the cost of shelter can be more $ than the value of what is being sheltered. I still want it though.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I quickly learned that the cost of shelter can be more $ than the value of what is being sheltered. I still want it though.

So, yes. However that building will also carry residual value on that property. I am also capable of doing more apiary work and general maintenance in poor weather/winter. If I ever leave this place, I’ll recoup some of the cost of the building, and the value of the equipment stored inside will also be greater.

 

[oldballs]

As old as I am and not much money here's what has worked for me...........12 x 24 ShelterLogic