Storing Implements

[tdenny]

OK,

I now have several implements and my extra garage bay holds my tractor and whichever one I happen to have attached to it at the moment. I'm going to build a new structure that would hold all of my other tractor tools, diesel tanks, etc and make them easier to back up to and attach while keeping them out of the weather. The question is:

What features would you experts build into this type of structure if you had the chance. Anything anyone can think of (within reason and a somewhat reasonable budget- i.e no cranes, lifts, etc.) ? What size might you all suggest. Out here in the Seattle area you need a permit for anything larger than 10 x 12 but lets just assume that I'm getting a permit. I know the bigger the better but this thing is really only to store tractor implements so I don't need it to be too big. I will be building another much larger shop/garage next year.

 

[Golfgar4]

Hey TD!

As you know, I'm not speaking from experience. But I certainly have thought a lot about what I'll do when I get all of my stuff.

Besides the obvious of making sure the floor is level, will it be concrete? If it were me, and it was going to be concrete, I'd have a drain in the center so that I could wash the equipment while it's inside, or at least drain after washing it down outside. Hint, hint - have water sources both inside and outside. I'd also certainly have electrical service.

I'd provide for enough room to have a work space area with some storage to do minor repairs or servicing. It doesn't have to be very large, because any major work would be done in your future larger building.

I'd build dollies for each implement so that I could roll the implement where I want it. That way, you don't need multiple overhead doors to get to all the implements or you're not having to "wiggle" the tractor around to get hooked up.

I'm sure you'll get a lot more ideas from the others. I hope so! Then I'll get more ideas too! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[Will_C]

TD; If it going to be for implements, etc. exclusively,and you will be building another garage/barn, have you thought of a structure with an open front? They seem to be quite popular with farmers in my area.
I imagine a structure 8-10' deep and 30 ' wide would be able to house several implements, and if you went with a roof pitched from the front to the back, and be relatively inexpensive.
My 2 cents,
Will

 

[Curt]

I want to second Golfgar's idea of using dollies. I made my own using cheap casters-4/$10 from Northern Supply, using dimensions suitable for the implement. Makes hooking up a lot easier, and really saves a lot of storage space.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

If I had the space for the wrap around driveway, I would have a sliding door on both the front and back gable ends. That way, I could drive in and drive out.

 

[Kodiak]

Hi Todd:

I just responged to your personal message.

Interesting I to was just looking into some additional tempory storage. Even with our 30X40 shop with attached enclosed 16X40 lean to and two car attached garage. Space has become a rare commodity. And more things just keep folowing me home. Picked up a neat Allis Chalmers G model over the weekend.

Anyway back to the subject at hand. I'm looking at leasing an 8X40 ocean going container with a set of doors on both ends. All you do is provide the blocking to level it, and they come out and set it. One instant 320 square foot storage shed with an 8 foot ceiling height. Since it doesn't have a permanent foundation (thus portable storage) you don't need a building permit. I should have prices tommorrow. These also are available in 20,28,32,40 and 45 footers. They are aluminum and lockable for security.

 

[tdenny]

Garry, Russ, and all

Thanks for the ideas. I know this much for sure. It will have a concrete floor, it will have electrical and water. I was considering one side open but the way it rains out here in Seattle everything will still get wet. Unfortunately where I'm planning on putting it I won't have access to the front and the back. Good suggestions all. I have definitely considered dollies.

 

[Mrwurm]

TD, I started a new thread called 'Implement Dollies'. You can see my solution there. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[tdenny]

Will check it out Jerry thanks.

 

[MarkV]

TD, You may want to check your area codes. In this area as soon as you say <font color=blue>” It will have a concrete floor, it will have electrical and water.”</font color=blue> you have a new set of rules. That may not be a concern where you are. If dollies are something you want I would think a concrete floor is the way to go. For me a building open on one side with a vapor barrier and 4” of crushed stone works fine.

MarkV

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

With storage space such a concern for most of us and the number of implements always increasing I had a thought I'll throw out for discussion. Has anyone considered going up instead of out for additional implement storage space?

Currently, when we aren't using an implement we set it on the floor of the barn and tie up whatever square footage it covers. For the sake of discussion lets look at a finish mower as the largest piece and say it's taking up an area of about 50 sqft. (approximately 7'x7'). Worse than that it's taking up 700 cuft. if you have 14' truss height inside.

My idea is to use something like industrial pallet racks so you can store implements ABOVE that. /w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif The mower is only going to take up 4' of height at the most. If you put the first shelf at 4' then you have a place to put your brush hog secured to a pallet. Another 4' up is another shelf on which you store your box blade secured to another pallet and your tiller on yet another pallet. Viola' You have stored four implements in a 7' x 7' corner of your barn! Pretty cool, huh? /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Of course, there are more than a couple assumptions or prerequistes here. One is that you have a FEL capable of handling the weight of the palletized implements. Another is that your FEL will reach high enough to get to your top shelf and lift that pallet off. Yet another is that you have a set of forks for your FEL.

Assuming your FEL is up to the task I'd think the cost of the racking and the cost of a good set of forks (which, of course, could and likely would be used for any number of other tasks) would more than outweigh the cost of adding an additional 100 square feet to your building.

The "economy" version of this would eliminate the forks, the pallets and the need for much working height on the bucket. You could just use a single shelf and store two levels. The implements on the floor you could back to and hook up to pull them out before completing attachment. The ones on the shelf you could lift off with your bucket and some chains or straps. It would still save half the floor space you're now using.

Any other thoughts on this? I just thought it would be something I'd like to do when I have the slab poured. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Will]

The one implement that I need to figure out how to store is my fertilizer spreader. It doesn't weigh much, maybe 85lbs, so I can lift it, but it takes up a lot of space. I feel like if I were clever I could hang it from something, and maybe hoist it into position too. If anyone has an idea on this, let me know.

 

[memenzel]

Gary
that is exactly how I store my implements and anything else I can put on the pallets. I have pallet racks set up against the side walls of my building, with 2 levels of shelves, which gives me 3 storage spaces. Right now I use pallet forks to set everything on the racks but have thought of attaching the JD Imatch quick coupler to the FEL, and use it to set the implements that way. Now doesn't that give you thoughts of using 3 point implements on the FEL? Storing implements this way, opens up a lot of floor space and does not take that long to put up or take down anything stored on the racks.

Mike.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Mike,

First let me welcome you to TBN. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Now let me ask you if you can post some pics of your set up. I'd really be interested in details of what you used and how you set it up. Thanks.

 

[Turfman]

I am planning a shop, also. I'd like to be able to stack implements some how. Having them all on the floor takes up a lot of floor space. I'd like to figure a way to lift them to a rack with a fel and chain.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Will,

An older gentleman I knew for years did something like that with some items in his garage. Rather than take up floor space with everything he had all of his stuff on casters so he could move them around.

The first time I saw him use this I was impressed. He'd been using his little air compressor and was done with it. He simply moved his toolbox out from the wall and wheeled his compressor over there. He then hooked onto it with a pulley and lifted it up to the ceiling and secured it there. He then wheeled his tool box back in place.

His theory was that he didn't need the compressor that often so it made sense to have it up out of the way most of the time. I would imagine you could do something very similar. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Phred]

Mike,

I was thinking about the same thing and had found several sources for the racks. One can get racks that are pretty heavy duty. While I don't recall the cost I remeber thinking that it was workable.
However, I was about to conclude that it was not practicle for most of my implements due to the weight. The bush hog is around 1K Lbs and the rear blade is similar weight and 9' long. My loader could handle it but were do you buy pallets that could handle the load in that size? Also these items are not like a pallet full of boxes that spreads the load over a wide area. The rear blade puts all that weight along that ~1" edge.

I suppose one could make / modify a custom pallet for each implemnet out of 4x4 posts.

I would love to see what you have setup and hear about the size and weight of the implements you are storing.

Fred

 

[memenzel]

Gary and Phred,

Here is a picture of my pallet rack. I have 9 implements stored in a area of 18' x 4'. The posts are rated at 18,000 lbs and the beams are rated at 6,000 lbs. The beams in one section are 8' long and in the other section they are 9' long. You can get beams 8' 9' 10' and 12', long so you can set up these racks as you need. The tiller and spreaders are on wood pallets that i pick up at a local manufactoring plant that was giving them away. Pallet forks are stored in the pallet that the tiller is on. The bucket is sitting on four 2 x 4, the front blade is also sitting on four 2x4, the blade edge is sitting on the wood right on top of the beam, so the wood does not carry that much weight. The drop spreader is sitting on 2x4 with a sheet of plywood on them. As you can see I set up each shelf for what is stored on it. On another rack I have the wooden pallets with loads of two to three thousand pounds on them. So far no problem with the skids handling that weight. Depending how you picked up your brush hog, it could set on the beams without any pallets, using the side rails of the brush hog.

 

[Kodiak]

Hey guys look you can actually see open floor space in Mikes shop. Mike your making me look bad. Guess this will have to create some incentive in me to clean up my own shop.

 

[tdenny]

MarkV,

Good points as far as the water and electrical. Perhaps I should have been more specific. I already have a concrete floor partially ready. Just need to make another pour. Out here anything 10 x 12 or less requires no permit whether it has a concrete floor or not. The electrical and water I was referring to were more to the fact that my well house is right next door so I'll put a water line in from there and just add some lights from the well house as well. This might require some permitting but I'll most likely be avoiding that process. I'm currently working on some clever way to work around the 10 x 12 foot restriction but haven't completely figured it out yet.