Winter storage in old barn with tarp?

[Industrial Toys]

I cover a lot of stuff with old bedsheets. Keeps things nice and clean but can breath. Looks like helll.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Put half a dozen mouse traps around it with peanut butter in them. We catch mice all the time and over the bank they go. No poison for the critters eating the mice.

 

[John0829]

I cover a lot of stuff with old bedsheets. Keeps things nice and clean but can breath.

Yep, been doing it that way for years with no issues to report.

 

[ruffdog]

Put half a dozen mouse traps around it with peanut butter in them. We catch mice all the time and over the bank they go. No poison for the critters eating the mice.

I toss my mice up on the one building and they are gone in 24hrs. The flying critters need to eat too. No poison here either.

 

[goeduck]

^^^ yes, there are clean ways to very effectively kill mice. They can enter the food chain naturally. Mine feed the shore and rock crab. Probably some salmon parr as well.

 

[devodad]

I have found better results by leaving the unit(s) un-covered to prevent moisture from condensation and reducing nesting places for mice/critters. Then, I tuck a few sheets of the ORANGE Bounce dryer sheets in areas near wiring or other areas susceptible to critter damage. I only add new sheets once over a winter and it seems to work great. However, for some unknown reason, the only bounce sheets that really seem to work are the ones in the ORANGE BOX. I don’t know why, but you might just give it a try. Its really cheap. If you do try it though, i don’t wanna be responsible if your critters are immune to the Bounce sheets. Lol

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I've kept mine outside in the woods under two camouflage tarps for 7 months now. I run the tractor once a week no problems with critters yet.

 

[oosik]

It's those camo tarps - MechanicalGuy. The critters can't locate the tractor under camo tarps.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

It's those camo tarps - MechanicalGuy. The critters can't locate the tractor under camo tarps.

:duh:

 

[mike48130]

Tarps can do more harm. They keep the humidity trapped in. There is moisture coming from the floor that rises up. One of the reasons old cars are rotted so bad. I see people putting them in barns with sand floors, and the rot away from the moisture coming out of the ground.

 

[oosik]

ruff dog - - that is a great gesture. From now on all my mice go up on the roof. It's either the hawks by day or the owls by night.

BTW - I've put peppermint oil soaked cotton pads in a pill bottle and put it in the glove box. Drilled about a eight holes all around the pill bottle. Don't know exactly if it helps. However - between the open hood and the peppermint oil pill bottle - no mice or chipmunks.

 

[John0829]

Before I had buildings large enough to store my tractors in I used tarps ALL the time and never had an issue with moisture or rodents. I only used a tarp big enough to cover the top of the machine and not reach the ground so air could flow around and yet keep rain and debris off. The only problem was the tarp movement from wind would wear the paint off any place it rested on the machine and they will move about some no matter many straps and tie downs you put on them.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I put 10' pvc or cpvc sticks on the sides of my tarps to keep the tarp held down and easy to manage.

 

[Texasmark]

Within the past couple of weeks we have had some big temperature swings (naw, really?????). So a few days of 30-50 degrees to soak everyting down nice and cool and here comes a morning with warm, humid southerly winds. Everything around the place was sweating...water dripping off everything including the tractors under/in sheds and my shop.

Tarping is a great idea to keep the sun off if parked outside and I would do it if I had to, but parking inside covering of whatever sort, about all it will do is keep the dust off it. It won't keep your equipment dry. A bad aspect of tarping in old barns is rodent infestation.....a haven for them,but a few cubes of rodent control takes care of that problem. (my 2c)