Protected outdoor equipment storage

Hello everyone,

I am writing this as a thought forward about protecting my recent investments in tractor equipment.  At the moment I have three 3-point implements for my tractor, with a fourth in the near future.  I also have two loader attachments, a bucket and a grapple.  Obviously I can only have one 3-point and one loader attachment on at a time which then requires that I store the others.  Presently I store the two extra 3-point attachments outside, tucked under the canopy of some trees where I can get access easily enough, but the are not a visual nuisance.  Since I just got the grapple, I made a rolling storage platform out of the pallet that the grapple was shipped on.  I added four swiveling casters wheels and now I can simply drop either the bucket or the grapple (whichever is not in use) on the rolling pallet and roll it to some part of the garage.  It works for now.

But the outdoor attachments are simply resting on ground.  My neighbor has mentioned how equipment resting on ground tends to rust easily as moisture works up and gets trapped.  Moreover, getting the attachments out of rain and weather is a good idea by itself.  

I am not in a position to build a whole new shed, but I was thinking about maybe building a sort of carport (attachment port?) that would have a roof but open ends for ventilation.  I might go so far as to pour a concrete base.  The idea would be to keep the attachments where they are but with a little roof built over them.

Obviously I am trying to save pennies.  But I also want the attachments that I have purchased to be the last time I purchase one of each type—I want them lasting longer than I do.

Does this sound practical?  I would be interested in hearing feedback.




Eric

I use a two car carport for my equipment.  It seems to work. With a little foresight, it could be designed to be more fully enclosed in the future.

Photo below not mine, but this is the type of building I hope to build to address that problem with my own equipment.  The harsh winters necessitate the tractors themselves to be inside, but the attachments easily can stay in such an unheated and open shed.  The spot I've chosen, still in stale-mated discussions wih spouse [  :-)  ]  is embedded within trees and some many need to be removed.  Such a location would be a must:  A wide-front loafing shed like this is like a parachute just waiting for a strong wind, a phenomenon present here in abundance.  But the wide opening also is highly desired for access to the implements by the rear of the tractor(s).  In my case, probably will settle for gravel rock surface instead of concrete, but both have complementing advantages.

I grabbed some free truck canopies and chucked these on top of my more valuable implements. Not as nice as a shed, but quick and simple. Couple pallets underneath to keep em off the ground.

Glamorous action shot added.. there's a 6 foot 4-in-1 bucket hiding under there. Scrap yellow cedar blocks and scrap piece of stainless structural screwed to top makes it easy to grab and move with the tractor.

D Nikolls wrote:I grabbed some free truck canopies and chucked these on top of my more valuable implements.

I've seen truck canopies put on top of pallet walls as shelters for animals, but they weren't particularly pretty! (But they could be prettified in a variety of ways, if you have creative people around you.)

I very reliable friend of hubby strongly suggests that moisture coming up from the ground does as much, if not more damage than rain from above. We have used heavy gauge rubber pond liner or roofing rubber as a base over top of gravel, and then a pallet on top of that to stop the ground moisture, and a variety of car shelter type structures over top.

I am *really*, *really*, *really*, sick of tarps (want to add 10  more *really* to that?). I would do anything to replace every tarp on the property with metal roofing. I would spend the money up front if you can. Second hand if you have to. Somehow the time to fix things permanently never seems to happen.

Wheaton Labs has done "The Berm Shed", but that would take a crew to build and strong backs.

Agree that getting it off the ground is more important than under cover, in most cases. Some equipment will get rain down into crevices and gears/chains, but all of them will rust from the bottom up if left in the dirt or grass. Setting them up on pallets, tires, logs, railroad ties, landscape timber, etc will be a great start.

Carport or loafing shed both work, it depends what fits in your space and access better. Make sure it is tall enough to lift your loader most of the way up—high enough to lift equipment with a chain from the bucket.

What about using a pop-up gazebo?

Amazon says they are called canopy tents, some with walls.some without:

https://www.amazon.com/GDY-10x10FT-Pop-Up-Canopy-Tent/dp/B0H1R4996Y/

Jay Angler wrote:

D Nikolls wrote:I grabbed some free truck canopies and chucked these on top of my more valuable implements.

I've seen truck canopies put on top of pallet walls as shelters for animals, but they weren't particularly pretty! (But they could be prettified in a variety of ways, if you have creative people around you.)

I very reliable friend of hubby strongly suggests that moisture coming up from the ground does as much, if not more damage than rain from above. We have used heavy gauge rubber pond liner or roofing rubber as a base over top of gravel, and then a pallet on top of that to stop the ground moisture, and a variety of car shelter type structures over top.

I am *really*, *really*, *really*, sick of tarps (want to add 10  more *really* to that?). I would do anything to replace every tarp on the property with metal roofing. I would spend the money up front if you can. Second hand if you have to. Somehow the time to fix things permanently never seems to happen.

Wheaton Labs has done "The Berm Shed", but that would take a crew to build and strong backs.

I very much agree with the long term ground moisture issue.. the exception is hydraulic cylinders and lines, those tend to go faster than heavy steel, and protection from weather and sun seems more important to me on them. These are usually the more expensive implements, that get priority on shelter.


Tarps suck. Metal roofing for the win. I prefer to put loose metal roofing weighted with pallets on top of something than to use a tarp. Of course some things are not shaped well for this, but it works great for firewood, lumber, plywood..

Tarps trap the rising moisture, grow holes, and generally just suck..

I used to wonder why farms always had multiple smaller sheds scattered around them.  I understand now!
As you acquire items you need a place to store them.  Budgets determine what you will construct.
I started with temporary Harbor Freight car shelters, 10 x 10.  Cheap.  Not that good with the wind I sometimes get though.
Bolted wood to the metal frame, added metal roof and some siding.  There is a shelter for tools and implements.  Needed another one, same.  I now have 2 shelters, sheds.  One was converted to a firewood shed.  I put 2 frames together for a 10 x 20 foot building, roof and walls an some windows that is now my chicken coop.
Found an 8 X 16 shed someone wanted gone.  It resides as a tool and small equipment shed. It has stored motorcycles, mowers and various items over the years, now has lumber and several dozen containers of nails, screws fasteners and other things like that on a few shelves.
I already had an 8 X 40 foot container I used for storage when we built our home.  Still holds a lot, (almost full of stuff).  
I built a lean-to against part of one wall.  I put riding mower and push mower, powered post hole digger, large tool chest and lots of hand tools on the walls, almost forgot, many bales of straw.
Now I am contemplating another shed next to a lower garden area for storage of tools and various implements used there.
I also hate tarps, but they are a necessity here.  Temporary covers until things can be properly stored.  I keep lots of various sizes on hand for "just in case" times.  (I watch the HF sales for the cheap tarps.  They do for most of the things I determine are "tarp worthy".

Dennis Barrow wrote:I used to wonder why farms always had multiple smaller sheds scattered around them.  I understand now!
As you acquire items you need a place to store them.  Budgets determine what you will construct...

There are soooo... many factors!

1. Tools where I live can easily be swallowed up by grass, or worse (Himalayan Blackberry/ English Ivy/Morning Glory...) and if the tool is too small to show signs of its existence, but big enough to hurt the mower, that's a very big pain. I have put ropes on the end of several smaller tools that have an "eye" of some sort, to help prevent that. I've also put carabiners or breeching snaps on some of them in an effort to clip it to my belt loops so it doesn't get forgotten/dropped etc.

2. Location, location, location: I have a weird shaped property. I need multiple safe storage areas so that I'm not having to walk too far when I realize that the tools I brought aren't exactly the tools I need.

3. Codes: yes, some people live where they don't exist, but many of us live where they do. I am not allowed to build anything larger then 10ft x 10ft without a permit, and even that may have set-back rules that might be enforced if someone complains. So far, there hasn't been a big hassle about car shelters, but I suspect that even those could get an "order to remove" if someone were to complain. In some ways, that's a double edged sword...

4. Tarps:  As Dennis observed, they're quick, convenient, but they are also undesirable. Hubby tends to leave them too long and they start to self destruct.  Hubby also didn't understand when I told him to look for specials on green or brown, or even black tarps because they don't stick out like a sore thumb like the bright orange ones. Many people move to the country because they want to see trees and shrubs, not orange tarps! The exception to this are the white tarps we use occasionally when we actually want some natural light to pass through.

Yes, budget is an issue as well, but trying to make things look  pretty is worth the effort, and is often not that hard to do with a bit of planning. If you can't afford a "pretty shed", hopefully you can at least afford some sunflower or bean seeds for "instant pretty", followed up with perennial plants that can disguise a not so pretty shed.

Anne Miller wrote:What about using a pop-up gazebo?

Amazon says they are called canopy tents, some with walls.some without:

https://www.amazon.com/GDY-10x10FT-Pop-Up-Canopy-Tent/dp/B0H1R4996Y/

We bought one of these (without walls) to shelter our turkey poults from the hot sun when they first outgrew the brooder and ventured outside.  The first heavy rain pooled in the top and the weight bent the frame, rendering it even more susceptible to subsequent rains, which eventually tore the top.  It was good for a couple months before it was damaged beyond usefulness, but those things just don't do well as longer term cover from my experience.  You also need to secure them really well from high winds.

I've had a couple Clam brand pop up shelters that have a robust pole system to them, used for smaller item storage and an outdoor kitchen. I had a protective tarp break and dump a foot of snow on one, it was like new once shoveled out and the sides popped back into place.

The problem is the plastic/nylon/whatever sides. They can't take extended UV exposure and if they collapse from wind/snow/rain, anything sharp stored within becomes a knife to slice through the materials.

Currently working to replace the outdoor kitchen with a 'Quonset hut' style structure. A row of arches made from Alder saplings and hazelnut or whatever for cross bracing, with a canvas tarp thrown over it. I hate the plastic tarps because if one is used for it's full useful life, at the end it just spews those tiny strips of plastic to the winds...

The better the protection the longer equipment lasts. A trick from an old farmer was to store implements as you attach them ready to go. Makes maintenance easier for most, safer, reminds me to look at them regularly.  Kinda led me to a few vertical/hanging storage systems which requires a robust structure….Use the thing for a very specific purpose and it will last longer doing a better job. Is the goal to grow food outcompeting nature, or to integrate ourselves into nature so you can’t tell we’re even there?

Donna Lynn wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:What about using a pop-up gazebo?

Amazon says they are called canopy tents, some with walls.some without:

https://www.amazon.com/GDY-10x10FT-Pop-Up-Canopy-Tent/dp/B0H1R4996Y/

We bought one of these (without walls) to shelter our turkey poults from the hot sun when they first outgrew the brooder and ventured outside.  The first heavy rain pooled in the top and the weight bent the frame, rendering it even more susceptible to subsequent rains, which eventually tore the top.  It was good for a couple months before it was damaged beyond usefulness, but those things just don't do well as longer term cover from my experience.  You also need to secure them really well from high winds.

I believe there is a large range in quality so some might last longer than others.  Generally folks get what they pay for as the saying goes.