# Equipment shed size and layout



## PaMike

Really considering putting up a new shed in the next year or two for equipment storage and maybe some hay. Trying to decide what building is ideal, and how to arrange the doors. I hate moving equipment to get to equipment behind it.

-Neighbor has 40x80 open front shed. Very accessible but is 100% weatherproof and sun fads tractors sitting in the front. Not vandal proof at all.

-We have an old tobacco barn that is about 30x60. Two bays wide, and doors in each end of the 30 foot wall. Works pretty well. Some moving of equipment to get to the equipment in the middle of the long bays, but not bad.

-Neighbor has pole barn thats is probably 40x80. He has two big sliders on the 80 side. he backs equipment in, then turns them 90 deg and parks them. The drive in bay right in front of the door is where the tractors park. He figures when he is farming the tractors are out of the barn allowing full access to the rows of equipment on each side of the slide door.Works for him. Not sure what his door width is

Anybody have any setups they really like? I am looking for space for tractors,90hp and down, round baler, rake tedder, and usual misc support equipment.


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## somedevildawg

Congrats on building an equipment shed, would love to have a new one myself to free up room for hay....I have found that I use the lean to's (25x80) on each side of my main structure to pull equipment through and park....things like my kuhn ga 6000 double rotary rake.....sob will not back up any distance, ditto for the bandit/baler combo. Once pulled all the way through, the left over space behind the implement is storage for discbine, rotary mower, tedder, etc.


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## PaMike

I actually just found a setup I think would work well. Its a long building with a lean too on the long side and doors on the short side. The lean to had the long side open. I think this could be a great mix. Smaller often used equipment could go into the lean to while hay and the round baler could go in the more secure main building.


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## Coondle

Last year built a lean-to onto my hay shed, 80 by 40. Closed in on one long side, one short side and outer half closed in on the other short side. The two principal sides closed in face the prevailing weather. Height is 13 feet under the long side and 15 feet under the half end that is open. only 2 posts are not with wall attached so very flexible so far as machinery placement is concerned,

With open sides not fully waterproof but immeasurably better than parked under the big blue shed (open sky).

Doors may follow over time to improve water protection and security. Two hinged doors on the smaller bay which is 30 feet wide. One in place already. The long term plan is to put a triple sliding door arrangement on the 50 foot bay and the 20 foot opening on the short side will get a pair of hinged doors.

Swallows a lot of machinery, grain harvesting combine, 28 run drill, Bandit, small square baler, two 5 ton trucks, 60 foot 400gal boom spray, 5 tractors, industrial front end loader, mower conditioner, NH 96 rotary mower, 6-wheel hay rake, and various small items such as 6cyl engine powered welder, 3point tank, and sundries.

Park equipment that is used once a year in the back and regular use gear in the front. Eg Bandit in the back and big FEL in front: Grain combine and boom spray in the back and trucks and a tractor in front of them. Bit if juggling of machinery but only at long intervals.


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## Farmineer95

I too am considering a hay roof/shed. My question is: For the same square footage is it cheaper to go long/narrow or short/wide. My thinking is that truss cost increase going to a wider span is not linear. I really prefer the roof sheets to be one piece rather than have a seam halfway up.

My initial thought is the building would have sliders on either gable end and open on one long side (south side). Scrape of the red and orange clay, tile, fill with breaker, top with screenings. Extended overhangs and say 20 ft between posts on the open side. Does it sound like I smoked my breakfast of is this feasible?


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## PaMike

I like your idea, but I think most pole barns runs posts on 8 ft centers. To have one long side open will mean larger headers. Not sure if they can do that on the entire length. If they can it will mean and upcharge in price.

I am leaning towards long and narrow so that when equipment is backed in along the long side it is only 1 or 2 rows deep. I hate moving equipment to get the stuff in the back...


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## swmnhay

When I put mine up 60' wide gave me the least cost per sq ft.Going to 80' wide required a 2 piece rafter and added a lot more cost.I sure wish it was bigger today tho.I was limited on space to build on or it would of been longer.

Figure out what you can afford to.Then build it twice that big!!


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## PaMike

Swmnhay-Where did you put the doors? Sliders on the long side? Do you back in the doors then turn 90 deg?


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## 8350HiTech

Headers for 20' spacing aren't too salty. I wish we had made ours 22' though.


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## PaMike

You got 20' spaced posts on the long side? On a 60 ft long building that would only be 4 posts. That doesn't seem like enough posts to take the force of a wind....


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## swmnhay

PaMike said:


> Swmnhay-Where did you put the doors? Sliders on the long side? Do you back in the doors then turn 90 deg?


I just have 1 end door.24' roll up.stuff is just backed into the back wall.Pickups and trailer are in the middle mostly.Stuff is stored on the sides,fork lift,skidlaoder,netwrap,seed,etc.Not everything I have is in this shed,I need another shed that's fer sure.


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## swmnhay

Pic of my shed


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## PaMike

Is that a pole barn? Really looking into a steel building. Wood in the ground doesn't appeal to me...


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## 8350HiTech

PaMike said:


> You got 20' spaced posts on the long side? On a 60 ft long building that would only be 4 posts. That doesn't seem like enough posts to take the force of a wind....


80 foot building. Four bays.


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## PaMike

That's true, my buddy has an open sided barn with the same setup... What was I thinking...


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## swmnhay

PaMike said:


> Is that a pole barn? Really looking into a steel building. Wood in the ground doesn't appeal to me...


Yea it's a pole barn on 6' centers.I was considering a steel frame but it was about 50% more and pretty good chance I'll be dead before they rot off.


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## ARD Farm

I'm all about Clearspan hoop (truss arch) buildings and you can get them with no translucent skylights as well as the standard down the middle translucent panel...

You can't beat the price compared to a pole building and (at least in Michigan) thay aren't taxable as real estate buildings. Design is as flexble as you want doors on both ends or one end, man doors, whatever. I have a roll up steel door on one end with a man door and a mann door on the opposite end plus solar powered ventilation fans and my wife and I erected it (with a bit of cussing of course)...


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## PaMike

Is this for hay? I looked at the hoops but I want lots of doors to get to equipment and hay...I guess if you make the hoop big enough you can just keep an isle down the middle.

Tell me about the solar powered fans...Sounds like a good idea for hay ventilation!!! Fill me in!!


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## deadmoose

swmnhay said:


> Pic of my shed


Nice looking truck. Almost missed the shed in the pic. Too busy admiring the Dodge.


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## deadmoose

Checked again and turns out quite a nice looking shed as well.


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## ARD Farm

PaMike said:


> Is this for hay? I looked at the hoops but I want lots of doors to get to equipment and hay...I guess if you make the hoop big enough you can just keep an isle down the middle.
> 
> Tell me about the solar powered fans...Sounds like a good idea for hay ventilation!!! Fill me in!!


Sure is. I have a man door at each end and a metal roll up door at each end, 14 feet high by 10 feet wide and the 2 solar fans are at the east end up high (our prevailing winds blow west to east btw. I can drive a semi with a 13'6" box trailer (conventional sleeper tractor) inside with room to spare.

I keep my rounds on one side, my tractors and hay tools on the other and in the front are racks for bailer twine and hand tools and my pickup truck and gooseneck.. My squares are kept in another barn down the road. My big one has been up at least 15 years now and the cover still looks new.

Plus the cats have a nice cozy home in the winter. It's always above freezing inside. We have one cat that never goes outside, she stays inside the building all the time.

Far as I'm concerned for the square footage of useable space versus the price, you cannot beat one.


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## bensbales

ARD Farm said:


> Sure is. I have a man door at each end and a metal roll up door at each end, 14 feet high by 10 feet wide and the 2 solar fans are at the east end up high (our prevailing winds blow west to east btw. I can drive a semi with a 13'6" box trailer (conventional sleeper tractor) inside with room to spare.
> 
> I keep my rounds on one side, my tractors and hay tools on the other and in the front are racks for bailer twine and hand tools and my pickup truck and gooseneck.. My squares are kept in another barn down the road. My big one has been up at least 15 years now and the cover still looks new.
> 
> Plus the cats have a nice cozy home in the winter. It's always above freezing inside. We have one cat that never goes outside, she stays inside the building all the time.
> 
> Far as I'm concerned for the square footage of useable space versus the price, you cannot beat one.


Who is the manufacturer of your barn?


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## Bishop

Everytime I pull wagons in I look up and thank my dad for building it this way. Two of the bays are drive through, laneway and doors on both sides. Shed is 44' wide so I can pull in two 20' wagons hooked together. Unhook the back one, back up four feet, unhook, turn the tongue and shorten it and close the door.

I rarely need to back wagons in.


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## PaMike

Drive through bays are nice when dealing with a lot of wagons.

Only wagon I use anymore is the round bale wagon and that one ends up living outside...


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## mlappin

I think an equipment shed will be much like any shop, no matter how big you build it or how careful it's laid out, you'll either wish you went bigger or would have thought of something else before laying it out.


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## ARD Farm

My rule of thumb is I put implements in, in the reverse of what I need to take out except in the winter. Then they go in in the most compact arrangement because everything is inside in the winter, no exceptions.

farm stuff is stored in the Clearspan, everything else goes in my heated shop.... including me quite a bit.

BTW filled my propane tanks yesterday (all 3) for 88 cents a gallon. I like that.


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