# Options to consider in a pole barn for Hay Baling Operation



## whitmerlegacyfarm

Ok I'm hoping to give the go ahead of a pole shed here in the next month once some financing goes through. I got 2 prices 40x60x14 and 50x80x14. Both I have figured for (2) 14 ft slider doors and 1 10ft slider door due to possibly converting a corner into few horse stalls for the wife, also figured overhangs on sides and gutters and spouting installed. These is why I'd like to swing the price on the 50x80. 40x60 is priced at $21k and the 50x80 more or less $30k. During the off season will be storing nh 479, nh sp 1469, (2) nh 269 balers, 10 wheel rake, rolabar rake, 4star tedder, 3pt sprayer, also have 5 rack wagons. Would love room to stack hay also, another reason I hope I can afford the 50x80.

So I'm looking for suggestions from you guys that our bigger scale then me. I know bigger is always better but I'm purchase my fathers newer house that borders our small farm and this is a big mortgage for me to take on if I get the financing. I don't want to me so strapped if my full time business slows for a period of time. I have high hopes for this hay season due to having picked up some high paying alpaca customers this winter that will bring some extra revenue. I'm sure theres info I'm forgetting to give you guys Oh sorry doing Small Squares bales. Roughly 6,000 bales a year. I do have 2 bank barns I have use of to store some of the small squares.

Thanks all


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## 8350HiTech

Personally, I wouldn't build any hay shed less than 18' tall. What if you wanted to switch to a stackwagon or decided to make some round or midsize squares and wanted to stack them higher? Even if you wanted to go to an accumulator system, extra height would be nice. Or if you go with a 40x60 for now, having extra height would allow you to add to the full length of the building later when funds allowed.


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## deadmoose

Plan for the future. Not for now.


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## deadmoose

Easy to add length later. Much harder to add height.


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## Farmerbrown2

I'm in the same boat as you on paper it looks okay but in the real world I scratch my head. What scares me is you are talking about horse's they will not eat your bad bales of hay steers will and they taste better. I'm in need of a roof on my bank barn (almost a 100 square) and replace a 62 x 80 arch building plus house needs new siding. 6000 bales x$6 a bale = $36,000.00 X 20 years $720,000.00 and that looks good. I say go for it but my wife usually brings me down to earth so I'm still on the pay as I go method. Sorry I am not much help!


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## whitmerlegacyfarm

Not many guys around here higher then 14ft. No stack wagons in this area or accumulators. To many little odd shape fields and hills that I do. The dairy farm has everything snatched up for miles around me. My idea is to put more money into the land I have and make more tonnage per acre, nicer hay. With just doing hay in my opinion I can only get so big doing small squares with the resources around and still running my own business that pays the bills. Getting ready to have our first kid so I don't want to push the limits of the wallet. I've made do with storing equip outside and using neighbors bank barns. So a 40x60 will be awesome. Plus I have enough tin to put a 14ft overhang of a 30x40 pole shed that stores the tractors at the house. Also have a 24x24 on the homestead and a 14ftx30ft bay there. My guess is the biggest piece I could end up buying is a Self Propelled Haybine 12ft cut.


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## 8350HiTech

If you're going to stack hay in it, the cubic feet are probably cheaper to add in height now than length and width later. There might also be tax advantages to a smaller footprint with more height. But if you don't want to, it's your choice.


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## whitmerlegacyfarm

Although at 18ft high I could frame a loft up above area I park lower height equip under it? My thought is with equip in there a lot of wasted space above haybine and balers that height from ground and more then 4 to 5ft high? Whats thoughts on this? Also it's not to expensive if i upgrade to 8ft increments in length with the 40ft building rather then go to 50ft wide. 50ft wide just helps to add stalls in a corner i think. So many thoughts and options.


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## 8350HiTech

If adding stalls, I'd put them in a lean-to addition along the side because they will also be a waste of height (unless you were figuring on a loft above them). Lean-to additions are also good for things like those balers if you start small and add on later.


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## whitmerlegacyfarm

Very true!!! I'm leaning towards a 40x68? then maybe. Height i think im still going to keep at 14ft, but defently going to price for 16ft maybe. It appears price from my builder is way cheaper to go 8ft increments for length then up in height, i think. Will see financing should know what extra we have left Tuesday or Weds at latest.


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## bbos2

We have a pole barn dad built in early 90's. Beautiful Morton building. 14' eaves. Plenty big at the time. 6620 combine, flat rack hay wagons, 20' folding field cultivator back then. NOW 9670 combine only fits when folding hopper down sp bale wagon. It fits to store but won't dump inside. And 30' field cultivator barely goes through the door. Wish everyday it was taller


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## endrow

deadmoose said:


> Plan for the future. Not for now.


 I agree with that statement but one must be realistic.In the dairy business I have seen that methoid of planning get many people in trouble.


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## PaMike

I think a lot depends on your operation. If you are fulltime and you know you will always own a newer combine, then yes go BIG.

If you are a part time guy and you will always be running used equipment the building size isn't an issue as much.

I hear what guys are saying about stack wagons and height but here in PA a lot of the ground isn't real great for stack wagons. Even with big bales 14 ft high is plenty. Any higher and you can have issues with the bales breathing.

One advantage to 16 high is you would have the option to add a loft and have room below.


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## 8350HiTech

PaMike said:


> I think a lot depends on your operation. If you are fulltime and you know you will always own a newer combine, then yes go BIG.
> If you are a part time guy and you will always be running used equipment the building size isn't an issue as much.
> 
> I hear what guys are saying about stack wagons and height but here in PA a lot of the ground isn't real great for stack wagons. Even with big bales 14 ft high is plenty. Any higher and you can have issues with the bales breathing.
> One advantage to 16 high is you would have the option to add a loft and have room below.


I'm maybe 80 miles west of you as the crow flies. This isn't stackwagon territory either. But I don't see rack wagons as a long term solution for many operations so I still don't think 14' is a good idea. We stack all of our rounds four high and I wouldn't be afraid to stack other bales 16' tall either, if baled properly of course.

I'm not saying whitmer will be disappointed in 14' in the short term or even medium term, but as was mentioned earlier, it's hard to make one higher later. Now is the time.


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## OhioHay

We have several 14' high buildings that we use. Last year we built 2 60 x 80 x 18 buildings. I certainly don't regret going 18'. We built this high for hay storage. One building ended up with mostly machinery in it and it doessseem like a waste of height for that. Next year hoping for a better hay season and have both full of hay.


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## PaCustomBaler

We're going with 60x80x20 at the end of the summer. We're looking to get a bale baron after this year but need the barn to store them in first.


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## whitmerlegacyfarm

Ok I think I may go the 16 ft high like you all said. Looks like the 50x80 isn't in the budget right now. So hopfully goin atleast 40x68x16. Waiting to here back on the additional to go from 14ft to 16ft high. and longer. Would it be a waste of length If can stay under $25k to go 40x80? Thanks


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## Fowllife

I put up a 32' x 56' x 16' a few years ago, I agree with the others, I would not go 14'. It was a $400 add to go from 14' to 16'. I priced a 40'x48' at the same time and the narrower building was much cheaper per SF.

Overhangs and gutters are a must, I was also think about post protectors. I think it was like a $500 add to mine, but with how quick the post rot I think it was well worth it.

Usable length would depend on how your site is setup. I kinda had to wedge mine between an old barn and my pasture and I had some grade issues to deal with, so more length would have hurt me.

The other part about eave height is future expansions. I'm hoping to put on a 18'x56' lean too on the side of the main barn this summer, even at 16' eaves I'm only talking 11' or so at the low end of the lean too. That would be 9' if I was only at 14' on the main.


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## JD3430

I'll give you an option nobody has mentioned
There's the option of building it in my back yard for my own personal use!

I can't wait to build my first pole barn for round bales. It will seem almost strange having the ability to easily store hay.


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## whitmerlegacyfarm

Well we just bought my fathers house Weds so its literally in my backyard lol. I think im pushing it trying to go 80ft to have room on the one end to pull in wagons but maybe not.


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## Tamswr

In my area it seems way cheaper to go with a steel tubing covered by a tarp style shed. You definitely get the hieght that way and can go up to 200' long pretty easy. So far they have been less maintenance too. Might be worth looking into.


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## Tamswr

In my area it seems way cheaper to go with a steel tubing covered by a tarp style shed. You definitely get the hieght that way and can go up to 200' long pretty easy. So far they have been less maintenance too. Might be worth looking into.


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## rjmoses

JD3430 said:


> I'll give you an option nobody has mentioned
> There's the option of building it in my back yard for my own personal use!
> 
> I can't wait to build my first pole barn for round bales. It will seem almost strange having the ability to easily store hay.


Built mine right across the road from my winter pastures, central to my hay fields--best move I made!. Just like real estate--location, location, location.

Ralph


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## slowzuki

Yeah that is heavily dependant on where you live.



Tamswr said:


> In my area it seems way cheaper to go with a steel tubing covered by a tarp style shed. You definitely get the hieght that way and can go up to 200' long pretty easy. So far they have been less maintenance too. Might be worth looking into.


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