Farm Equipment Storage Buildings: Is Fabric the Right Fit?

Farm equipment storage buildings made of tension fabric are a good fit for many farms that need to get tractors, combines and balers out of the weather, but not for every farm. Covermore Buildings, a family business in Chouteau, Oklahoma, sells tension fabric buildings and ships them nationwide. Here is how to tell whether fabric is the right fit for your equipment.

How much clearance does a farm equipment storage building need?

Your tallest, widest machine sets the door size and the sidewall height, so size the building to that machine, not your average one. Write down the height of the combine with the header folded, the sprayer with the booms up, and any planter or baler that rides on a trailer. It is easy to measure the tractor and forget the rest.

Check the building's profile too. If a building's sides curve in toward the top, the outer edges have less headroom than the center. In that case, park the tall machines near the middle and the low ones, like tillage tools and mowers, along the sides. Laying out the floor on paper before you order lets you use every foot of it.

Is a closed building better than an open shed for farm equipment?

A closed building protects equipment better than an open shed. An open-sided shed keeps off some rain, but it does not stop blowing dust, bird droppings, or sun on hoses and tires. A closed building gives you shade, a dry floor, and a place to work on a machine in bad weather.

The trade is cost and airflow. A fully closed building holds moisture if you park wet equipment inside and shut the doors. Plan on venting, or leave an end open on nice days. If you are only storing seeding and tillage gear, a simple cover may do. If it is the combine and the tractors, close it in.

When is a steel or post-frame building the better answer?

A conventional steel or post-frame building with a proper wall system is usually the better answer if you need a heated shop with insulated walls, a concrete floor with drains, and a lot of hanging fixtures. A fabric building is not the cheapest route to that kind of shop.

Poor drainage is the other deal-breaker. No building fixes a low spot that floods. Fix the site first: put the building on ground that sheds water, and give the doors a solid apron so you are not dragging mud inside.

How big should a farm equipment storage building be?

Size the building for the machine you plan to buy next, plus working room on every side of the biggest machine. You need space to open a cab door, check fluids and hook up a hitch. Sizing only for what you own today is an easy way to outgrow a building.

Where should the doors go on an equipment storage building?

Put the doors where they match how machines come and go. End doors are handy for a long row of equipment. Side entries make sense when you want to pull machines out one at a time without moving the others.

What should you check before you order?

• Measure your tallest and widest machine, then add clearance.
• Decide where the doors go and which way machines will enter.
• Pick a site that drains, with room to turn a trailer.
• Plan for airflow so moisture does not sit inside.
• Size for the machines you will own later, not just today.
• Check your county's building rules before you commit.

Work through those six items and you will know whether a fabric building fits your farm, and what size to ask Covermore Buildings about.