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 as kits. Here is how to tell whether fabric is the right fit for your equipment.

How much clearance does a farm equipment storage building need?

A farm equipment storage building needs doors and sidewalls that clear your tallest, widest machine with room to spare, so measure that machine and add clearance. Include the combine with the header folded, the sprayer with booms up, and anything that rides on a trailer.

Check the building's profile too. If the 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. For more height near the walls, Covermore's dual truss models have straight sidewalls of about 11 to 12 feet before the roof peaks.

How big should a farm equipment storage building be?

A farm equipment storage building should be sized 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.

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

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

The trade is cost and airflow. A closed building holds moisture if you park wet equipment inside and shut the doors, so 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.

Can a fabric building be insulated and heated as a shop?

Yes. A Covermore fabric building does not come insulated, but it can be insulated and heated after it is up. One customer spray-insulated a 40x80-foot building, with a protective tarp between the cover and the insulation.

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 when you need a full heated shop with insulated walls, a concrete floor with drains, and a lot of hanging fixtures. Fabric can be heated, but it is not the cheapest route to that kind of shop.

What kind of site does a fabric building need?

A fabric building needs a site that drains. No building fixes a low spot that floods, so put the building on ground that sheds water, and give the doors a solid apron so you are not dragging mud inside.

Where should the doors go on a farm equipment building?

End doors suit a long row of equipment, and side entries make sense when you want to pull machines out one at a time without moving the others. Covermore's dual truss models come with a large roll-up door and a man door on each end.

What should you check before you order?

• Measure your tallest and widest machine, add clearance, and size for the machines you will own later, not just today.
• 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.
• Decide whether you need a heated shop, and whether fabric or steel fits it.
• Check your county's building rules before you commit.

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