A Practical Guide to Sizing Agricultural Equipment Storage Buildings

Farmers all know it. When it comes to growing their businesses, the right building is everything. That's because workflow, storage capacity, and your ability to upgrade equipment down the line are all critical aspects of your farm's continued success.

In this article, you'll learn:

• How building size affects daily farm tasks
• Three guidelines for choosing the right building dimensions
• The biggest reason for buyer's remorse in post-frame construction (and why you don't have to worry about it with Tristate)
• The specs of an incredible agricultural facility built in Danville, PA

Let's begin by learning how to size your new building.

1. Plan Doors Around Your Widest Piece of Equipment

When designing a post-frame building for your farm, it's wise to start with door dimensions.

To determine door size, begin by measuring the widest piece of equipment you own. This means taking the true transport width, including attachments like planters, sprayers, disc harrows, toolbars, etc. With this measurement in hand, a good rule of thumb is to then add 2 ft of clearance on both sides of the equipment, with an additional 1 ft of clearance for overhead space.

So, to determine door openings:

• Measure the full width of your largest equipment
• Add 2 ft of clearance on each side
• Add 1 ft of overhead clearance

2. Calculate Full Building Width

To determine your full building width, add all of your equipment widths together, plus an additional 2–3 ft of clearance against each side wall and between each piece of equipment.

This number, combined with any added space for hay or grain operations, will give you your optimal width for ease of access, safe storage, and maneuverability.

Measuring your building in this way has a few distinct advantages:

• You don't need to double park large equipment
• Easier access allows for greater efficiency during chores
• Wider (rectangular) buildings are more attractive than square designs

Depending on the size of your operations, this is where some farmers get stuck, particularly those wanting very wide clear spans.

This is because most builders aren't prepared to tackle the engineering and construction demands of very wide clear spans. However, if you need a very wide building, you're in luck.

Tristate specializes in high and wide, with 100' clear spans for protecting even the most gargantuan farming operations.