Cart before the horse/tractor before the shed

birdseye · Nov 14, 2006

Well, I'm enjoying my new JD 4120 w/ FEL, BH and Farmi winch. But as I often seem to do, I got the tractor before I had a place to put it.

The winter rains have started here in Southern Oregon and a shed is probably not in the cards until late next year.

My question is will any of the equipment be damaged by having it sitting out in the rain this winter?

Buckeye_Jim · Nov 15, 2006

You could probably get by with some traps and elastic bungee straps. Check your manual for instructions based upon how long it might sit idle. Might be a good excuse to get some seat time on a periodic basis!

Jim

kwolfe · Nov 15, 2006

I keep my tractor in the garage, however they do sit out on the lot at the dealer (rain, snow, sleet). I can't imagine that one season would have much of an effect on it. If you want a quick fix, you could spend 200-300 bucks and get one of those pipe and tarp shelters from Cosco.

Pooh_Bear · Nov 15, 2006

My tractor (49 8N) sets out under a tarp every nite.
I start it up a couple of times of week when I don't use it.

All my other attachments just sit out behind the shed.
Some of them need paint real bad, but sitting out doesn't seem to hurt them.

Pooh Bear

1bush2hog · Nov 15, 2006

Just invest in a few tarps and bungees and you will be fine until spring.

jimmy1 · Nov 15, 2006

Inside is ideal but if your facility is not ready I would not worry for one season anyway. They sit outside on dealers lots year round also. Tarps and bungees are an option as well but I don't think I would spend any more than that for one season.

I suspect it will be harder on you than the tractor by worrying about it out there in bad weather and knowing the shed is not ready yet.

Jim

EddieWalker · Nov 15, 2006

I'm not a big fan of tarps. I put one over my old jeep for awhile and when I pulled it off on a very nice day, everything was damp!!!! It hadn't rained in weeks, but the tarp was either creating condensation or held in the moisture from the times it did rain.

I leave mine out in the open for now with the seat up. It gets wet when it rains, but dries off real fast afterwards. In three years, I've done more damage to it brush hogging than anything the weather ever will.

Eddie

daTeacha · Nov 15, 2006

If you tarp it, be sure to ventilate it. As the previous poster stated, you can get condensation under the tarp. It can come up from the ground or from the air as the temperature changes, and it can stay around a long time, especially in wet climates like much of Oregon can be. I'd put a rough frame up to hold the tarp free of the tractor so it's more like a tent. It wouldn't hurt in this area to put some mothballs in there to keep the rodents from eating your seat, building nests in various hidden locations in the tractor, chewing on wires, and other bits of destruction.

I had a mouse nest around the cylinder head of a lawn tractor once. Took a while to figure out what stunk and why it kept overheating -- cooked mice and old insulation bits interfere with airflow around the fins.

flusher · Nov 15, 2006

birdseye said:
Well, I'm enjoying my new JD 4120 w/ FEL, BH and Farmi winch. But as I often seem to do, I got the tractor before I had a place to put it.

The winter rains have started here in Southern Oregon and a shed is probably not in the cards until late next year.

My question is will any of the equipment be damaged by having it sitting out in the rain this winter?

Don't worry about it. Your tractor probably sat out in the weather for a while at the dealers. And it's designed for that kind of use.

N80 · Nov 15, 2006

My tractor has lived under a tarp for over a year now. No problem with moisture underneath, it gets a lot of sun. I have to evict a mouse or two and like someone above, one died on the exhaust manifold and it took me a long time to find the source of the smell. The mouse problem won't be helped by the shed I'm hoping to build...might even be worse.

I usually wash the dust off of my tractor after use with the hose so it won't hold moisture on the tractor. With dust and dirt rinsed off I think the sun is probably harder on tires, hoses and finish and seat than rain is. I have one big tarp that covers the whole thing and I've got it so two bungee cords hold the tarp in place even in a stiff wind.

Still look forward to getting my shed built, but that could easily be another year. For now, the tarp will have to do.