Cheap Tractor Shelter

[mikim]

<font color=blue>it takes more time and money than I have right now</font color=blue>
yeah --- and I needed something portable too. Right now that coverit is on my in-laws land where it can be looked after - when I get the retirement home land cleared enough it'll be moved. -- (1/2 mile) What I'd really like is a 40 X 50 metal barn that is displayed in Conroe right now - for several thou $$$$ --- that I don't have yet.
the key - both time & money at the same time!!

mike

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks, just bought one. Online price $199, catalog $129. Sweeeeet.

 

[kemartin3]

FYI. I attempted to order one from HF's web site using the 40544-2-VGA number. Even when I put that number in the Order From Printed Catalog screen, it would translate it to 40544-0-VGA at $199. According to the 800# folks, "VGA" specifies a web part number. So I changed my order number to 40544-2-ARB (ARB is the suffix shown in the example on the Order From Printed Catalog screen). That seems to have worked. It priced it at $129.95, and clicking on the product link in my shopping basket took me to the 40544-0-VGA item.

Hope this helps.

Kevin

 

[RanchMan]

Yea, that doesn't surprise me.

At the time I posted the original message (a couple of months back), the VGA price was the discounted one. Harbor Freight changes sale prices pretty often, so it appears that the catalog part # is the one currently on sale for the discount. Like most things, the HF sales are time sensitive, so if someone's interested, it may require a bit more little legwork than it did back when I originally posted.

 

[EdK]

Cheap Tractor Shelter Update

I got the HF "cheap tractor shelter" about a month back. Like the rest of you I figured for $129 how could I go wrong? Well it was good for a little rain but one 2-3" wet snow storm and this thing is a crumpled mess. It wouldn't be so bad if I only had to take it to the dump but my shiny new Kubota is all scratched up and the exhaust stack buckled! /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

 

[RanchMan]

Re: Cheap Tractor Shelter Update

Sorry to hear you had some bad luck. Seems strange the snow caused the feet to bow out so far the top fell in. (Is this what happened?) Did it bend the steel pipe?

How did you secure the feet to the ground? I used 12" nails instead of the dinky 6" rebar spikes they included and, based on some suggestions here, I also created about half a dozen guy-wires to keep the thing upright in the severe winds I encounter on my place. (I used some steel cable I got from Lowe’s to mfg. my supports - I forget how many hundred pounds it was rated for, but it was several which I believed would be sufficient.) So far it has withstood gusts in the 40+ mph range and saved my tractor from several nasty hail storms while incurring no damage. (Amazing how much sturdier it became when the guy-wires/other mods were added - I don’t think it would have came out with such “flying colors” if I hadn’t “tweaked” the original design a bit though.) Of course the key to adding the strength was to get everything tight before hand so that no "wobble" was present and allowed to "grow."

Did you do any of the other mods such as pinning the uprights into the feet/uprights to the top to keep them seated in the event of "updrafts"? (e.g. to prevent the top section from going up/down like Dorothy's house.") I could see how it could buckle pretty easily if the bottoms of the supports were allowed to "slip their shoes."

I'd be curious what you believed the failure was so that others who decide to continue to use such shelters (such as myself) might take your observations in to account. I'm still confident in my shelters stability and value, but am always looking to improve things as well.

 

[Thomas]

Re: Cheap Tractor Shelter Update

/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif..Maybe your home owners insurance will cover the repairs??

 

[RanchMan]

Re: Cheap Tractor Shelter Update

My guess is that it would be better to not go that way due to premium ramifications and the deductible, plus the insurance company might want him to prove he assembled it properly. Seems like a lot more headache than it would be worth. If these things were falling down left & right I'd expect HF to recall/eliminate them from their offerings due to product liability lawsuits (especially since they are designed to cover cars which are notorious for being expensive to repair/repaint.)

 

[EdK]

Re: Cheap Tractor Shelter Update

Ranchman -

Actually I employed your modifications as I believe they were all good ideas. I had all the stuff for guy wires and such already in hand when the Harbor Freight shipment arrived after hearing about your installation here on TBN.

The unit was simply crushed by the snow load. It failed at numerous joints along the ridge and along the sides. The tubing buckled at the joint insertions. I don't think any practical modifications could have prevented it. It would seem to be simply a design limitation: tubing too light and roof not pitched enough to shed snow. Fortunately those TBNers such as yourself and others in the deep south needn't worry about this too much but bear in mind it was only 2-3" of wet snow.

Ed

 

[EdK]

Re: Cheap Tractor Shelter Update

I think I'll probably just shrug this one off. I've straightened the stack enough to operate and may buy one new pipe so I don't have to look at it as a reminder. Otherwise this Kubota is one working machine and as I'm smack in the middle of building a new house on with the show!!!