Garage door height and RK55 with cab

[g8erh8er]

We are currently building a new house. I have the option of going with 10 ft tall garage doors or 9 ft tall. The only issue with going with the 10 ft tall doors, is that it will require an extra block on the stem wall of the front of the house, which will add cost, and I may not like the look of having 4 blocks beneath the hardy board siding (stem wall is currently three courses high).

The RK55 cab is listed at 99.6 inches tall. Not sure what tire combo this is using but I'm guessing R4. Is there anyone out there with this combo that could take a measurement for me? If not, I'll take my tape measure to the store in the near future.

The garage door will be flush with the opening, and we're using jack shaft openers so maximum clearance will be 108 inches minus 3/4 inches of trim around the garage opening, leaving me with about 7 inches to spare with a 9 ft door. I also realize that the opening clearance will be dictated by the slope of the driveway (the greater the slope, the less clearance since the tractor will be coming in at an angle initially).

I do intend to construct an extra building in which to store our toys, but that will be years down the road (if ever $$$). Hate to have a brand new tractor and it sit outside. My gut tells me to just go big and deal with the extra cost, but I don't want to do it if I don't have to.

 

[g8erh8er]

Well, The RK spec brochure appears to be spot on regarding tractor height. Took my tape measure and came in at just under 100 inches.

I also took some other dimensions so I could sketch up the rough tractor profile in AutoCAD. Turns out, the angle of the driveway is not as big a concern as I initially thought.

Looks like I should be fine with 9 ft doors. Just a heads up in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation.

 

[cdb2]

Thanks, that's helpful to know.

 

[Diggin It]

I'd go for the extra clearance if I were doing it and had the funds. You can always do something to cover the block if you feel it necessary.

Whole lots easier to do it now than later.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

That extra block makes a house look better, generally. If you are in an area that could have some flooding, it makes it less likely.

I have to drop the ROPS to drive my little tractor into my garage or shed. If I had built the shed originally, I would have made it taller. 10 foot tall doors are the norm around here for most shops where a tractor is involved.

 

[majorwager]

10 ft OH door might look out of balance w/ the home. I installed an all glass aftermarkt cab to my mx which has R-4 shoes, same rears as rhe RK but 12x16,5 fronts. My top of cab height is 93 inches. I have 12 ft tall doors on my shop but the winter tractor bay is only 8 ft tall, roll up style steel door. Half inch trim nets 2-1/2 inches to spare.

 

[g8erh8er]

10 ft OH door might look out of balance w/ the home. I installed an all glass aftermarkt cab to my mx which has R-4 shoes, same rears as rhe RK but 12x16,5 fronts. My top of cab height is 93 inches. I have 12 ft tall doors on my shop but the winter tractor bay is only 8 ft tall, roll up style steel door. Half inch trim nets 2-1/2 inches to spare.

A valid point, one I've considered. Here's a pic with 8' vs 10' doors on our garage. I don't think the 10' look too bad. My beef with the 10' doors, aside from the extra cost of the block work, is that if I can ever afford to build a 30 x 40 steel shed, the tall garage doors won't be necessary. Really, I only need one to be that tall, but I would do all three for symmetry.

 

[majorwager]

Perspective drawings can be deceptive. Believe 10 ft doors will cast a commercial appearance to your home. 9 ft should be more than adequate unless you see yourself purchasing a much larger tractor.

 

[boomer1025]

A valid point, one I've considered. Here's a pic with 8' vs 10' doors on our garage. I don't think the 10' look too bad. My beef with the 10' doors, aside from the extra cost of the block work, is that if I can ever afford to build a 30 x 40 steel shed, the tall garage doors won't be necessary. Really, I only need one to be that tall, but I would do all three for symmetry.

View attachment 572213

My vote is for the 10' doors.
The way they are building new trucks, it won't be long you'll need 12' doors.
You have to look to the future, you never know what's a head.

 

[TractorGuy]

Do you ever plan to add a beacon to the tractor? How about a backhoe?

How deep is the garage going to be?

Looking at your drawing it looks like the only change is in the door header and height. That would be a tough call for me.

My small tractor sits under an outside shed and my cabbed backhoe stays outside but neither are new.

 

[Diggin It]

If your neighbors have a problem with the large doors, tell them your Uncle Martin needs the extra room to test his spaceship.

 

[g8erh8er]

Do you ever plan to add a beacon to the tractor? How about a backhoe?

How deep is the garage going to be?

Looking at your drawing it looks like the only change is in the door header and height. That would be a tough call for me.

My small tractor sits under an outside shed and my cabbed backhoe stays outside but neither are new.

No beacon or backhoe in my future. Garage depth is approx. 24 feet. The Massey 1532 I just sold is 18' long with a finish mower attached. Hopefully the RK55 will fit with a mower attached. Otherwise I'll store the mower in the second door behind my JD Gator. Wifey's car in the third spot. My truck will have to sit in the driveway for the time being. Ha.

 

[g8erh8er]

Appreciate all the replies. Gives me some food for thought.

Building a custom home is a nerve racking endeavor. So many decisions to be made - overwhelming at times. Already second guessing some design choices (overall garage size - wish I'd made it bigger, 10' wide doors instead of 9', 30+ feet deep), but at some point you just gotta go with what you've got (and what you can afford).

 

[oosik]

You have thought of beacons. Don't forget any other type of device that you might want to mount on the roof. BTW - I though that drawing - post #7 - was some kind of puzzle until I counted the panels on the garage door. I surely see no objectionable point to either drawing.

 

[RK Tractor Guy]

We are currently building a new house. I have the option of going with 10 ft tall garage doors or 9 ft tall. The only issue with going with the 10 ft tall doors, is that it will require an extra block on the stem wall of the front of the house, which will add cost, and I may not like the look of having 4 blocks beneath the hardy board siding (stem wall is currently three courses high).

The RK55 cab is listed at 99.6 inches tall. Not sure what tire combo this is using but I'm guessing R4. Is there anyone out there with this combo that could take a measurement for me? If not, I'll take my tape measure to the store in the near future.

The garage door will be flush with the opening, and we're using jack shaft openers so maximum clearance will be 108 inches minus 3/4 inches of trim around the garage opening, leaving me with about 7 inches to spare with a 9 ft door. I also realize that the opening clearance will be dictated by the slope of the driveway (the greater the slope, the less clearance since the tractor will be coming in at an angle initially).

I do intend to construct an extra building in which to store our toys, but that will be years down the road (if ever $$$). Hate to have a brand new tractor and it sit outside. My gut tells me to just go big and deal with the extra cost, but I don't want to do it if I don't have to.

The RK55 cab tractors are 99.6" tall and the open station are 102.1" with the ROPS up. AT RK stores, most of our receiving doors are 96" so we had to raise them in order to get the cab tractors off of our trucks at our RK Tractor stores. We raised these doorways to 10' and have lots of room to get even our RK74s in now. 9' would be fine for your RK55. As for the length, with the loader flat on the ground, it is 15' from front to bucket to ends of 3-pt. Hope that helps.

 

[g8erh8er]

Thanks for the insider knowledge RKTractorGuy - it is appreciated! FYI saw the new RK74 at our Zephyrhills store this weekend. That thing is a beast.

 

[not2old]

My house has 10x10 doors and I don't think they look out of place. I'd go 12 wide if building myself as even 10 is not comfortable to get out of a vehicle when you want it 1/2 way in.

 

[Ford850]

I think a 9' door would be a good compromise and still give you the room you need.