I'm puzzled

[dieselcrawler]

Wow... I can fight both sides of this.

My tractor is the single most valuable ($ value) vehicle we own. It gets its place in the barn, in 3 years it might have sat outside overnight 5 to 10 times. I wish we had garage space to keep our daily drivers covered as well, but not yet... it's in the plans.

I come from a long bloodline of hoarders, when my grandmother died, they found shopping bags of neatly stacked egg cartons, cottage cheese containers, butter containers, some 30+ years old, neatly stored in the attic, basement, etc. You never would have known it to walk in grandma's house, but if you start looking... it was scarey. My mom is fighting those tendencies, as am I. My wife gives me he11 daily about 'my junk' in/around the barn. But it's all 'good junk' I tell her, and I often reuse it for other projects and save us $ by doing so. It's a balancing act.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was raised to believe that tools were worth more then human life itself! My sister and I had to clean our bicycles and then present them for inspection. I hated cleaning each section of rim in between the spokes the worst. But today, I am grateful for this upbringing.

What I don't understand is so many people don't look after their stuff, yet they are the first to complain about a scratch or something when they buy something used. Who cares! You are gonna destroy it anyway! Then there are those that think their abused stuff is worth as much as someones cared for stuff. I had a wealthy friend who bought nothing but high priced vehicles and equipment. He abused it, operated it wrecklessly and never repaired anything cosmetic, ever. Then he was always upset at what he was offered for trade value.

My Dad also taught me to always return borrowed things in better condition then when you got them. Often, I got the impression that the people didn't even care.

 

[dickfoster]

Wow... I can fight both sides of this.

My tractor is the single most valuable ($ value) vehicle we own. It gets its place in the barn, in 3 years it might have sat outside overnight 5 to 10 times. I wish we had garage space to keep our daily drivers covered as well, but not yet... it's in the plans.

I come from a long bloodline of hoarders, when my grandmother died, they found shopping bags of neatly stacked egg cartons, cottage cheese containers, butter containers, some 30+ years old, neatly stored in the attic, basement, etc. You never would have known it to walk in grandma's house, but if you start looking... it was scarey. My mom is fighting those tendencies, as am I. My wife gives me he11 daily about 'my junk' in/around the barn. But it's all 'good junk' I tell her, and I often reuse it for other projects and save us $ by doing so. It's a balancing act.

When my MIL died we found a lot of the same kinda thing. Even a drawer full of those tabs used to keep bag for a loaf of bread closed. Also a bunch of wire things I found in the closets. I thought they were to help her hang stuff lower down because she was short but later found them to be the wire from moth crystal blocks.
I tend to horde scrap metal and parts that I can use for other projects too but simply because scrap metal cost so much when you try to buy it these days.

 

[dieselcrawler]

My Dad also taught me to always return borrowed things in better condition then when you got them. Often, I got the impression that the people didn't even care.

Totally agree... even if they don't care, I clean/grease/repair the borrowed item because it's the right thing to do, and paves the way for future borrowing. However, the list of people I'm willing to borrow from, or lend to, is short. I take good care of my things, and better care of other's things.

 

[bigtiller]

Borrow it the first time.
Rent it the second time.
Buy it the third time.
4th, if you stop working to borrow it, you should stop working to return it, don't wait until it is convenient for you.

 

[theg]

Neighbor just bought a new tractor. Since first day it's been outside siting by round bales. He's one of the few that may have more money to burn. Funny my trucks sit out but tractor is covered.

 

[Dozernut]

I left my RTV out one night and a thunderstorm came through and dropped a tree on it. Karma is a big B. My equipment sits in the shed 99% of the time and my old truck sits out. It would be inside but it won't fit. I would leave the wife out in the weather and put the tractor in if I had a choice. After my vision returned and the swelling went down I don't tell her that anymore .

 

[Bird]

Some things move easier than others. Lots of people have garages filled with stuff that GoodWill wouldn't take and $50,000 cars parked outside.

Yep, that's always amazed me, even more than the tractors sitting outside. All houses in this area are built with a garage, usually a 2 car garage. But I only know of one person in the area, besides ME, that parks a vehicle in the garage. They all sit outside in the driveway. I sure like to have mine in the garage, especially if it's extra hot, extra cold, raining, icy, etc., when I got to get in it to go somewhere.

 

[2ndhalf]

Mapper I share your concern. All of my stuff is inside.
View attachment 489234View attachment 489235

Oddly enough my dad lives next door; he has 2 - 100' X 50' barns and his tractor sits outside most of the time. :confused3:

Man Cat.. you need some more implements.. a lot of room in that barn.

 

[2ndhalf]

A lot of farmers used machinery sheds around here.. open in front and enclosed on only 3 sides. You don't see as many of those being built now though with the pole barns being economical to build.

 

[dieselcrawler]

In my state/county, I believe a 3 sided sheds are considered 'unfinished' and are lower or not even listed on property taxes. Face the open side to the direction that gets the least weather intrusion and you're good to go.

 

[k0ua]

Yep, that's always amazed me, even more than the tractors sitting outside. All houses in this area are built with a garage, usually a 2 car garage. But I only know of one person in the area, besides ME, that parks a vehicle in the garage. They all sit outside in the driveway. I sure like to have mine in the garage, especially if it's extra hot, extra cold, raining, icy, etc., when I got to get in it to go somewhere.

I made a bargain with myself when I was younger and lived in rental houses, if I ever got wealthy enough to buy a house it would have at least a 2 car garage, and the vehicles were darn sure going to go into that garage. I kept that bargain and every house I have owned has had a 2 car garage, and that is where I have parked my vehicles. Now company cars have sat outside, simply because there was no room for them in my garage because my vehicles came first. And I hated every minute scraping snow and ice off of company vehicles to get into them.

When I lived at Willard Mo. and had an auxiliary barn, my pickup truck went into the barn along with the tractor and the company truck went into the garage beside the wife's car. Boy weren't we happy!. In my opinion vehicles belong under cover for a whole host of reasons. Of course I realize we can't always achieve that goal due to financial restraints, but it should be a goal. And I darn sure am not going to leave a vehicle out in the weather because I have junk in the garage. The trashman comes every week, Put a little bit in every week, and you can get your garage space back.

 

[two_bit_score]

happy!. Put a little bit in every week, and you can get your garage space back.

For most people that is about as easy as saying put a little money in the bank every week until you can pay cash for a car. Good advice, rarely taken.

TBS.

 

[IH782]

From what I've found, business's tend to not care because the equipment is a write off and will be replace before the elements can do their worst. As for everyone else, who knows. I hate when I have to leave a pice of equipment outside, and all my stuff is business owned.

 

[mapper]

I made a bargain with myself when I was younger and lived in rental houses, if I ever got wealthy enough to buy a house it would have at least a 2 car garage, and the vehicles were darn sure going to go into that garage. I kept that bargain and every house I have owned has had a 2 car garage, and that is where I have parked my vehicles. Now company cars have sat outside, simply because there was no room for them in my garage because my vehicles came first. And I hated every minute scraping snow and ice off of company vehicles to get into them.

When I lived at Willard Mo. and had an auxiliary barn, my pickup truck went into the barn along with the tractor and the company truck went into the garage beside the wife's car. Boy weren't we happy!. In my opinion vehicles belong under cover for a whole host of reasons. Of course I realize we can't always achieve that goal due to financial restraints, but it should be a goal. And I darn sure am not going to leave a vehicle out in the weather because I have junk in the garage. The trashman comes every week, Put a little bit in every week, and you can get your garage space back.

When we had our house built we made the decision that our vehicles would be parked in the garage, with the exception of a couple of projects that lasted less than a week, our vehicles are in the garage every night. Prior to building we had a double wide mobile and no garage. I do not miss damp vehicles, scraping ice and frost, unloading groceries in the rain and getting into cold vehicles at all. I still own a couple of ice scrapers but I can't remember the last time I used one.
I agree with you James, it is a goal to work towards, try to keep the collection of useless stuff to a minimum, I know it is sometimes difficult, there is much that looks like you might have some use for it in the future. But ask yourself this when you are looking at that ever growing pile of stuff; Have I ever used it? Am I ever likely to use it? If the answer is no then get rid of it and park that tractor or vehicle that probably cost you a lot of hard earned money in the space your junk occupied!

 

[Brazos by Nemo]

I got a steel carport for $695 installed (plus tax). It is 12'x21'. When looking at tractors I was also trying to figure out a cover for it and kept seeing these along the side of the road for sale (plenty of places in TX). I saw signs for $695 installed and assumed there was some sort of hidden fee. Turns out there wasn't. It was $695 installed. I couldn't build something out of wood for that. I only wish now I paid $200 more for an 18'x21' model. For a little more they will enclose the sides, etc. I am thinking about having them bring out another one to put my implements under as my inventory keeps getting bigger.

 

[4570Man]

I always keep my equipment and firewood in the dry. The tractor alone is worth more than the 3 vehicles. The vehicles usually park outside in the summer and inside in the winter. I'm not not worried about the vehicles sitting outside. The elements will wreak havoc on equipment, but vehicles withstand it a lot better. Rust and miles usually do them in before the elements anyway.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I built a rather expensive drive shed, allowed space for my truck, but it rarely gets to park in there on account of other equipment. Some would argue, that in the Canadian winter, with the Evil brine they use on the roads, that a vehicle may actually do better parked in the cold. I think, I would forgo the convenience of indoor parking if this is true.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

As I travel around the area that I live, I have noticed that there are a lot of tractors that are parked outside. In many cases they are parked outside of barns, sheds and shops. Why would you make a substantial investment in a piece of equipment then let it sit out in the elements.
I have always tried to protect my tractors and other equipment by storing them under cover, even when I was unable to keep the old 8N inside I at least had it tarped when it was not in use.
Does anyone have an insight into this behavior?

I have relatives that own a small farm, I go out there now and again, tractors, trucks, piles of rusty mangled metal, old rear ends, old wrecked cars lying around. Some of it isn't there's lol I'm like who's tractor is that? Sitting out with tall grass around that people just mow around. That's Jakes from down the road, he just bought it and plans to restore it. I'm like lol what's it doing here sitting in the grass? Lol. It bothers me to have stuff sit out and know in my mind it's rotting the tractor or truck, picturing in my mind all the moisture from the ground attacking the paint of anything parked above it. It doesn't bother some people, they just slap a new coat of paint on it ever 5 years and park it back under the tree lol.

When you have one or two tractors you take really good care of them, if you have 30 or 40 I think it gets to the point where people don't care or just think I will make my money off that tractor and trade it off in a few years anyway.

 

[mpham]

My wife and I both park in the garage every day. Mine is only 24x24 but i fit two cars and 5 tons of pellets in there. Can't figure out why you would have a garage and not use it?