Shed for lawn tractor, nailed to dirt hillside

[gstrom99]

With just a roof like that, and no actual enclosure, you are going to get moisture and rain in there no matter what. The plastic will not do anything. So, go with just the rocks.

Yeah but, I see where people just leave their riders (tractors too) parked outside in the elements. They start right up, anyway.

 

[Sodo]

Mines been out for 4 years. I intended to make a shed but it got delayed a bit. Pretty good shape now, just need some gravel.

 

[gstrom99]

Mines been out for 4 years. I intended to make a shed but it got delayed a bit. Pretty good shape now, just need some gravel. View attachment 738095

Looks great. You may want to figure out some sort of side protection, for wind blown rain/snow. Removable, for access.

 

[etpm]

I know somebody liked your welds but I am thinking, from looking at your pictures, that the welds are just laying on top of the metal and have poor penetration. Your welder running at 120 volts is probably rated for 3/16 inch maximum thickness stuff. Maybe 1/4 inch but I doubt it. So welding that 5/8 rebar is really a stretch unless preheated. I suppose you could run a bead on one side to get the metal hot enough and then run another bead on the other side. The second bead should then penetrate well enough. Anyway, maybe you can test a weld or two with a big hammer or something. I hate being the guy criticizing your welds but they really look like they have poor penetration from the pictures you posted.
Sincerely,
Eric

 

[Sodo]

Agreed 5/8” to 1/4” is not just “a little beyond” the recommendations for 120v, but perhaps “a little more than beyond” etc One thing you can’t see because its out of the pic frame is the no trespassing sign. This isn’t to keep friends away, just troublesome neighbors and city weld inspectors.

I know the beads are not just laying ontop of the metal because I was there, I saw the puddle. In other applications I would have preheated with a propane burner, but not here.

As you alluded to, you have to stay in the area to make the best use of what little heat you have. And of course watch the puddle so you don’t cold-weld (much).

When using the weld itself as a preheater, the weld gets globby. No doubt there are inclusions under that cover weld. And its rebar, an almost unknown garbage metal. Big welds is what I wanted. I don’t foresee any of thos welds failing, not a one.

Ya gotta avoid too much self-weld inspecting on garden shed foundations. But also let the weeds grow over it to keep some other feller from looking too close.

 

[Kschwennsen]

all the work your putting in, you could have just made 4 posts or poured a concrete block up by the top and cantilevered over angled supports. Looks good what you have, just alot of work banging those rods in.

 

[mgstevens]

So many things to address, so little time...

I mean, it's only a tractor cover, so no need to build the Hoover Dam, but on the ground (vertical force) you could have simply dug in 6" and put a couple of concrete pier bases on some gravel and you'd have prevented horizontal movement. Also, the piers spread the load and would avoid your posts sinking, but the splayed pins should also resist this force. Same thing at the top: were the "beams" bearing on the posts, or were they ledgered? Bearing is proper, but here, ledgered is likely enough. Also, the rule for cantilever is the overhang only 50% or less of the supported beam, which I see you are in violation of here.

At the hill-top, the danger is a water-logged softening of the ground and the entire array of pins pulling away, particularly if water can build up at the slope/roof junction, which it can't. Here though, the large opening b/w the slope and the roof will allow rain and snow to enter the rear of the structure and saturate more of the slope. This could be the structure's achilles heel. Again, with few opposing forces (structure weight, snow load..), this should last. And even if it doesn't, the structure would want to pivot on the posts and still miss the tractor! Only the pins will keep it standing. Not sure if that makes them a good thing even so...

As someone else pointed out, the welds do not look like they penetrate, particularly on the channel/angle. Again, this is a tractor awning and even a weak weld should hold this up. Here, strength in numbers is really a thing.

I build a lot of things: some require inspection, some don't. Thankfully this cover falls in the "don't" category. I'm all for squeezing use out of little bits of flat land - I live in the mountains too - so I'm confused: somewhere between "good for you" and "too hillbilly for me."

As long as the tractor comes to no harm, I think we're good.

 

[tennmogger]

I like your originality and believe no nit-picking required. You will enjoy that little shed for many years. A 'wall' of heavy tarp dropped down to near the ground will keep wind-blown rain off. So much better than leaving the mower out in the rain. Watch your noggin.

 

[Mudfarmer]

Might consider driving a couple of long T-posts into the hillside to attach to the roof frame. Their weight and plates will help with the anchoring

 

[Sodo]

Thx for the ideas.
It kinda looks like a “wide kiosk” with stabilization attached to the slope. I think it doesn’t need any more attention to stand for 30 years. Which is long enough to hit my head on it more than a few times.

Funny you mentioned T-posts. I used 5/8” rebar which cost more than $1foot. An 8 foot Tpost is $8.22=Same$. But Tpost is epoxy coated. If I’d thought about cutting 8ft T-posts in half …. They would clearly be better than rebar. I’d have to build a fitting for the demo hammer to drive the TPost. Which is an OK fitting to have I suppose….

I still think this thing is way stronger than concrete poured into a hole like a fencepost. I’ve pulled those out of mud, you just give it a good heave and the concrete-to-dirt is broken. And they do work. But this is more like a “stump”.
Maybe its not understood how fast and easy an electric demolition hammer drives the spikes. Its much, much faster than mixing concrete. It probably took less time than typing this note. But then there’s welding too. But Itellya it went up fast.