We moved and flipped a barn last weekend with my tractor (video)

UTCenturion · Mar 24, 2015

One of my good friends and his wife are tenants on our farm and they have horses. We allowed them to build a temporary barn they were planning on taking with them when they eventually bought their own property. They got the roof and frame built but before he could get siding on it to make it heavy enough a wind storm picked it up and tossed it over. After much discussion about how to flip it up right without having to rip it apart, we decided to move it to a new location before flipping it right side up.

It was a pretty fun project actually.

ultrarunner · Mar 24, 2015

It's nice to have the right equipment for the task at hand.

UTCenturion · Mar 24, 2015

it certainly is. it would have consumed a weekend or more if either demolishing it or pieceing it apart and back together.

MH8675309 · Mar 25, 2015

Siding might not make that shelter heavy enough and may help it to catch the wind. I've seen heavily built Amish made ones that just sit on the ground blow over in strong winds. A few posts in the ground to bolt onto would go a long way otherwise you'll need that little excavator to dig a hole or two,,,

GPintheMitten · Mar 25, 2015

I have built run ins on skids before. But I agree some fastening to the earth may be helpful. It depends on the wind in the area. Maybe it's well protected there.

Good job saving and moving it.

UTCenturion · Mar 26, 2015

GPintheMitten said:
I have built run ins on skids before. But I agree some fastening to the earth may be helpful. It depends on the wind in the area. Maybe it's well protected there.

Good job saving and moving it.

Yeah, i had discussed with him the possibility of the wind grabbing it when they were putting it in. I was kind of surprised they just had it sitting on blocks with no anchors. He said he thought it would be fine because it was down in the cutout in the slope. It WAS extra protected there but I think it was just so darn lightweight and top heavy and not anchored in. It stayed fine for a couple months. They realised recently they are actually moving a bunch of miles away for grad school and didn't want to take with them so we bought it off them for some free rent and it's going to be my firewood storage shed after they are done with it. I anchored half the posts in concrete with some pressure treated stuff i had today. I had to jack up and cut some to make it look right on the new pad but it's looking pretty good. Atleast good enough for firewood storage.

GPintheMitten · Mar 26, 2015

Excellent.

UTCenturion · Mar 26, 2015

MH8675309 said:
Siding might not make that shelter heavy enough and may help it to catch the wind. I've seen heavily built Amish made ones that just sit on the ground blow over in strong winds. A few posts in the ground to bolt onto would go a long way otherwise you'll need that little excavator to dig a hole or two,,,

A lot of the old time barns in this area are sitting up on big stones. I've had this same thought, but I think the reason they are fine in the wind is A) they use planks for siding not thin plywood or metal and B) they leave a nice 1/2 air gap between boards which i'm sure keeps the air pressure from building up.