Working space in a barn

Captain Dirty · Jun 29, 2016

Seeking collective wisdom on how much working space is desirable/necessary around a tractor-loader-backhoe parked in a building. The overall length from the tips of the FEL tooth bar to the backhoe bucket in travel position is 20'08". With the dipperstick in and boom lowered so the curled bucket is on the ground or with the dipperstick vertical the length over all is approx. 23'08". While I am sure more room is nicer, would 30' from front to rear allow comfortable pass-by and working space? The width of the tractor is 6'00", widest implement likely 8'00", should bay be wider than 14'?

woodlandfarms · Jun 29, 2016

Uhmmm 100 feet minimum. No matter how much space you make it won't be enough. Not being sarcastic, well, maybe a bit but but 7 feet of working room is not enough. Figure you have to park it, close the door, so that kills 2 feet because you pull further in and want to walk all the way around. Then you have to place your tools and get those extra tools. It adds up. And what if you have to do something that involves both the very front and very rear. 40 feet. As for width, a bay door can be 14 feet but I would want 10 feet minimum on each side. In my opinion I seldom do much work on the front or rear of a tractor, I do it on the sides. Change a tire. Tire Jack is 4 feet long with handle on the ground. You have to stand behind it and bend over, another 3 feet or so. Put your toolbox on the wall, 10 feet is not enough.

bcp · Jun 29, 2016

When this guy gets all the hay out, he will have barely enough room to work on his tractor.

Bruce

bigtiller · Jun 30, 2016

I built a garage in '79 and figured 5' all the way around my pick-up would be plenty big. It was all that I could afford but after a few years it was not nearly big enough.

dieselcrawler · Jun 30, 2016

Big difference between adequate space to park a vehicle vs adequate space to work on/around same vehicle.

My 'bay' in the barn is 14x45. Too narrow, would be long enough if not so cluttered... but every time I pull a truck inside, I have to fold in the mirrors to walk around it. Shelves on the wall, work bench, it all adds up to not wide enough.

Mendonsy · Jun 30, 2016

Also remember that you are dealing with a backhoe so figure your width based on what it would be with the outrigger pads down.

ultrarunner · Jun 30, 2016

I've seen very nice shops for service/maintenance that measured 24 x 30

Seemed to be just right for one vehicle with room for a bench across the front and down one side.

One even had a lift and 15' ceiling.

lennyzx11 · Jun 30, 2016

Mine is 24x30. I keep my boat and tractor in there.
If anything is to be worked on, one or the other goes outside.
I'm working up plans to go to a 40x60.

jack707 · Jun 30, 2016

A 30x40. Can be tight that's why I have a 16 foot wide garage door makes it a lot better to pull the tractor in.

brown40 · Jul 1, 2016

I would figure out the space you need, then multiply that by 50%... then if you're lucky you run out of space in a couple years instead of 1-12 months! I do know the tighter you plan it, the more precise you'll have to be with the other barn residents to keep your work/storage margins. If you are exact, and come by another large piece of equipment you have a little jenga going on.
I have 15' x 10' doors on the front and back, and I'll second the functionality of having a wide range to be able to turn in or out when things are tight, and to be able to have a dedicated tractor/implement entrance. Lets me keep the center of the building available if a project has gone over on either end.

Budweiser John · Jul 1, 2016

Build it as big as you can afford and be ruthless about getting rid of clutter sxxt expands to fill the space.

B. John

bdog · Jul 3, 2016

My main shop is 50x50. It has three 12' wide doors centered in the building about a foot apart and then 6' along each sidewall with work benches. One side is setup for welding and metal work and the other has mechanical tools. Width wise I have no complaints and each 12' bay is adequate whether working on pickups, backhoe, semi, tractor, etc. part of the reason I think it is adequate is you have 12' in each bay and then the foot in between plus whatever is parked in the next bay isn't 12' wide so you have working room you can "steal" from the adjacent bay. If you didn't have this I would think you would want a minimum of 15' wide.

My only regret on my shop is not making it longer. I have shelving across the front and it makes it really tight parking two vehicles back to back in a single bay. You can fit them but can barely squeeze between them. If I built another I would keep the width the same but go at least 60' deep. We have a lot of vehicles and equipment though for a small business. This might be overkill for a personal use shop.

TomSeller · Jul 3, 2016

Budweiser John said:
be ruthless about getting rid of clutter sxxt expands to fill the space.

Yep. That is good advice.

bcp · Jul 3, 2016

Budweiser John said:
Build it as big as you can afford and be ruthless about getting rid of clutter sxxt expands to fill the space.

B. John

TomSeller said:
Yep. That is good advice.

But I might need it someday!

Bruce

TomSeller · Jul 4, 2016

bcp said:
But I might need it someday!

Bruce

That's what it always seems like, but if I can't recall what it is or when it got put there plus haven't used it in a few years, it needs to go.

jack707 · Jul 4, 2016

You never know what you might need so keep it if you have the room.

bigtiller · Jul 4, 2016

jack707 said:
You never know what you might need so keep it if you have the room.

Just last week I used one of about a dozen pieces of 8"X120" galvanized sheet metal that has been laying on the floor against the wall since August 1993! I might be a bit of a hoarder but it has to be kept neatly and in order or it's outahere.

TomSeller · Jul 4, 2016

bigtiller said:
Just last week I used one of about a dozen pieces of 8"X120" galvanized sheet metal that has been laying on the floor against the wall since August 1993! I might be a bit of a hoarder but it has to be kept neatly and in order or it's outahere.

Raw material like lumber and metal don't count

My wife comes from a long line of hoarders. Her mother would hoard everything down to McDonalds cups. Drives me crazy.

oosik · Jul 4, 2016

Bruce's pic of the hay storage shed looks just about right. My tractor sits in a LARGE carport with three enclosed sides. There is at least five feet around the tractor on the three enclosed sides. This is OK if I'm checking engine oil level or to top up the fuel tank. If I'm going to get serious and bust knuckles and get grease on my elbows - the tractor comes out and sits in the middle of my lawn.

Besides - I just see a lot better in the bright sunshine & a lot less likely to get dumped on by a barn swallow.

TomSeller · Jul 4, 2016

oosik said:
Besides - I just see a lot better in the bright sunshine & a lot less likely to get dumped on by a barn swallow.

Same here I make room, often outside weather permitting, if I need to do much. Mine sit mostly in the long style old milking parlor. The parlor was built for jersey cows (small) so I kind of have to crab walk past the equipment. The B21 is in the shop with my wife's carp on either side. On that one I have to suck in my gut to get by.