Tractor Storage Outside

[andy b.]

My advice, if outside, store on the patio, not the grass, which gives off Oxygen at night and can make rust happen faster.
Worth storing inside? Tractors retain well over 50% of their value in 10 years of taken care of..cars, about 20%

I don't know about oxygen (green plants would actually give off CO2 in the absence of light), but I do know it gives off a lot of moisture. Speaking from experience, ANY vehicle my friends or I have stored outside in grass has started rusting underneath rather quickly.

A neighbor of mine has too much junk and not enough space (well, okay, I do too) and he parks stuff on rough cut chunks of wood over a gravel area. It keeps things out of the water, and isn't as damp as grass. He then covers the vehicles with a heavy tarp that wraps underneath a good bit as well. His stuff seems to hold up pretty good with this method. I am lucky enough to be able to fit my 2520 in a polebarn.

[Carvel Loafer]

That is an interesting point about storing on the grass. I know that steel tends to rust quicker when stored on the grass but I always attributed it to the moisture trapped in the grass but the concentration of oxygen is interesting.

As far as green plants giving off CO2 at night I'm not sure about, but they feed on it during the day and spew oxygen back into the atmosphere for us to breath. A marvelous process photosynthesis, splitting H2O into H and O, using the H to create food for the plant and O for us. .

[RoyJackson]

Although tractors are built for outside use...and most spend their lives outside, I keep mine in a garage 95% of the time. Less weathering of the paint and such...and much less risk of theft.

[Gizmo2]

Could it be? The RoyJackson is a member of GTT, the RoyJackson from over there.....?

[rockshaft]

Anyone have experience with ShelterLogic's Garage in a box storage tents? They make a few different levels of durability, and many different styles. Basically I wonder how long the covers last for the 400-500$ units.

[meburdick]

Anyone have experience with ShelterLogic's Garage in a box storage tents? They make a few different levels of durability, and many different styles. Basically I wonder how long the covers last for the 400-500$ units.

I've heard really good things about the heavier duty ones. Specifically, they hold up very well to heavy snow. The lighter duty ones seem to be "common enough" that they should do a reasonable job in more "moderate" use scenarios (meaning more about protecting against rain than lots of heavy snow).

One thing that I did hear about them in general is that you have to do your diligence in terms of preparing the area for setup and then doing whatever you can to ward off critters. Frogs are apparently common because of the moisture that tends to collect around the base. If you have the means to put one over something like a cement slab, I would imagine you would get a pretty good setup.

[X304]

If something that was designed to mow, landscape, plow, till and work as a piece of machinery can't tolerate being stored in the conditions it will be used in, I don't want it.

My three tractors stay outside. I have had the '66 Bolens and the '59 Bolens for four years, and they still light up first turn of the key. yes they are weathered, and cosmetically they don't look new, but guess what? They were purchased for use, and are used.

My x304 stays outside. the attachments stay outside. I mow, tow carts, lawn roll, aerate, till, grade, box blade, plow snow, and just about anything else I can think of to use it for, and it lights up at the turn of the key. It's a 2006, and the seat was ripped when I got it. The thing is, I got it to use it, not to baby it and treat it like fragile collectors' item - it's not. If it can't be stored in the same sun, rain and snow that I use it in, I don't need something so delicate.

My motorcycle stays outside in the summer - It's a dualsport - think street legal dirtbike. If it can't take sun and rain, the same sun and rain I ride it in, I don't need something that fragile.

The main thing to make toys last, is maintenance. just because I don't keep things indoors, doesn't mean they won't last. I grease my tractors often, and even undercoat them with fluid film. I have weather-proofed the electrical connections, and I don't believe that faded green and yellow paint hinder performance one bit.

Your Mileage may vary, but this is how I roll.

[djb25]

Anyone have experience with ShelterLogic's Garage in a box storage tents? They make a few different levels of durability, and many different styles. Basically I wonder how long the covers last for the 400-500$ units.

My new 1026r is due to be delivered tomorrow, so I've been looking into temporary storage. The shelter logic "garage in a box" is something I've been considering, but I'm not sure I can trust it through the winter... But they are cheap and available at tractor supply...

[Ed755]

My 755 (from July 1987) has been outside its entire life. Keep it lubed, use the right seasonal fuel, give it a warm-up with a salamander when the transmission fluid is just too stiff, run it periodically in cold weather whether you need to use it or not...it will take it. My mid-mount mower, that has a few patches welded onto it, but hey...a nice tractor shed would have been nice, but the lot size and configuration just didn't work.

[chrisgrains]

I found a pretty good article about tractor maintenance that might be able to help provide you with storage tips. Good Luck!

21 Ways to Maximize The Life of Your John Deere Machine