drive-through machinery shed

Drive-Through Machinery Shed Versus Open-Front Machinery Shed

Two of the most popular configurations for farm machinery sheds are drive-through machinery shed and open-front machinery sheds.

If you are planning a machinery shed project and are considering either of these configurations, read on to find out which will work best for your machinery storage. Or watch the video below to hear Lennie discuss the three different machinery shed configurations we offer. 

Drive-through machinery sheds

One of the main advantages of a drive-through machinery shed is that the full length of the shed can be utilised, making it the most cost-effective storage option for long equipment for example, if you are requiring a shed for semi-trailer storage, a 21-metre-long shed would generally be a lot more cost-effective than building a 21-metre wide shed.

A drive-through shed also provides quick coverage of long machinery when bad weather hits.

Other advantages of a drive-through configuration include:

  • Easy to store and move machinery in and out of the shed.
  • The full width of the gable end is available for access which is more cost-effective than building an open-front shed with wide bays or using a girder truss for double-bay openings.
  • Can be customised with sliding doors to make accessing machinery even quicker and easier. Installing sliding doors on each gable end creates a fully enclosed, lock-up storage shed.

Disadvantages

  • Smaller equipment may get boxed in with other equipment, meaning that several machines may need to be moved to get access to an implement in the centre of the shed.
  • Depending on the orientation, a drive-through style shed can become a bit of a wind tunnel – incorporating doors would fix this though.

Project examples

Open-front machinery sheds

An open-front machinery shed is a versatile investment as this configuration is also commonly used for hay storage and grain storage.

One of the other great advantages of an open-front shed is all the ways this configuration can be customised. For example, a canopy can provide extra protection of machinery and  girder trusses can be used to create double-bay openings.

Many of our clients also set up a bay as a workshop so that their machinery and their workshop are all under the same roof.

 

Disadvantage

On a wider span shed, smaller equipment may get boxed in at the rear of the shed, meaning that several machines may need to be moved to get access to an implement at the rear of the shed.

Project examples

Drive-through versus open-front

So, which machinery shed configuration is best for you? This will depend on the machinery you are storing and what you want your machinery shed to provide for example, cost-effective wide access or versatility.

If you aren’t entirely sure which option suits your storage requirements best, there are a few points to keep in mind when making your decision. It is a good idea to ask yourself these questions before committing to a shed design.

  • What site preparation works are required?
  • What fits in best with the yard layout?
  • Where does the majority of the bad weather come from?

The best of both worlds

Here are a number of project examples that provide the best of both configuration options.

Verdict

As we mentioned earlier, the best configuration for your machinery shed is the one that suits your storage requirements best.

Consider what you want to achieve with your machinery storage and discuss your configuration options with our building consultants. For more articles and resources like this, explore our Learning Hub

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