Winter Storage

[RoamingGnome]

Looking for tips and tricks for long term winter storage of my GT's - Once we get a significant accumulation of snow up north I won't be going back to visit until spring thaw...

Now that Grandpa is charging his battery again it's time to kick him out of the house and drag him kicking and screaming to the backwoods for the winter... It's not really that dramatic but it is time to start moving some of my tractors and attachments up north so I can clear up the clutter in the city backyard. Hopefully our city property will be listed / sold before next summer so I'm trying to be a little pro-active and not leave hauling this stuff up there 'til the last minute.

I've got a fabric cover for now, and before the snow really starts to accumulate up there I'm hoping to build some sort of woood structure to protect the tractor(s) from the accumulated snow - last winter there was 2-3 feet of accumulation and it lasted until the end of March.

Depending on time and conditions I'll either make a glorified shipping crate (just big enough to enclose the tractor) or some sort of tiny drive shed, big enough for 2 or 3 tractors and some attachments...

My plan was to give it a good grease job, check oil levels, but leave an oil change 'til spring start up. Fill the gas tank to the top with premium gas and some stabilizer. Install a fuel shut off valve and run the tractor until the carburettor is out of fuel, bring the batteries home and leave them on a trickle charger for the winter, spray the exposed chrome on the cylinders with Crown or Honey Goo. For the attachments - stand the decks up on edge and give the underside of the deck a good scrape and spray some Crown on the cutting edges and exposed pulley grooves. Tiller, box blade, plow etc - spray the shiny parts with Crown, and then put them on some skids and cover them with tarps so they don't disappear into the mud in the spring.

Am I forgetting anything? Don't want to be next spring if I can help it...
Thanks for any and all suggestions /comments

[propane1]

Sounds good to me. I’d be putting moth balls or bounce sheets on and in around the tractors. Have the tires setting on wood. Store battery on wood. Just a couple of thoughts.
I’ll add if I think of any thing else.



Noel

[thebuildist]

I'm currently working on a tire on my yard vac trailer that sat flat all winter, and then the tire sidewall has a 4" long split right at the point where it folded in half against the dirt. I'm trying to get another season or so out of it, sewing the gash closed with heavy thread, and gluing a rubber patch on both the interior and exterior. Then run it with a tube in it.

But the tire would still be usable (Old and cracked and dried out, but usable) if I hadn't let it sit there on a flat.

So I wish I had put the axle up on blocks so that the tires weren't sitting on the ground.

And you might want to consider that too.

[DavidBarkey]

Yes , lube and rust proof the best you can .
Moth balls and bonce sheets under the seat and hood .
No fabric covers , Cause sweating and places to critters to shelter .
A Seacan is the best thing . But if that is not possible , an "A" frame made of 2x4s covered in barn roofing strapped down to the machine from the inside to ankcore down . Done correctly , these can then be separted and will be prefabed shed walls in the spring .
Anything sheeted in wood will sicome to critters looking for shelter .
Good luck , hope this helps .

[RoamingGnome]

Great Suggestions!

Mouse deterrence is definitely high up on the list, after the time spent mending all the chewed wires on the 222 this summer I'd rather not repeat that experience next spring

Blocking up the tractors so the tires are off the ground is a good point, all of the rubber is old and I've noticed one of the rear tires on Maxine (222) starting to sag. If there is time in the next few weeks I may shop for some new inner tubes. - Or I'll block it up and deal with the tire issues in the spring.

The Seacan / shipping container idea is an awesome and quick easy solution - I would love to have the $$ to get a second one. The 20' container we have now is starting to fill up with boxes of personal/household stuff. I think might have issues with garden tractors sharing the same space. Especially when the gas tanks start to vent on warm days.

I'll start doing some sketches and watching for good used steel roofing on FB Marketplace. The 4 week plan (weather permitting) is to make one trip a week, moving stuff up there, and the last trip will be to wrap everything up before serious snow accumulates. Then there will still be some time for playing lumberjack after everything is organized. I'll try to take/share some progress photos.

[RoamingGnome]

I guess one should never say "never" - after discussing our plans over lunch suggested that maybe getting a 2nd Seacan for Tractors and Truck parts would be a good idea. A quick fix and it will let me concentrate on finishing stuff around the house, rather than add additional distractions of building sheds or making temporary winter storage. That was way too easy...

[propane1]

Do it quick Gerry. Before has a chance to think about what she said and changes mind.


Noel

[Eugen]

Yaaaay! Get the 40ft high cube! Part of it will be your shop and tools storage until you build the final one. You'll thank me in 2025!

Edit: ok ok, I'm just pulling your leg. Don't wanna get shot by your

I've been looking at containers myself, but not for storage, rather for an overseas shipment. The prices for a used container are funny, the 40 ft is not double the price of the 20 ft, just a few hundreds more. If I had the room here and if the township allowed, I'd have bought a big one. But alas, that's not the case.

[Toolslinger]

If you ever need to move/reposition one, you'll be much happier fighting with a 20' than a 40'... My loader can just pick up one end of an empty 20'. From there I threw logs under it as rollers. I wouldn't have had enough lift to get anything under a 40' back then. (having a crane now, I could, but that was then, and this is now, and most people don't have a crane)

[RoamingGnome]

Yaaaay! Get the 40ft high cube! Part of it will be your shop and tools storage until you build the final one. You'll thank me in 2025!

Edit: ok ok, I'm just pulling your leg. Don't wanna get shot by your

I've been looking at containers myself, but not for storage, rather for an overseas shipment. The prices for a used container are funny, the 40 ft is not double the price of the 20 ft, just a few hundreds more. If I had the room here and if the township allowed, I'd have bought a big one. But alas, that's not the case.

Thanks Eugen, don't worry you are safe from (for now anyway)

20' vs 40' is a no brainer at the moment. don't have enough flat level ground anywhere on the 10 acres to place a 40' container - and like @Toolslinger mentioned, moving a small container is much more doable. Long term plans would be to eventually move them apart and build a roof over the space in between, giving me a covered carport with lockable storage on either side.