Does anyone use anything like the Shelter Logic shelters to store hay? We are in the process of building our place and I only have a 12x12 room (which is to be the wash stall) to keep hay in for now. I can maybe fit 100 bales in there if I still want to use a small area for my trunk and other things like halters, buckets to keep easily accessible for now. Ideally I would like to buy all my hay at once, or buy through the summer months while they are on grass to build up a supply before winter, but the loft for the barn is going to have to wait till next year.
We had one at our barn for several years. Worked really well! Just ended up upgrading to a permanent structure.
What size was it and how much could you fit in there? I’m also wondering how one would hold up to winter here in SW PA. We can get some pretty good wind, although I have a good spot for it that would help protect from that.
Moisture/humidity can be a problem in my experience. Not bad for storing hay in the cooler winter months, but if you put fresh cut hay in there in the summer, you may experience molding. Some people combat this by keeping the doors open, using moisture-wicking ground layers, and stacking loosely on pallets.
We have used two in the past. The cream colored ones do not block the UV rays so the outside of the hay sun-bleached. The silver ones do a much better job of blocking the UV rays.
If the hay is fresh, keep the door(s) open for a few weeks to let it breath.
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Moisture was also a concern I had as it can be very humid here in the summer. Even now where I store it on pallets the bottom bales in the back can start to get dusty.
We tried using Shelter Logic for storing hay and ours was a total piece of crap. To begin with, there were missing parts and extra parts, so getting it put together was a nightmare, and then we had issues with the fabric ripping. We had to reinforce it by lining the inside walls with tarps.
Last April, half the roof ripped off. I would not recommend this company.
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I love my Shelter Logic hay building. I put it up almost 10 years ago specifically for hay and its still going strong. Its survived several hurricanes, including Sandy.
I chose a spot that was protected from the wind (though I have had damage due to falling tree limbs over the years). Before installing, I prepped the ground for moisture, I graded the earth (by hand) and installed 6" deep bed of stone (by hand!) and put a heavy duty tarp over the top for a moisture barrier. Stacking hay on single pallets will result in musty bottom bales, but double pallets work to keep even the bottom bales clean a year later.
I bought a 12x24 building and opted for the additional 4’ height with a “barn style” shape. I purchased the heavy duty covering in dark green. Silver might have been a better choice. It gets very hot inside.
I can stack 7 bales high down the middle, 6 on the sides. Though experience has taught me to stay 5 high on the sides, 6 in the middle. I can fit 3 pallets across, 6 pallets deep, the barn will hold about 270 40# bales, though I usually stay around 240 so I have some room for other barn items like yard equipment.
I don’t stack to the ceiling as that creates a moisture trap. I also don’t touch the sides of the tent with hay if I can help it as the plastic will sweat in certain circumstances (heavy humidity, hot sunny days, cold nights).
I did have moisture issues the first year, even with the doors left open. Its routinely hot and humid here for about 4 months. Condensation developed in the apex of the roof which rained back down on my hay. I cut vent holes in the doors as high as I could go without risking ripping the door. I reinforced the vents with gorilla tape. Those two little vents have eliminated my moisture issues.
Putting the barn together was a supremely unpleasant experience, as mentioned, the written instructions stink. Nearly cost me my relationship with my boyfriend : ) Customer service was great though, and directed me to updated directions on line that worked much better. We were clever and laid out the roof portions on the ground first and then marked them with a Sharpie.
We were not clever however and didn’t make sure all the bolts were installed with the nut portion facing inwards. The few that are facing outward have caused rubbing issues on the covering. Were I to do it over again, I would duct tape all of the joints and bolts to eliminate rubbing.
I did not use the pathetic grounding augers that came with the kit. I bought 12 2’ long rebar hooks, drove those into the ground and used ratcheting straps to secure the building to the earth, and used 8 2’ augers, 2 in each corner to anchor. After the covering was in place, I back filled the sides where it overlapped the ground with cinderblocks and earth to keep it from flapping.
It took about 4 years for pin holes to start appearing in the roof from sun and tree damage. I put heavy duty tarps over the top as second and third layers before any real damage occurred. Everything is safe and sound a decade later.
If you have a protected area, and the patience and help to really install it correctly and double down on securing it, its a great, fast, inexpensive option for hay storage.
I will add, the nice thing about the dark green color is that it heats up on even the most cold and overcast day. Doesn’t take much sun at all for it to get 10° warmer inside. Even though we can get snow measured in feet, not inches, snow pileup has never been an issue. The barn style shape is sturdy and snow sheds quickly.
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This is awesome! Thank you!
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I use one for my hay and like it so far. It’s dark green, curved roof and a 12’ x 24’ I believe. I haven’t filled up yet since I just bought it in January, but easily fit 50 square bales in it. I will say that during January-March moisture was a big issue (doors were kept closed); condensation collected on the inside of the roof and molded some hay.
With the load of hay I just bought, I lined the bottom with plastic and pallets and keep both doors open and haven’t had any mold issues (it’s 90F and 99% humidity where I am) yet. If there is a bad storm coming I zip the doors 2/3 of the way down and open it back up the next morning.
There are some drawstring-type inserts that are supposed to make it easy to open the doors, but I am too lazy to look for/install them so I bunch the door together and tie with bailing twine.
Do you put the plastic on top of or under the pallets? Right now where I’m storing them I’m having trouble with the bottom bales in the back corner starting to get dusty. I stack the bottom bales on their sides and clean it out good before I put new hay in, but with all the rain and humidity this year it’s a struggle. I go through about 50 bales a month and by the time I get to the bottom they are starting to get dusty in the back corner. The hay is on pallets with a shale floor.
I think I’m definitely going to go with a shelterlogic until we get the barn done,which is going to take some time since we are trying to build as we go so that we don’t have anymore debt than we do, or wait until the land is paid off in 13 years lol.
I have used a green 12 by 20 one for several years. Love it. I just use pallets on the ground. I get about 250 bales in there for the winter.
and with being about to fit about 100 in the wash stall for now, I would have enough for the winter.
Do you know the height of yours?
I am 5’8 and I can stand up anywhere in it, so I think the sides reach 6 feet and the peak prob. 10 feet. It was not that bad to put together, I had a couple helpers. I have had to make a couple repairs where stupid bane-of-my-existence tree branches stabbed it.
It has “migrated” a little and pulled out the ground stakes. I faced the narrow end to the west. Our winds mostly come from the west.
I do have a good spot where it would be protected, but would have to do something about the water situation. It can flood a bit down there.
We have two. Made all the assembly mistakes on the small one (10X12), so that the 12 X15 or so went up pretty easily. They are in a sheltered area. I have really rocky soil, so sinking the stakes was tough. I tethered them to surrounding trees after the small one blew over in a bad storm. They have stayed put through hurricane force winds. I did have some tree limbs go through the roof of one, and the other got some holes after 3 years, so I bought tarps and covered the shelter with them. I can fit over 100 bales in the larger one, and about 60 in the smaller one. I think that they are great.
They are never going to be as secure as a permanent structure, but they have held up to really lousy winters in MA. It is worth getting the vents IMHO. When I bought them, I got a great deal from Bed, Bath, and Beyond of all places. Not sure if they still sell them.
I paid around $200 for mine at Tractor Supply. Mine is more the Shed in a Box type, not “Garage”.
This looks like the one that my hay supplier has. To be honest, I am little, and I don’t have a hay elevator, so I am happier having two smaller shelters. I can stack about 4 bales high which is comfortable, and keeps the hay slides–cause they will happen–to a minimum.
After spending months thinking about my hay storage (and building a structure myself…which failed) I went ahead and forked out the money for a carport. I built it online from here: https://www.carport.com/home/
It is 12’x24’ with three closed sides and an eave on the one open short side. Works like a charm and I can get a lot of hay in there. I even store my pelleted and flake shavings in there. I put a tarp down in it, then a layer of pallets, then another tarp, then another layer of pallets. Great investment. I think mine was around 2.5k.
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