All Purpose Portable Shelter

All Purpose portable shelter PLANTING EQUIPMENT Interseeding 17-5-29 "Our new portable shelter is easy to assemble and makes a low-cost garage, ma-chine shed, bale shed, calf shelter, etc. By covering the frame with a translucent fabric it can even be used as a greenhouse or as a hot tub shelter," says Jay Verhulst, Custom Covers & Awning, Minocqua, Wis. The "Shelter-All" is made from flame retardant vinyl reinforced with polyester that's highly resistant to tearing, ripping and abrasion. The vinyl covers an arched framework made from 16-ga., 1-in. sq. galvanized steel tubing. One of the end panels has a dual zipper roll-up door (more doors can be added). "Every day people tell me they find new uses for it," says Verhulst. "You can build the shelter up to 65 ft. wide and 32 1/2 ft. high and to any length. No building permits are needed in most areas as long as the shelter isn't mounted on a cement slab. "It's actually a `tension structure', be-cause the material that covers the building is tensioned onto the frame to hold it together. Other portable shelters are bolted together. Bolts create abrasive surfaces that can corrode and wear through the fabric. Our shelter doesn't use any nuts or bolts - the frame simply slip-fits together. Duct tape with an adhesive specially formulated to resist ultraviolet light, moisture, cold, wicking and mildew is used to keep moisture from getting into the joints and causing corrosion. Cover panels are secured to the base of the frame by nylon straps through a pocket located at the base of each panel. Even after years of use the frame comes apart like the day you put it together. Two people can put up a small shelter in four hours and take it down in 2 1/2 hours. "The vinyl cover has a high-gloss finish that makes it easy to clean. It also readily sheds snow. The cover is actually made from two pieces of vinyl with a layer of black plastic between them that keeps the shelter completely dark. You can weld in pieces of our greenhouse fabric for use as skylights, and you can put doors anywhere you want. It heats beautifully. I have a 20 ft. long, 40 ft. wide, and 10-ft. high shelter that I heat with a catalytic heater equipped with a 5-lb. propane tank. It kept the shelter warm for three days in a row even when the outdoor temperature averaged only zero. "The cover comes in 13 different colors. We warranty our standard 18-oz. cover for 10 years. We also offer a 22-oz. cover that's warrantied on a pro-rated basis for 20 years. The frame has a 25-year warranty." Verhulst is also working on federal approval for using his shelter over gas tanks. "New federal laws will require that gas tanks be mounted on cement containment structures which allow liquids to be siphoned off. The shelter can be extended far enough over each end of the gas tank so that rain and snow can't get into the containment. The black plastic inside the fabric reflects sunlight and keeps the tank cool to greatly reduce evaporation. The cover is fire retardant so it can't melt and drop down to fuel a fire," says Verhulst. A 10-ft. wide, 10-ft. long, and 7-ft. high shelter sells for $755. An 18-ft. wide, 30-ft. long, and 15 1/2-ft. high shelter equipped with doors on each end that's big enough to accommodate large tractors and combines, sells for $4,470. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Custom Covers & Awning, 8766 Frank Dr., Minocqua, Wis. 54548 (ph 800 236-2687 or 715 356-4995).

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