Extra-Wide Barn Doors On Downsized Barn

Extra-Wide Barn Doors On Downsized Barn BUILDINGS Livestock 18-1-7 David VanElsacker wanted a new shop but the Waubay, S. Dak., farmer didn't want to spend a lot of money to get it. He got the job done by tearing down an old barn on a neighbor's farm and rebuilding it on his own farm. He shortened up the side walls so they're only 4 ft. high and installed a pair of 12-ft. high, custom-made doors on one end of the barn that ride along a 40-ft. long track that extends to either side of the building. The doors open 18 ft. wide so VanElsacker can get swathers, combines, etc., inside the shop. Each door is 10 ft. wide and rides along a track made from 1 1/2 by 4-in. used channel iron. The track is supported by a large wooden pole at each end. VanElsacker made the doors out of corrugated sheet metal nailed to a wood frame. He cut off the upper corner of each door at an angle to fit the contour of the barn roof when the doors are closed. There's a 30-in. wide fiberglass sheet on each door to let in sunlight. "It was a little more work than I thought, but it cost only about $2,000 to build," says VanElsacker. "The biggest expense was for a new roof and wiring. I considered buying a pole building kit, but it would have cost about $6,000. The barn was 50 years old and had been partially blown down by the wind. It was 26 ft. wide and 40 ft. long with 8-ft. high walls and a haymow. I shortened the walls, eliminated the hayloft floor, and converted the rafters into trusses to add strength to the roof. I extended the roof eaves so rain never touches the side walls." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Van Elsacker, Rt. 2, Box 165, Waubay, S. Dak. 57273 (ph 605 947-4453).

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