Old Bin Converted To Low-Cost Car Port

Old Bin Converted To Low-Cost Car Port GRAIN HANDLING Miscellaneous 30-4-16 If you have an old grain bin you're not using any more, you'll be interested in this idea from Hubert Smith, Altamont, Ill. He converted part of a 3,000-bu. bin that had blown over into a roof for a car port. The car shelter measures 12 ft. wide by 22 ft. long and mounts on steel runners, allowing Smith to easily tow it to another location if he wants. "The bin had blown over in a storm, and part of it was kinked up so bad that I couldn't use it any more to hold grain," says Smith. "I unbolted the wall panels and used some of the better panels to make the car shelter's roof. I figure you could build at least three shelters from a bin of this size." He used 2-in. sq. steel tubing to build the shelter's frame. A wooden 2 by 12 board, laid on its edge, runs down the top part of the frame to support the center of the roof. A pair of 2 by 4's fasten to both sides of the frame to support the roof's edges. The roof is screwed to the boards. Lengths of 4-in. oilfield pipe were welded onto three sides of the frame to form skids. They help hold the car shelter down and also keep the structure from twisting. Angled metal braces support the front end of the shelter. The shelter's four corners are anchored by long ground screws. "I keep my Ford Ranger small 1/2-ton pickup in it," says Smith. "The car port keeps rain and hail off the pickup, and during hot weather the shade keeps it from getting so hot. Also, during winter I don't have to worry about scraping frost off the windshield. "I built the car shelter in my shop and then used a tractor to pull it into place about 50 ft. from my house. I already had the lumber and spent about $50 for the square tubing and screws." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hubert Smith, 5730 N. Hwy. 40 E., Altamont, Ill. 62411 (ph 618 483-6588).

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