Visibility is important when you’re moving vehicles in and out of a garage! Agricultural garage doors like this 16’x 18’Ice White G-5000 let you see better because the windows are right at eye level.
For as long as farming has been around, farm buildings have been a necessity.
Their use has changed, though. In the beginning, they were mainly to protect animals and property from storms, snow, excessive heat, and robbery.
Nowadays, though, each farm building has more specific uses. Therefore, agricultural garage doors should be chosen specifically for the use of the unit!
Each farmer chooses what type of agricultural building they’re going to use based on what will be in it. For example, a chicken coop needs different elements than a horse barn, and a granary is going to house different equipment than an ice house. Barns, pigpens, smokehouses, dairies… each of these has its particular function and requirements.
If you have any of these structures on your farm, you probably have specific needs that you’re thinking about when determining what type of agricultural garage door or garage door operator is going to be best for your farm.
Number One: Protect Your Farm Machinery Investments from Inclement Weather with a Generously Sized Garage Door
The entire G-1000 design series of agricultural garage doors is designed to securely keep all sizes of farm machinery, including trucks, tractors, hay balers, milking equipment, wagons, or anything else you use on your farm!
Your farm machinery was expensive and you deserve to have it protected and secured!
Farming has evolved with plenty of machines that make agricultural work much more efficient. You don’t want to have rust, dirt, or weather ruin your machinery and set you back decades!
● Tractors and seed drills are used for almost everything around the farm and in all seasons, including seeding, fertilizing, and harvesting.
● Farm trailers and pick-up trucks are used to haul people and equipment all over the property.
● Harvesters ensure that farmers can get their crops pulled up and ready for processing in a fraction of the time it used to take.
These are just a few examples of ways that farmers use agricultural machinery to improve time and production on their properties. Every farmer has unique needs based on their methods, climate, and particular crops or animals.
A trained garage door professional can answer all the questions about how big or small an agricultural garage door should be as well as the type of model to best suit the building.
Of course, as soon as you install the right-sized agricultural garage door, all your machinery, animals, and farm tools will be much safer—both from outside people and from the weather.
There are plenty of sturdy doors to choose from in the G-5000 agricultural garage door line. All of them are intentionally designed for the maneuverability of oversized equipment and can fit in almost anything you can imagine. The door pictured is 28’x 16’… do you have anything larger than that?
No matter how cumbersome your farm machinery is, robbers will find a way to get to it if you don’t have it locked up tight. An agricultural garage door is one of the best ways to keep thieves at bay.
You never know what could happen on a farm, so remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of regret.
When installing an oversized agricultural garage door, you must use specific hardware that can hold up to the weight and use of the door itself.
You have two choices for agricultural garage door hardware, both of which are compatible with the G-5000 garage door line. Choose yours based on the number of times your door will be opened and closed each day.
Number Two: Your Animals Deserve Protection, Too! Insulate Your Agricultural Garage Door.
Whether your farm animals are pets or for profit, they’re critical to the running of your farm.
Every species of farm animal can get sick or harmed by bad weather or illness: cows, horses, pigs, sheep, and even chickens! Keep their homes securely sheltered and insulated with temperature- and weather-controlled elements.
You don’t want to go broke insulating your spaces, though, and you don’t have to! Garage door weatherstripping is an easy way to keep water out of your animals’spaces with an external PVC retainer.
If you have an animal shelter on your farm that needs to keep warmth in during the winter, heat out during the summer, and rain and humidity away all year, then you must have an insulated space.
How does garage door weather stripping save you money on your farm buildings?
Well, if you don’t properly insulate your spaces, then you could risk ruining your equipment or losing your precious livestock. Keep everything safe from weather and moisture with either polyurethane or polystyrene.
This Ice White G-5000 agricultural door comes in many sizes, including the 24’x 14’door shown here, as well as window options for visibility and safekeeping. There are also several insulation levels to choose from, ranging from R-12 to R-18.
Depending on your needs, either polyurethane foam or Styrofoam (polystyrene) might suit you best.
● Polyurethane
This injectable foam gets into every nook and cranny of the garage door panels. It’s the most resistant choice, as well as the most flexible. High insulation needs should choose polyurethane.
● Polystyrene
If you’re on a budget and you don’t live in an extreme climate, Styrofoam might work well. It comes in large sheets that you put in between the panels of the garage door, making it easy to install.
This comparison illustrates the differences between polyurethane foam and polystyrene sheets. See how all the gaps are filled with the injectable foam, but there are spaces left over with the Styrofoam sheets?
Choosing the appropriate R-value is also an important consideration.
Agricultural buildings need to be energy efficient. It’s important to note that two agricultural garage doors with the same R-value might not retain heat the same way. Their perimeters, use, and overall building energy efficiency are all determining factors in how well a door will keep heat in or out.
Since there are so many factors to consider, it’s in your best interest to talk to a garage door expert with experience in agricultural, commercial, and industrial garage doors.
Number Three: Keeping Your Garage Door Opener Systems, Remotes, and Other Accessories Safe from Water
When you have the space for it, it might be best to have one small and one large agricultural garage door, such as the G-5000s seen here. Both are in Ice White with mid-level windows, but one is 12’x 12’and the other is 18’x 14’.
Don’t stop your research once you’ve decided on the particular agricultural garage door that you need. You have to also consider keeping the parts that open and close the system safe from water, moisture, and humidity; otherwise, they could rust, corrode, and ruin your system.
The more water your space is exposed to, the more important it is to choose sealed equipment that keeps moisture out.
The top-of-the-line choice for agricultural buildings is by far LiftMaster’s line of CRBH commercial door openers!
If you’ve had a LiftMaster CRBH garage door opener in the past, you’re in for a treat. Not only does this have all the original features, but it is water-resistant, too! It still operates with a wall-mounted jackshaft that makes it easy to use with vertical-lift or high-lift doors. It runs on an oil-soaked motor, roller bearings, and a clutch adjustment. This one also includes a chain hoist and electric interlock so you can use it if the power goes out. This model can hold up to even the most intensive use—up to 25 cycles each hour and 90 per day.
No matter what kind of farm work you do, everything sees its share of dirt and dust. If you work in any type of grain, this amount is even larger. So, you also need to think about special casings on your equipment to keep them from catching on fire.
Barn fires are usually caused by the following issues. Check out Conestoga Building’s blog to learn how you can prevent farm fires.
- Cigarettes or cigars
- Baled hay
- Improper storage of dried bedding, food, or hay
- Improper installation of frost-proof hydrants
- Dust and cobwebs
- Extension cords and exposed, faulty, or old wiring
- Space heaters
LiftMaster’s line of commercial garage door openers was made with this in mind. These systems are protected from electrical fires through their corrosion- and water-resistant covers that keep the motor safe. LiftMaster didn’t stop there, though! They created a full line of waterproof products, including button stations, control panels, commercial photo eyes, and optical edge systems with bottom weather stripping. All of these meet the NEMA4 water protection requirements.
This sleek, functional LiftMaster keypad keeps your garage door opener system safe from humidity. The KPW250 model is up to NEMA4 standards— learn more about it here .
Number Four: Keep Your Agricultural Garage Door Functional for Decades with Timely Maintenance
Since farms and the required machinery are exposed to dust and dirt every day, you need to know how to keep them clean. This blog gives great detailed tips, which we’ll outline here!
Where there are livestock shelters, there’s dust and mud. You can keep the commercial garage doors on their spaces clean—if they’re made of steel or aluminum, it’s quite easy!
Always go with a professional garage door tech who will arrive with all the tools and know-how to inspect, lubricate, and fix your agricultural garage door and all its parts.
Make sure you know how to keep your steel or aluminum garage door clean without harming the pieces!
Using a high-quality car wash mitt and a gentle soap solution and wax can keep your garage door clean without delaminating the surface or stripping the paint. Stay away from strong liquids or abrasive products.
It’s your responsibility to keep up with garage door maintenance so that your farm stays on schedule without broken systems.
If you go out to your agricultural garage one day and the door opener system doesn’t work, your machinery is stuck inside! Even worse, your animals could be in danger. Don’t let this happen to you because of one small piece of broken hardware.
So, how do you ensure a properly maintained commercial garage door?
● Always use a professional garage door expert
● Get your maintenance done on time
● Ask for an in-person inspection and a detailed paper report
● Take preventative action before things break
● Check the alignment of all parts, including tracks, springs, and the door. Adjust when necessary.
● Choose a company that puts its customers first.
Taking care of these steps will make your garage door last longer and lower the number of expensive repairs you’ll need. But should this garage door maintenance be done annually or more frequently?
Depending on how many opening and closing cycles your garage door endures, you might need to go through these steps more often—possibly every three or six months as opposed to the usual year-long mark.
Choosing the Best Design for Your Agricultural or Commercial Garage Door
Wouldn’t it be great to match the color of your garage door to the barn building?
Your property has either been passed down from generation to generation, or it’s the result of your hard work. Maybe it’s both! Whatever the case, you should take pride in your farm shelters. Show them off with a garage door that doesn’t come in traditional white hues. Instead, go with a classic beige, a bold brown, or black, silver, or charcoal. You could even match the shades of your green crops to your new green garage door!
The structure, hardware, insulation, and opening systems are all important choices for your commercial garage door. But now comes the fun part—color and design! If you don’t want white, you’re in luck!
We have so many options that can give you exactly the look you’re going for. Ask our expert team to send you a sample or to get a match from our color code book.
So many vehicles and people come in and out of your farm shelters and buildings. With so much action, you want to have a door that looks good whenever you’re looking at it! That’s why we bring you G-5000 agricultural garage doors in nine hues with plenty of choices for windows, glass, and frames.
Adding windows to your farm shelter garage doors keeps everything safe while letting in plenty of natural light.
If you thought you had to have a solid door or an entire row of windows… guess again! This original look of one central window (shown here on a 12’x 12’overhead garage door) gives light and visibility without too much distraction.
Usually, though, the more movement you have around your garage door, the more visibility you’ll want. It helps prevent accidents and injuries while allowing everyone to know what’s happening at any given time.
Reach out to us for a complimentary email quote for your new agricultural overhead door or doors!
Doan’s Overhead Doors makes it a priority to provide every customer with the perfect door that meets their unique needs and financial plan. Everyone is different, and we’ll help you find what works for you.
Your farm is one of the most important pieces of your life, and our customers are just as important to us. We’ll help you save on your investment, get the exact features you require, and do it with respect and a smile.
Our team of garage door professionals looks forward to helping you with your garage door opener or farm garage door project.
Call us today at 705-324-1005 or come down and see us in person.
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