Farm Machinery Shed Buyer’s Guide: What to Check Before You Buy

Tractor inside a large shade shed

Already worked out roughly what size shed you need? Good, that’s the easy part. Our farm machinery sizing guide covers dimensions and clearances in detail, so we won’t repeat that here. Instead, this guide will cover everything else worth checking before you commit to a supplier. No time to read? Here’s the quick version.

Get the wind rating confirmed for your exact address, check what steel and sheeting you’re actually being quoted, and make sure you’re comfortable with what a DIY build involves. Also, ask for an itemised quote, look into finance if it helps your cash flow, and think about whether open access or a full enclosure will suit how you’ll use the shed.

We’ve been fitting sheds to Queensland properties for over a decade, and these are the same questions we help customers work through every week. Here’s what to look at in more detail.

Get the wind rating confirmed for your site, not a regional guess

A structural shed should be engineered to the specific Wind Region under AS/NZS 1170.2:2021 that applies to its site. Across most of Queensland, that’s Region A, B or C. At QLD Shade Sheds, we confirm the exact Wind Region for your address before finalising a design, rather than applying a blanket rating, so nothing is left to chance.

Ask your supplier which Wind Region your property falls under and whether that’s been confirmed for your address specifically. If you’re not sure what applies where you are, our guide to Australia’s wind regions breaks down what each region covers.

Check what you’re actually being quoted in steel and sheeting

Not all farm sheds are built from the same materials, even when the brochures look similar. Our frames are made from DURAGAL® galvanised steel, galvanised inside and out. Every shed is then sheeted with genuine COLORBOND® steel at 0.42mm base metal thickness, compliant with AS/NZS 4600, using full-length sheets wherever possible rather than the shorter, pieced sheets that add extra joins.

When you’re comparing quotes, ask what base metal thickness you’re being quoted and whether the posts and rafters come as full lengths or in sections. Thinner sheeting and pieced framing generally cost less to produce, so it’s worth asking rather than assuming every quote is like-for-like. Our COLORBOND® shed materials guide includes more details on what to look for.

Tractor under a shade shed at sunset

Know what’s involved in putting it up yourself

Every QLD Shade Sheds shed is supplied as a kit for you to assemble yourself. We don’t offer installation, so our sheds are designed with DIY in mind, using full-height posts, full-length sheets and our patented Easy Sleeve connection system. This means that for most builds, all you’ll need is a drill and a ladder. How long it takes will depend on the size of your shed and your experience.

When you’re comparing options, ask how the shed actually goes together. Posts and rafters that arrive in sections mean more joins to line up and fix, which can turn a simple job into a long one.

Not confident tackling it yourself? We can recommend installers if you’d like a hand. That said, it’s simpler than most people expect. See just how our Easy Sleeve system works and decide for yourself.

Ask for an itemised quote, not just a size-based estimate

Shed pricing depends on more than dimensions. Your hold-down options, ground anchors, concrete piers, or saddles and bolts for an existing slab, affects both cost and site suitability, and it’s worth understanding before comparing quotes side by side. Our guide to choosing the right hold-downs will walk you through which option suits which site.

Delivery distance, steel spec and any customisation also factor in. Ask whether hold-downs and delivery are included in the number you’ve been quoted, or if they’re added on afterwards.

At QLD Shade Sheds, hold-downs are included as standard. For an accurate figure based on your property, request a free quote so you know what to expect right from the start.

Container Shed -Protecting Trucks, Farming & Machinery from the elements

Look into finance if it helps your cash flow

For a lot of farm and property purchases, spreading the cost matters as much as the price itself, particularly if a shed is going up alongside other equipment or infrastructure costs. If that applies to you, it’s worth asking what finance options are available before you commit to a size or spec. You can see what’s currently on offer on our finance page.

Choose open-ended or end-walled based on how you’ll use it

Shade sheds and container sheds solve different problems. Our shade sheds are engineered as open-ended structures, meaning they can’t have end walls, which suits machinery you’re driving in and out regularly, with airflow that helps gear dry out between uses. As an alternative, our container sheds can have end walls, giving extra protection on the sides where it’s needed most.

Neither is better than the other; it simply depends on what’s going in it and how often. Our Farming & Machinery shed range covers both options if you want to compare them side by side.

Still weighing up your options?

If you’ve read this far, you’re already asking better questions than most first-time buyers do. The next step is putting your specific site, machinery and budget in front of someone who can talk it through properly.

Call our team on 1300 753 742, or request a free quote and we’ll guide you through exactly what you’ll need to know to make the best decision for your situation.