Harvest Season Storage: Protecting Your Equipment When the Season Ends

Harvest wraps up and suddenly you’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment sitting idle until spring. How you store it through a South Dakota winter determines whether it starts clean next season — or starts with a repair bill. Here’s how to do it right.

The Real Cost of Poor Equipment Storage

Let’s cut to it. A modern combine costs $300,000 to $800,000. Headers run $50,000 to $150,000. Grain carts, planters, sprayers, tractors — the average mid-size farming operation in southeast South Dakota has well over a million dollars in equipment.

And every winter, a chunk of that equipment sits outside.

Farmers and ranchers in the Tyndall, Freeman, Springfield, and Yankton area know this reality. Shop space is limited. Not everything fits inside. And when harvest ends in November, there are a hundred other things demanding your attention before winter really sets in.

But equipment that sits outside through a South Dakota winter without proper preparation pays the price: - Rust and corrosion from moisture, snow, and freeze-thaw cycles - Cracked hydraulic hoses and seals from extreme cold - Rodent damage — mice and rats chew wiring, nest in cabs, and contaminate interiors - Tire degradation from sitting on frozen ground for months - Battery failure from cold and neglect - Stuck components — clutches, brakes, and bearings seize when they sit idle in moisture

None of this is hypothetical. Every spring, repair shops across South Dakota are booked solid with equipment that didn’t get properly stored. And those repair bills eat into margins that are already tight enough.

Winterizing Your Equipment: The Non-Negotiable Checklist

Farm equipment winter storage in SD starts with proper preparation. Even if your equipment is going inside a building, these steps matter. If it’s staying outside, they’re critical.

Combines

1. Clean it thoroughly. Blow out all crop residue from the machine — feeder house, rotor or cylinder area, sieves, grain tank, unloading auger. Grain and chaff left inside attract rodents and hold moisture.
2. Wash the exterior. Remove caked mud, crop residue, and dust. Let it dry completely before storing.
3. Grease every fitting. Fresh grease displaces moisture from bearings and pivot points. Hit every zerks fitting on the machine.
4. Change engine oil and filters. Old oil contains acids and contaminants that corrode engine internals over months of sitting.
5. Fill the fuel tank and add stabilizer. A full tank prevents condensation. Stabilizer keeps fuel from degrading.
6. Check and top off all fluids. Hydraulic oil, coolant (make sure antifreeze is rated for South Dakota lows — at least -40°F), DEF, and transmission fluid.
7. Inspect and replace belts and hoses that show wear. Catching them now beats a breakdown next fall.
8. Remove the battery or connect a battery maintainer. Cold kills batteries, and a dead battery that freezes can crack its case.
9. Block rodent entry points. Steel wool in exhaust pipes, intake openings, and any gaps into the cab. Mouse bait stations around the perimeter.
10. Release tension on belts to prevent flat spots and premature wear on bearings.

Headers and Attachments

Headers are expensive and often stored outside because of their size. Protect your investment:

• Remove or retract the header from the combine. Store it on a header cart if possible, not resting on the ground.
• Lubricate all moving parts — knife sections, auger bearings, deck plates, feeder chains.
• Apply a rust inhibitor to exposed metal surfaces, especially knife sections.
• Cover the header if storing outside. A purpose-built header cover or heavy tarp secured against wind protects from snow and UV.
• Block the opening to keep animals out.

Tractors

• Same fluid/fuel/battery routine as combines
• Engage the parking brake carefully — some operators prefer blocking the wheels instead, since brake components can seize over a long winter
• If equipped with a cab, close all windows and vents and set out mouse deterrents inside
• Remove any 3-point implements and store them separately to prevent stress on the hitch

Planters, Drills, and Sprayers

• Flush sprayer systems completely with clean water and RV antifreeze. Any water left in lines, pumps, or nozzles will freeze and crack.
• Lubricate planter chains, bearings, and drive components
• Collapse or retract booms and wings to reduce wind exposure and stress on hydraulic cylinders
• Cover seed meters and sensitive electronics on precision planting equipment

Indoor vs. Outdoor Storage: Making the Decision

Every farmer knows indoor storage is better. The question is whether it’s practical.

Indoor Storage (Machine Shed or Rented Space)

Advantages: - Complete weather protection - Dramatically reduced rodent pressure - Equipment stays dry — no rust, no frozen components - Easier to work on equipment during winter (if the shed is heated or can be heated temporarily) - Longer equipment life and higher resale value

Challenges: - Machine sheds fill up fast — combines, tractors, trucks, and grain equipment all compete for space - Building a new shed is a major investment ($50,000-$150,000+) - Not everyone has enough covered space for everything

Priority list for indoor storage: Put your most valuable and most vulnerable equipment inside first. Combines and headers are the top priority — they have the most electronics, sensitive components, and the highest repair costs. Tractors are next. Implements like discs, field cultivators, and wagons can handle outdoor storage better.

Outdoor Storage (In the Yard or a Rented Lot)

If equipment must stay outside: - Complete the full winterization checklist above — no shortcuts - Park on a hard surface (concrete or compacted gravel) rather than bare ground. Ground moisture wicks up through tires and into equipment. - Orient equipment to minimize wind and snow exposure — park against a windbreak if possible - Use quality covers on vulnerable components (cabs, electronics, headers) - Check on equipment periodically through winter — look for cover damage, rodent activity, or fluid leaks

Self-Storage Units for Equipment and Attachments

Harvest equipment storage doesn’t have to mean building a new machine shed. A large storage unit (10x20, 10x25, or 10x30) at a facility like Lock N’ Leave It Storage can house headers, smaller implements, precision ag electronics, and high-value attachments that you don’t want exposed to winter.

For items like GPS receivers, yield monitors, drone equipment, seed tenders, and chemical applicator parts — a secure, enclosed storage unit protects both the equipment and your investment.

Theft Prevention: Don’t Forget Security

Farm equipment theft is a real problem in rural South Dakota. Combines, tractors, ATVs, and implements get stolen — often from remote farmsteads where nobody’s watching.

Basic theft prevention: - Park equipment out of sight from roads when possible - Remove keys from all equipment (seems obvious, but it’s frequently overlooked) - Use equipment locks — hitch locks on trailers, wheel locks on implements, steering column locks on tractors - Install trail cameras around your equipment yard — the same ones you use for hunting work here too - Record serial numbers and photograph all equipment for insurance purposes - Report suspicious activity — if someone’s driving through your farmstead at 2 AM, that’s not normal

A self-storage facility adds another layer of security. Gated access, security cameras, and controlled entry make it harder for opportunistic thieves compared to an open farmyard.

The Spring Payoff

Here’s the thing about proper winter storage: it pays off on the first day of spring fieldwork.

When your neighbors are scrambling to fix cracked hydraulic lines, replace mouse-chewed wiring harnesses, and charge dead batteries, you’re hooking up and heading to the field. When they’re waiting two weeks for a repair shop appointment, you’re planting.

In farming, timing is money. Every day of delay during planting or spraying season costs real yield. Proper harvest equipment storage isn’t just about protecting your machinery — it’s about protecting your next crop.

Lock N’ Leave It Storage: Protecting What Keeps Your Operation Running

Lock N’ Leave It Storage serves the farming community across southeast South Dakota from our locations in Tyndall, Springfield, and Freeman. We offer large units suitable for equipment, attachments, and high-value ag technology — with the security and accessibility you need.

Whether you need a unit for a precision planting system, a header, or seasonal implements that don’t fit in the shop, we’ve got the space. Month-to-month rentals mean you pay for what you need, when you need it.

Check availability or contact us to discuss your equipment storage needs. You work too hard during harvest to let a South Dakota winter undo it.