How to Install a Hoop Building Cover
Whether you are installing a cover on a new building from us or installing a replacement cover on an old hoop barn, the process is basically the same with the exception of removing the old cover if it still exists and assessing the condition of any existing hardware.
After your hoop building cover was made at the factory, it was accordian folded then rolled perfectly for easy installation. Your cover will also come wrapped in an extra protective sheet of fabric to make sure it arrives in new condition. We take a peek inside the wrapper if its rolling direction is not marked on the outside. After we know the direction to unroll it we place it at the proper corner of the hoop shed to unroll it along side the building.
Which side of a fabric barn you roll the cover out on can depend on a few factors. If the hoop structure is well sited on a flat, level field with no obstructions on either side, we check the direction the breeze will be coming from and place the cover on the opposite side. It’s ideal to be pulling up and over into a gentle, double stress gentle, breeze. If the hoop shed we need to cover is close to an obstruction, for instance another building or the edge of a cliff, we roll the cover on the obstruction side if we possibly can so we will have room to work on the “pulling” side.
Once we’ve rolled out the cover as flat and level as we can, there will be a pipe pocket right on top, close to the building. We slide the swedged tie-down pipe into this pocket one at a time, screwing them together as we go. After we’ve installed that tie-down pipe we carefully fold that fabric section back and every layer underneath it until we reach the other pipe pocket which will be at the very bottom.
The second tie down pipe is installed in the same way as the first but after it is installed we loosely attach the tie down ratchet straps to the pipe and to the ratchets so there is no need to worry about that side of the cover getting away from the building during installation. After the second tie-down pipe is installed and loosely secured, we refold all the fabric layers leaving the first pipe once again on top of the pile.
You are now ready to throw your pulling ropes over your building. Note: you can do this part anytime you’ve got someone with a good throwing arm handy. We tie a hitch pin to the end of the rope to carry it over and it can still be difficult with a large building. We also prefer nice thick rope that you can get a grip on rather than skinny nylon rope that cuts into your hand but, if you’re only going to be doing this once every 20-25 years, you needn’t be fussy.
The number of ropes you use is largely dependent on how many people you have to help pull the cover over. The more, the merrier!
After our ropes are over, we tie them securely to the tie-down pipe on top and all that’s left to do is pull the cover up and over.
When the cover is all the way over we secure the ratchet straps on the second side loosely until the end tensioning is all tight and secure. This allows us to make sure the cover is perfectly centered both side to side and at the ends.
If you have any questions about this process, please ask. We’re here to help.
