Meet Morton's Hybrid Building

March 11, 2013

Vaughn needed more space.

To go along with several of his existing Morton buildings, he wanted to build a large heated shop that would serve as the hub of his farming operation.

And when he said large, he meant it.

He wanted a building that was at least 100 feet wide.

Vaughn turned to Morton Buildings, who was able to place steel trusses on its traditional wood-frame structure to create a building that was 125 feet wide.

“Going this size, you never over-build,” Vaughn said. “When I talk to my lenders, when I talk to other building representatives, they say they never talk to a farmer that one, two three years down the road said they built too big of a shop.”

Meet Morton’s hybrid building. The technology allows for clear span buildings up to 125 feet. Compared to traditional wood-frame construction, that’s 33% more space and the hybrid provides additional interior clearance.

It also provides greater door clearance, giving you the ability to use bigger doors with shorter walls, allowing for a lower profile building.

This new building offering is in response to the ever-changing business of agriculture. Machinery and farming operations are both getting bigger.

“They had thought about this I’m sure for five to 10 years that 81-100 feet wouldn’t be the future and this will give you an expandable future where there are no bounds how high or wide we can go,” Vaughn said.

So what’s the advantage of going with a Morton Buildings hybrid over steel framed builders?

Morton’s wood framing and steel truss provides superior insulating properties when compared to all-metal buildings. Wood framing can also outperform many all-steel structures because wood framing provides a wind-resistant box, even before the siding is attached.

With post-frame construction, you get flexibility and affordability. With Morton hybrid buildings, you get that plus the spanning capabilities of steel.

“You just don’t see many wood frame buildings that are 100 feet wide,” says Scott, who recently constructed a 100x150 hybrid building. “Usually, they are steel framed buildings and I really like the workmanship and the quality of the Morton buildings. So when they said they could do a (hybrid) and I would be able to fold out my big planter inside, drive the combine in with the head on and have both those machines inside with other equipment, that was a good thing.”

The wider span of a hybrid building also provides greater convenience. Rob, who had Morton construct a 110 foot wide hybrid machine storage building, appreciates the flexibility that comes with taking equipment in and out of his building.

“We still have room to drive down the center to get the equipment in and right out the doors,” Rob says. “If we want to pull one piece of equipment out it’s right there, just back it out and go rather than having to move several pieces to get one item out. The larger building with the wider sides did make a lot more sense for us.”

The flexibility, efficiency and strength of a Morton hybrid makes it the perfect building for farming operations, commercial warehouses and riding arenas. And as with traditional Morton buildings, Morton hybrids offer countless features and options to meet your building needs including porches, overhangs and Morton’s exclusive Energy Performer® insulation package.

To learn more about Morton’s hybrid building, check out our digital brochure and watch this video:

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