removing A LOT of old Barn siding?!

Good day,
We are looking at a job that involves the removal of the siding of a late 19th ctry barn that will be torn down.

Looking for advice on how to most effectively remove the nailed boards. Siding must be salvaged with as little damage as possible.

Has anybody found a good way to do that? Any tools, methods that save time/labor?
Thanks
Pete

One more thing....
One other suggestion we had was to cut the nail heads off and then remove the boards by pushing them out from the inside.
Does that sound feasible? They were talking about a special nipper to cut the nails. (pneumatic) However we have not been able to find a tool like that. This was done in the UK
Thanks
Pete

If the barn is sound enough to work from the inside, use a tee bar or lessor designed pry bar.

Why tear it down?

Jim

If the barn really is doomed, I would suggest finding some broken leaf springs. Trailer springs are smaller than car springs and work pretty well. Take one half of a broken leaf (they break in the center) and grind off the rust. Then grind a gentle taper along the rounded end. This tool fits nicely between the siding and the framing and allows the siding to be pushed off with much less damage.

Rudy