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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

New Structure for Baled Hay

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Wayne M Kittler

03-30-2004 07:34:12




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We are going to build something to store baled hay. It could be in form of a long shed or a two story structure.We are still planning.
The question is:
If you were to build a structure will ease of handling bales both in and out, drying and ventilation concerns, and protection from fire, what would your ideal structure be ?
Would you use wood with loovered walls. Keep a dirt floor with a slotted wood platform ? Should we consider a way to store round bales inside ?
Any thoughts will be put on the table.
Estimated bales to be 3 - 4000 small squares or equivilent in rounds.

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kyhayman

03-30-2004 20:26:46




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
When I'm spending my money I build 3 sided sheds on existing barns. My 'crown jewel' is 28' deep, 72' long, and 14' tall on the low side (17' on the high side). Open to the east with 5 equally sized bents. I stack with a NH bale wagon and use 3x4 oak tier rails between the rolling rack forks to keep off the gound. Holds 1500 bales as dumped. I restack in old tobacco barns with a graple fork if I have to store over 2 months.

If I'm spending your money I would build a steel frame building (with metal sides), dump on #2 crushed stone, 36' wide and with 8' of length per 300 bales with an open end.

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wolfy

03-30-2004 17:42:43




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
We built a few open-sided telephone poles, metal sloping roof, no. 4 gravel bottom. Poles long enough that your loaded wagons fit with a little height to spare. Stack the outside edges first(like a bricklayer)Only bale ends face out. We went with 6 smaller sheds mainly due to the hilly terain here.



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Wayno

03-31-2004 05:52:27




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 Re: Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to wolfy, 03-30-2004 17:42:43  
That sounds ideal, on my shed I went over 25' up and wrapped 3 sides with cheap wire yard fencing. This keeps my stack nice and square, and easy to stack. An electric 40' Zimmerman elevator makes it an easy two man job. On the base there is about 4 inches of stone. I laid down an old blue tarp on top *(this not only acts as a vapor barrier BUT it also gets cleaned off every spring of loose hay. This means over the years I don't have a spong of loose hay under my stack drawing more moisture than need be. Also, keep your plastic in 1' foot all the around your pile. This allows for heavy rain to go into the ground, and not under your stack.) The first lair is stacked on its side. You are always going to have mice and they love twine. All my other lairs, the strings are down. I have about 160 bales on the bottom, a 120 of which I take over to an 80 year old retired farmer so that he can use it for banking around his home the next winter, and some for water line cover. The rest of the bales I break up in the manure spreader and let the cows pick it over. For me there is no waste.
Wayne, I will send you more pics this weekend, and a material list you asked for. Like Wolfy said, telephone poles are ideal.

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jls

03-30-2004 19:17:59




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 Re: Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to wolfy, 03-30-2004 17:42:43  
unless you build wide offset the doors and put one @ each end. pull in, offload to the side and pull on thru. customers barn has doors centered only has 10' on one side and 12' on the other. with kids stacking the stacks taper up and we loose a lot of stacking space maintaining an isle down the middle.



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Cliff Neubauer

03-30-2004 17:19:57




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
I am going to agree with the others that a pole barn is going to be hard to beat. We store hay in several pole barns with dirt floors, we are just feeding the hay to cows so a little bit of spoilage isn't a big deal. Most of our pole barns are 30' wide and 12' tall but that isn't any more than tall enough. I would plan on installing doors on opposite sides of the building for ventilation not only for the hay but it will also make it a little less miserable to stack hay in in hot weather.

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mike

03-30-2004 14:14:11




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
What about a 6mil plastic liner on the ground and hay on that would it work for a year or two. Under a barn of course. You can buy plastic pretty cheap and won't have to handle those heavy pallets. I've handled my share.



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paul

03-30-2004 19:35:57




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 Re: Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to mike , 03-30-2004 14:14:11  
Hay tends to outgas watervapor for a long time, stacking it on a vapor barrier would cause as much spoilage as just stacking on dirt, I would think.

But I live in Minnesota with a lot of humidity & vapor condensation, might be different where you are.

--->Paul



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Mike (WA)

03-31-2004 12:25:25




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 Re: Re: Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to paul, 03-30-2004 19:35:57  
I was baling for horses, so always made sure the hay was very dry- I put down 6 mil black plastic, and never had trouble with molding of the bottom tier, in humid western Washington. You will get spoilage, however, if hay isn't dry.



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David in MD

03-30-2004 13:13:20




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
A metal sided pole building works well for me but the point I want to add is that my building came with an asphalt floor when we bought the farm. The asphalt doesn't seem transmit moisture as a concrete floor would. If the hay is dry it won't mold against the floor. If slightly damp it still molds at the floor. With an automatic bale wagon pallets aren't an option for me. I have another dirt floor building and even straw will mold on the dirt. Even if you are not mechanized now build a single story building with big doors and enough height. Labor for handling hay is difficult if not impossible to find.

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David in MD

03-30-2004 13:12:02




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
A metal sided pole building works well for me but the point I want to add is that my building came with an asphalt floor when we bought the farm. The asphalt doesn't seem transmit moisture as a concrete floor would. If the hay is dry it won't mold against the floor. If slightly damp it still molds at the floor. With an automatic bale wagon pallets aren't an option for me. I have another dirt floor building and even straw will mold on the dirt. Even if you are not mechanized now build a single story building with big doors and enough height. Labor for handling hay is difficult if not impossible to find.

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old

03-30-2004 09:33:18




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 Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Wayne M Kittler, 03-30-2004 07:34:12  
I use a good old pole burn with metal walls and roof and put pallets down on the floor the pole barns vent air well and don't brun easy.



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Frank

03-30-2004 10:19:33




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 Re: Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to old, 03-30-2004 09:33:18  
I agree, its hard to beat a metal-sided pole building for the best value in storage volume per dollar.
Putting the bales on pallets results in less spoilage than stacking them right on the ground, but based on experience storing the hay I sell to my neighbor who had pallets as their floor:
1. Those pallets were NOT nice to walk over while carrying bales.
2. Without plastic underneath, they still had a lot of spoilage in their lowest course (here in SE Wisconsin).

I used sand to level the floor in my shed, then put down a plastic vapor barrier. On top of this I laid treated sleepers and then a treated plywood floor. This has worked well, but was done before the current explosion in wood prices.

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old

03-30-2004 11:31:12




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 Re: Re: Re: New Structure for Baled Hay in reply to Frank, 03-30-2004 10:19:33  
I use the pallets and as I empty the barn I just move the pallets so I don't have to walk on them because yes they can be hard to walk on if not just plan unsafe.



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