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Barn loft support

C

cumminspuller

Member
I'm planning on building a barn loft to store square bales in. I would like to keep the area underneath the loft as open as possible to help with space when it comes time to clean out. The part I am uncertain about is what to use for a support to stretch from the outside posts of the barn to the posts that will be in the middle of the barn. This span will be about 18 feet. I'd like to stay reasonable on the cost as possible but also use something that is going to last. I know I could hunt for several I-beans and that would do the job but be way out of the price range I'd like to be in. Whatever I use for this part will have 2x8's or 2x10's attached to it with the floor of the loft nailed to it. I would appreciate any help on this. I have attached a drawing to hopefully help explain what I'm needing to do. To keep this tractor related the other end of this barn is where I store some of my 2 cylinders and combine. Thanks Chris
a159224.jpg
 
The advice of a structural engineer would be money well spent. There's more to it than just a straight vertical load.
 

If you take those sketches to your local lumber yard and ask them to quote you on the materials. They should have a designer who will look up what you need and spec it and quote it.
 
My cousin wanted almost the exact same thing you're looking for except it was just for extra storage in his shop off the floor. His shop is 40 feet wide and he used wooden trusses drawn up by a neighbor that builds them. There is one support in the middle otherwise it's all free span. I'm sure it all depends how much weight you expect to be up there. Looks handy and really good.
 

Can't help with the size you need but in the barn on the place I bought they build an addition onto the original barn in 1952. They extended the hay storage to the new section and used 2 x 12 joists and something like 9" x 9" wood beams, 15' apart in width to hold them up, span is 20 ft. Once they put a hay load on it the beams sagged badly, so they took them out (they curved beams are still up in the loft) and put 10" steel I beams in. You may not get off too cheap to do it right. A friend went too light on his hay storage area and lost several animals when it collapsed.
 
The ibeams might not look too expensive when you figure the wood you will use.... As well the ibeams might be thinner than the wood, keep you a tad more headroom.

Is the floor going to have 1/40th fall to the left?

Paul
 
This is kinda the same as that once in 500 year snow load or high water mark. My dad had to modify the cow barn when he bought the farm in 1948. The barn was built for loose hay. Dad did chopped hay. Concrete filled colums and laminated suport beams were bolted together. There is no such thing as OVER BUILDING. Should be named "just a bit more than you needed." When things break, you are sol.
 
Laminated wood beams would be one way to go but with a span like you're dealing with they are going to be tall. Steel might be your best option. There are beam sizing charts available online but I think I would talk to an expert.

"we do it nice cuz we do it twice" comes to mind and it's not the cheapest method
 
Paul the distance from the floor to the roof eve are what it measures out side the barn. The floor is not exactly level as there was already concrete there on one end of the barn when I started filling in where the loft end is. The concrete was not poured level when it was done by the previous owners of the place. For what I'm doing it will be fine.
 
Thank you all for your input. I will take the drawing to the lumber yard and see what they have to say. Worst case scenario I will put some posts under it for support if I have to. I'd rather do it right instead of loosing cows when it falls if it's not done right.
 
Got to add another thing. That story you hear about the head guy in 5he engine room of a Submarine. He stretches a clothes line taught across the engine room. They go out to sea and submerge. That line goes slack, and I don't mean just a little.
 
Rule of 'Thumb' For door headers (windows also). 1" of depth per 1' of run (doubled). In your case I would recommend engineered (struclam) beams. Your Bldg. supply should help for free. A clear case of 'bigger is better'. Price shouldn't be part of the equation, getting it strong enough (or overkill) IS the way to go. Retired builder. HTH ;^)
 
Most of the old cattle barns I've been in did not store hay on the second floor, only straw for bedding was stored in the lofts. Hay was stacked from the ground to the roof in a center section with cattle mangers on two, three or four sides of the hay. Feeding was pretty easy: carry bales to the edge of the stack, cut off the twine and pitch/drop the slices into the mangers below.

Compare the costs, you may be able to build wider for less cost than adding those lofts.
 
Cost and built to last don't go together. 2x8's will not hold your load. You need to have some 8x8 inch beams at lest then some 3x8's for the floor joist. We built the mow floor in our freestall barn in the 80's. We used the timbers I mentioned and it has held. We put 4x4 bales in 4 deep in the middle till it hits the roof. then taper back as the roof allows. We also used posts set on top of cement bases in the middle of the main timbers some of them are cut soft maple from down back, and cut to fit after brought up. Go look at some old barns with mows in them and look at the size of the timbers.
 
You are correct. An 18' span would need an 18" beam. Way too big. The span needs to be cut down to about no more than 12' or so. I stack hay on oak 2x6 joist upper floors but only 4 bales tall. Span is about 12'. They do deflect at least an inch and several have cracked, which I then add another in. I did not build the barn but put in 3x8 beams as replacements. So one question is how high will you stack? In mom's barn we went up about 16 layers and deflected the oak 3x8's a good 1" or more. Kinda scary. If you see cracks, too much weight!!!
 
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