Stacking hay

[Bruce from Can.]

In the barn

This little skid steer sure is handy for running around in the upstairs of the barn stacking hay. I havent made much dry hay the past few years, as the weather just never seems to cooperate.

This June has been different, and getting a bit of dry hay made was possible. I baled 175 bales on the last Saturday in June, and got them stacked away in the barn by Monday. I have about 50 acres laying down today July 2, some of it should bale
I have had the crazy idea how this hay loft would have been a great place for a old time square dance. But nobody does that kinda thing anymore.

 

[rick n ohio]

Just curious do you put them away right after bailing or do they have to set awhile

 

[greg oliver]

Bruce my neighbor used to have barn dances back in the eighties. He kept the cows in the barn they must of thought the sky was falling with all the commotion. I was able to get all the hay in for my horses yesterday and beat the rain. Pulled the wagons in with my old Oliver 77. All other equipment is my neighbors and was pretty trouble free . 3020 John Deere on the square baler.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

I put these bales in right away because I was confident that they were good and dry. If I have any doubts about how dry the hay actually is, I leave the bales out for a week. Usually after a week, if there is going to be any hay heating, its gotten hot and cooled down again. Hay that heats will be dusty when the bale is opened. And yes, round bales stacked in a barn that heat, can erupt into flames

 

[caterpillar guy]

If I have round bales that are a doubt we feel of them if not hot we put them in if warm or hot we leave them to the side and let set in the sun separated so the air can get to all sides. Usually a day or 2 will fix them. Then put them in if they don't feel warm or hot. I have set them inon the dirt floor at night if it is supposed to rain. No fires in 100 years of haying yet.

 

[K Effective]

So, what's the flooring spec in that barn? I would love to continue to use my second-floor hay loft with round bales, but have thought the 3/4" tongue and groove flooring over 2X12 joists on 24" centers would not support any small lift device capable of stacking bales. Even the battery-powered walk-behind forklifts are a ton or more, plus the weight of the bale. Your skid steer is likely 3500 pounds plus the bale, and it doesn't break through?

 

[westga]

Hay looks good.

What kind of wood floor framing does the barn have to support all that weight?

 

[EFV]

Barns were built for parties ! Nobody in your part of the world is redoing/building barns for weddings and other events ?
It's big business here in upstate NY.

 

[Bob N.Y.]

I have spent the last 3 afternoons hauling large square bales for a local 1000 cow dairy. A u-joint gave out on the baler late yesterday and we had some rain overnight, so everything is on hold now.

 

[Pete in Holland MI]

Have to consider the weight of your skid steer or fork truck, then the weight of the load, THEN, if you are approaching the limit of your machine, the lions share of the weight of the machine and load are now on 1 axle rather than evenly distributed on 2. Puts a big load on any floor at that point.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Floor is 2x12 on 12 centres, covered in 3/4 plywood
with 2 planks over top. I have had a 10,000lb tractor
in on this barn floor many times. The older part of the
barn, built in 1942 is 55 wide and has 12-18 logs on
4 centres covered with 2 planks. And I never have
had any issues with the skid steer breaking through
the floor, but I would never run a tractor in there!

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Some folks had started the same idea here, but insurance reared its ugly head, and with the help of fire marshal, they sucked the profitability right out of that idea. Now dont get me wrong, I understand these buildings were not built for the standards of high human occupancy. Not enough exits, flammable material and no sprinklers system. I want to be safe wherever I attend a function, and dont expect to be caught in a fire trap. We all long for the simpler times and less restrictions, but lets remember, some times tragedy can come to the party too

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 06:33:35 07/02/22) Some folks had started the same idea here, but insurance reared its ugly head, and with the help of fire marshal, they sucked the profitability right out of that idea. Now dont get me wrong, I understand these buildings were not built for the standards of high human occupancy. Not enough exits, flammable material and no sprinklers system. I want to be safe wherever I attend a function, and dont expect to be caught in a fire trap. We all long for the simpler times and less restrictions, but lets remember, some times tragedy can come to the party too

Well put Bruce. So many people see only the downside of any situation.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

This is a small skid steer, probably doesnt weigh over a ton, and bales run 7-800 lb. Yes the weight distribution changes dramatically as you raise the boom on a skid steer. On this particular machine its hard to keep the front tires on the ground if there is no attachment on the loader. Yes the pounds per square inch does be come very high when picking up a bale, but there is no way it could ever punch through the 2 plank floor, with the 3/4 plywood sheeting under it. Also we must consider the length on the planking spreads the load across several floor joists. The floor joists sis on concrete wall at one end, and rest on 18 square beam on the other end. The span is 10 . Wooden beams are supported every 8 feet with a 6 steel column, which is sitting on a concrete pad, and surrounded with 8 inches of concrete.

 

[sms]

Hi Greg Oliver, we built an 8000 square foot building (2 story) some years ago. Probably to to reduce regulation it was rated for 99 person occcupancy. One day while we were working on the lower level a group showed up, three coach buses full and started dancing above. We decided to go home for the day. No damage was done though

 

[K Effective]

Just to clarify, 3/4" plywood with 2inch thick planks, or a double layer of planking over the plywood? Sometimes even the written word can be misheard.

A five acre commercial property sold around the corner from us, and a Chicago couple built a brand new event barn. They are offering complete packages, including site and catering, etc. They have also erected a couple smaller buildings on site, it looks like for smaller gatherings. A newspaper article said it seats about 500 and features all the amenities and packages start around $20K!

I'd guess they have a couple million invested, lots of site prep, a pond, paved parking lot. it looks very nice.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

One layer of 3/4 plywood and then one layer on 2 inch
plank

 

[Texasmark]

Fixer Uppers on TV, folks that live in Waco, TX. made a neat restaurant out of some old grain bins (silos).