# Hay Loft help?



## 2kidsdad (Sep 27, 2009)

wanting to build a loft in back of the barn. The plane is to run 2"x10"x12' on 16" centers and deck it with 2"x6"'s. Was wondering if this would be strong enough? Should I use 2"x12"s? Any engineers / contractors out there? Thoughts?


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## JohnP (Sep 1, 2010)

Here's a span calculator for joists/rafters. Maximum Span Calculator for Joists & Rafters


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## mplatt4 (Mar 24, 2007)

2x10s is plenty on 16 inch centers and native true 1x6 would be strong enough for the floors pine 1x4 or 1x6 in my opinion are not good for flooring but for gods sakes do not use plywood for the flooring if you plan to store hay in it as fresh hay needs the air circulation or it will mold and could catch on fire I have been building homes and barns for 35 plus years and these are my opinions I am sure others will have others not to say theres will be wrong or mine will be wrong but there are many ways to skin a cat. But the not using plywood on the floors I learned that lesson the hard way in my younger years I replaced a old floor with plywood because it was fast and easy my first 2 years about 1/3 of my hay molded (it never molded before I put in the plywood) the 3rd year I harvested the hay and 1 month later the barn caught on fire and I lost 2 priced Paint horses they said cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion of the hay because the floor was to airtight and the hay could not completely dry


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Sorry you learned a lesson the hard way mplatt4, but hay that is cured and dry properly will not heat that much. My barn is 2x10, with 1x6 toungue and grove flooring, have never had a problem. I guess it all depends on how much hay is going in the mow and so on and so forth. > Thanks Marc


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## mplatt4 (Mar 24, 2007)

but that year I had a broken leg and hired my hay done and they did not throw the fine rock salt on top of each row like I always did. But in there defense it looked and felt dry when they put it up they said it only takes 1 wet bale


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

You're getting good information, as usual in here. I can only tell you what has worked for us.

We put up a 16 x 18 loft in our barn. For the flooring we ran 2x10 boards all around (set "inside" 6x6 studs) and two...yes 2... "doubled" 2x10 (sandwitched together) right down the middle anchoring them on top of 4x4 studs and using 20p nails to connect each of them to opposite sides of the 6x6 studs at each end. Then 2x8 boards were run across all this on top of which we put grooved OSB. 

Air circulation is a real asset in a loft; so when we put up the side walls, we placed utility wire all around the loft up next to the rafters. When we store baled hay, we do NOT put it directly on the OSB. We keep 2x4 untreated boards to stack the bales on. One complete side and half of one end of this loft is totally open on the barn side. Thus, the entire 15 yrs we've had it up, we have not lost one bale of hay.


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