Thoughts on Hay Barn

[kthompson]

Just wondering here with NO experience with moving hay with tractor but why not build pallets that fit the hay and just use forks to move the loaded pallet from within the barn to outside? Maybe onto trailer or set on the ground and transfer to trailer. Could you not place the pallets on trailer and load onto them in the field and then using forks lift and move into the barn? Could you not stack second pallet on the first pallet load if needed to get full stack height?

 

[EddieWalker]

When I was buying square bales, one guy I bought from had an attachment on the front of his skid steer the picked up a bunch of bales at a time all in a big square. All his hay was stacked on a concrete floor with this attachment, and it seemed in great condition. But that attachment was the neatest thing ever!!!!

I've switched to round bales and hope to build a hay barn in the next year or two. My thought for flooring is to build up the pad enough to make sure that no water gets into the building. Then put down plastic and gravel. I don't think I really need the plastic and gravel, but it will look nicer. Our clay dries out so hard that my full size backhoe struggles to break through it.

 

[hslogger]

My guess is at some point you are gonna want a bale wagon and get one. In that case, looking ahead, you need to go extra high with your set up to accommodate the bale wagon offloading procedure. I wish I had. I never figured it was going to be in my equation but as the area continues to switch to more mechanical harvest and large bales it would have been smart(er) for me to do this.

We hand stack two and three tie bales in our barn that has a dirt floor. I put down four by four and four by six sleepers on the ground and then lay plywood sheets and scraps by hand on them. As the hay usage goes thru the winter, I pickup the sleepers and plywood and then can use that same area for livestock or anything else.

Yes it gets mousey underneath there but it isn't all that bad. We have barn owls that we encourage and they do a swell job in the barn. Also, when putting down the temporary floor we salt the heck out of it that cuts way down on spoilage. We also lime the ground before putting the sleepers and floor down using hydrated lime

 

[cat fever]

Do you plan to get a stack wagon? That would determine the height you need. Large one's require 18'.
I think a pole barn style barn would be the best type of barn to build because you can just keep adding on as the need/money allows. Just make sure to leave enough room for the addition.
Flooring is different depending on area and humidity levels. SC I'm sure would be much different than Utah. I don't like pallet's only because of the mouse heaven it create's.
Here's a shot of my pole barn build, you can see how I could just add more post's and trusses and keep going longer.

Good luck and post lots of pics of your build.

 

[Fievel Farmanimal]

Just wondering here with NO experience with moving hay with tractor but why not build pallets that fit the hay and just use forks to move the loaded pallet from within the barn to outside? Maybe onto trailer or set on the ground and transfer to trailer. Could you not place the pallets on trailer and load onto them in the field and then using forks lift and move into the barn? Could you not stack second pallet on the first pallet load if needed to get full stack height?

Yeah:

Hay on pallets

Baling

I know that barn is not optimal, would like a better one too.

 

[kthompson]

Fievel Farmanimal, like the pictures. Especially of the barn.

 

[aczlan]

I wonder how well it would work to put a coat of Slurry Seal on top of concrete to eliminate the need for pallets.

Aaron Z

 

[powerscol]

When I was buying square bales, one guy I bought from had an attachment on the front of his skid steer the picked up a bunch of bales at a time all in a big square. All his hay was stacked on a concrete floor with this attachment, and it seemed in great condition. But that attachment was the neatest thing ever!!!!

I've switched to round bales and hope to build a hay barn in the next year or two. My thought for flooring is to build up the pad enough to make sure that no water gets into the building. Then put down plastic and gravel. I don't think I really need the plastic and gravel, but it will look nicer. Our clay dries out so hard that my full size backhoe struggles to break through it.

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In the picture of me staking in the barn notice how close the roof perlin is. I haft to be very careful - thus my suggest to measure your max reach and add the 2 feet.

 

[kthompson]

thanks powerscol. One I have gone with is little large but same concept.

 

[powerscol]

I sized mine to see around and not need ballast when loaded so I could have my GN ball out back to move the trailer with.