Poles for Shed,how far apart?

[ufo_chris]

Hello I just got 8 'telephone poles ' (or close ,they are around 7",12' long)to built a cow shed with.
The plan was a 8 x 24 building ,but since these are pretty heavy duty, can you go more than 8' on center?
I was gonna put an easy cheap metal roof on it (posts 2 ' longer on one long side) . What if I get some trusses? That would make it much more expensive ,right? How far apart could I go then? And I would have to put one every 2'?
Thanks so much

[oneokie]

Spacing between poles would be determined on what size lumber you plan on using for top plates on top of the poles to attach the rafters or trusses. Using 2x6's. vertical and another one flat on top of the vertical one you could use 10' spacing. Maybe stretch that out to 12'. If using prefab trusses you could get by using 3' spacing if you do not have to worry about snow loads, and using 2x4's for lathing on 2' centers.

[ufo_chris]

thanks oneokie.
Yes,I was planning on using 2x6 lumber as I have some 'gently used' ones!
I might as well stick with my original plan then. I was just wondering if I'm wasting poles by having them too close together.
Thanks so much!

[Jalopy]

I am conservative when building and probably overbuild but I would stay with the 8 foot on center for the poles. Nothing worse than going to the shed in a year or two and the cows have rubbed the poles and it is now leaning because the roof load was too much. If the poles are on 8 foot centers there is less stress on each joint and all seems to stay together better. JMHO Good Luck

[Ramblin Wreck]

I'm building a hay barn right now, and I spaced my utility poles 12 feet apart. Based upon your description, I'd say mine are bigger in diameter by several inches. I am using 30 foot trusses spaced 3 feet apart, which I bought off Craig's List for around $40 each. Good luck with your project.

[SGFarm]

The answer depends a lot on where you live. Do you get a lot of snow? Wind?
Your local farmers will have good answers, go and look at how you neighbours pole barns are built.

Just my $0.02.

Mike

[rambler]

Would be real nice if you listed your location in your profile, or mention it in the body of a message like this.

Roof support depends so much on your location; if you get snow or a lot of wind.

They use 6, 8, or 9 foot spacings up here, using 2x6 for the roof would be foolish tho 'here'. Snow would colapse that thing in a couple years. Of course - that depends on how wide your shed is.

The roof needs to be designed as a unit, with all the dimentions working together, and known.

Trusses usually make the roof cheaper; you put a truss on each pole, 8 feet apart in this example, and so you use less rafter; but you end up using more prelins.

You just don't have enough info here to really help you in a good way.

--->Paul

[The Paw]

I think I would place the poles in 2 rows, with the rows 10 feet apart and 8 feet between each pole in the row. That would give you a 10 x 24 shed.

I would use the 2x6s one on either side of each poles, lag bolted to the poles. This will give you the effect of a double 2x6 beam to carry the span between poles in each side wall.

I would then build my own trusses from 2x4s to span the 10 foot shed width. How many trusses you need will depend on the roof slope, applicable snow loads, and what you are using for purlins (1x3, 2x4, etc.). The trusses aren't too hard to build or handle for a 10 foot span.

I would use hurricane ties to connect the trusses to the 2x6s.

[Nature_Lover]

Here is a good website with free plans and materials lists for shed and barn construction. Lots of run-in sheds in the barn section. It covers timber frame as well as truss roof supports. How to build trusses, pier and slab foundations, etc.

Three pages of links to free barn plans, and check out the recreational and residential plans, too.
I just discovered it yesterday, and spent hours learning.

[ufo_chris]

Hi guys,Thanks so much for all the advice. Sorry ,I didn't realize it didn't give my location (NE OHIO) !
I have another shed same size but built with 4x6 for poles (8 ft centers) and it's holding up really well ,even with the cows rubbing up against it.
DH always wants to go for overkill too,this was just supposed to be a simple shed (with smaller poles), with a roof to cover my future cattle chute.
The other shed has a regular sloped metal roof ,and we had a LOT of snow last winter and it was fine. I'm thinking that would be cheaper than trusses.
Thanks so much,Chris

[ufo_chris]

Nature Lover,
Thanks for the great site but I can't find the section on run in sheds and barns.
Can you help please,
Thanks,Chris

[highlands]

This is really an engineering question and you need to know your loads. There is a very good book "The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling" by Charlie Wing. The black book. It is filled with spanning tables. Easy to use. Get it. Good luck with your shed.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

[RonM]

Set your posts 8 ft apart , but 2x6's are definately not heavy enough to support rafters or trusses, I've built too many pole barns to think a couple 2x6's will work... use at least 2x10's nail them up to hold them in place while you drill holes and use 1/2 in bolts thru the poles and framing......

[agmantoo]

Go to a truss company and see if they have any foul ups. I can usually buy error dimensioned trusses for the price of the materials. Once you find some cheap trusses ask the truss company your question. They have a software program for your area. Size your building to the cheap trusses. Far cheaper this way.

[Nature_Lover]

ufo_chris,
Here is the barn page.
I can't find any run-ins there either other than the Adirondack shed for humans, sorry about the bum steer.
Here is a plan for 4 sizes of trusses with a materials list for each.
Ten types of pole buildings plans for ag use here.

Try Google searching for loafing sheds as well as run-in shed plans.

Are you going to enclose it? How many sides?

Here is a lot of design and planning information to consider for horse run-in sheds.

[rambler]

This is the ND version of building plans. Looking in the poultry section, 'shed roof' building have the single slant. I'm sure other sections do as well, but at least there...

http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/plans/

I have a 75+ year old shed that was added on to 2 times, it has 2x6 roof rafters, it';s pretty shallow roof. It ain't right. Heck, it's held up this long, but - it has real 2x6 rafters, home sawn (it started life as a lumbermill shack...). And old-growth wood that has some stength to it. Not the new 1.5 by 5.5 inch weak, wide'grained, knotty stuff you get today.

You gotta kinda pick your battles with free used wood. Normally 2x6 wood of today would not be strong enough.

Pole buiildings are cheaper because you group all the wood into one place, like at 8 foot spacings. The posts, the roof trusses, all at 6 or 8 or 9 foot spacings.

So, if you are building pole walls, and a 2x6 rafter roof, then you have a hybred building. Be sure you pick out the cheaper but stronger parts of each, and not the weaker, poorer ideas from each. You will need a real strong top plate to hold the rafters. The wider your span (9 feet instead of 6 or 8) then you need much more stronger top plates to hold the weight of the rafters. If you go with trussed spaced at 8 feet - or whatever your poles are - then you don't need those big heavy strong top pieces - just a 2x4 to hold the poles spaced & to nail the tin to.

Often times people see cheap poles, and cheap dimentional lumber, and try to build a cheap shead. But you end up using expensive bits to marry the parts together into something useable...

Sounds like your poles couold hold a building 48 or more feet wide, but if you go the 2x6 sloping rafters with a snow load in your location, you miught be limited to 16 feet wide or so. Is that really the best use of your dollars, to make a narrow building using materials that could make a bigger roomier building?

Only you can answer that, but try to think of the future & what you have available to you, best use of it all, etc.

--->Paul

[Beeman]

If these are barely 8" long how deep do you plan on burying them? Sounds like a low roofed shed if you bury 2' on the tall side.

[highlands]

If you want the shed to last it would be better to anchor the posts to a stone foundation up above the ground. e.g., put in boulders, drill a pin hole and epoxy a pin in place in the rock and then attach the posts to the pins. This reduces rot at the bottoms of the posts. The deeper the foundation the better. Ledge is wonderful.

I would set my posts more than 8' apart so I could drive my tractor through. My tractor's rear tires are 7'11" wide. The chains make it another 1.5" wide. Bit of a bother to be rubbing up against the building all the time...

[ufo_chris]

Beeman: They are 12' long ,you must have read the part where I say "I have 8 poles" and also the roof can be low.

Everybody,thanks so much for all your info,never expected to get that much!

This shed is skinny and long because one of the purposes is for shade in front of it and it's going in a lane for rot. grazing.

Thanks nature lover for posting the link,I'll have to look at it later....
Thanks so much ,Chris