Barn buildiung with pipe frame construction

[FarmboyBill]

Lots of barns have been built here in Okieland with pipe frame construction. Not a one that I know of with a hay track running down the middle of them. I can get pipe sometimes at a good used price. Ive got many questions to ask about the process. Hope someones familiar with it here, and can answer some of them.
#1. 2in is easy to find. 3in is harder. Which do I need for the walls that will be the full length of the pipe, 20/24ft?
#2 Which will I need for the rafters. I want the highest pitch built that will yet let a say, box say 8ft sq pass below it from say 2ft below the top center. Which dia pipe is better for that?
#3 Im thinking of running a brace pipe somewhere midway tween the rafter pipe and from midway to 10ft above the floor on the wall pipe, and then running a short pipe midway from this brace pipe up to near the corner where the wall pipe meets the rafter pipe. Do you think that will be brace enough for the rafter pipe?
#4 I would run a brace pipe from eich side wall pipe across the floor to the wall pipe at the other end, say around 8ft above the floor. or Middle length. Do you think that would be brace enough to keep the wall pipes from bowing from the weight from the hay passing that truss?
#5 I would run brace pipes across from wall pipe to wall pipe from top to middle to a foot off the floor. Do you think that would be enough to keep the walls together?
#6 There would need to be a out cropping at the front top so that the hay trolly could come outside the barn far enough that when the hay came up it wouldnt brush hard the side of the barn. Im figuring out around 10ft, with the trolly track at 8 or 9. Can that be framed in with pipe and braced to hold the weight, 400#?
#7 How far apart should the walls and rafters be placed in order to hold the weight of the hay track with its weight of #400?
Im not welder enough to build this. What do you think would be a fair wage to have this buiilt? Thanks for the thoughts and time

[rambler]

I see pipe buildings done south of me. Practically none done around here, snowload or something has to dowith it? I donno.

So Ican't help much.

If you are using a hay trolley, you want a clear drop from the peak of your shed to the floor, you don't want cross pipes anywhere under the trolley. None. I am not sure from your description if you are putting some there, but you don't want any.


What is the size of th building? You said 20-24 foot sidewall, with a good peak above that, but how wide, how long? Width will make a tremendous difference especially.

A 24 foot sidewall with a peak roof above is going to put a very big wind load on the side of your building. You might need to build more for a wind load, than the snow or hay weight. I would think you might need web truss design (2 or 3 pipe welded with struts like an antennea) to handle the side loads from the wind, I can't see 3 inch pipe 24 feet long not caving in from winds pressure. But I'm a simple dirt farmer, no engineer.

--->Paul

[FarmboyBill]

Where I came from, NE Kans. ALL the old time barns had braces cross the centers. I usta hate after we had gotten up around 20ft, that wed have to drop a bale, roll it under the cross brace, walk underneith it, pick up the bale and walk to the next one. There were 2 in the barn. Then, when you got it high enouh,, u copuldnt get underneith it, youd have to throw the bale over it, scramble over it yourself, pick up the bale and go to the next one. I got hit in the head many times putting up hay in those old barns. Grandpa Adolphs had hay rope tied from side upright to side upright. I thought that was great, as you could hit your head on the rope and it wouldnt hurt near so much, BUT, I think that the rope musta finally dry rotted, cause the barn fell down, and both dads, and uncle Milts, and Grandpas 1/2 brothers still standing.

Those braces were round 24ft apart, So it was easy for those inside to tell the tripper outside when the carrage was between braces and dump it there. I only did the rope trolley at Grandpa Adolphs, but Ive been in there holloring trip between the ropes MANY times in the late 50s and early mid 60s.

Haveing a steep pitched roof helps keep the roof from blowing off. People down here either have monitor roofs, or gambriel roofs. The Gambriel roofs are BAD for the upper part getting caught in the wind as they lay so near flat its easy for the wind to get underneith them at the edge and work its way in. All we had up home was the A frame roof. A 40ft barn would only have 2 braces in it from wall to wall.

[FarmboyBill]

The barn would be 30 X 40