Calculating load for barn floor

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the structural integrity of a barn floor designed to support heavy loads, specifically evaluating whether it can safely hold a typical four-wheel wagon loaded with hay. The context includes considerations of engineering assessments, load distribution, and safety concerns related to the barn's design and materials.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that the barn was rated by an engineer to support 45 psf at its weakest point and questions if it can support a wagon loaded with 6500 pounds of hay.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on the meaning of psf, confirming it stands for pounds per square foot.
  • Concerns are raised about the absence of the original engineer, with suggestions to consult another engineer for safety evaluations.
  • A participant humorously mentions the original engineer's demise in a barn collapse, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.
  • One participant discusses the load distribution from the tractor's tires, calculating the contact area and expressing doubt about the barn's ability to safely support the weight, particularly given the uneven load distribution across the beams.
  • There is a consensus that consulting an engineer is necessary to assess the load-spreading capabilities of the barn's structure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for professional engineering assessment due to safety concerns, but there is no consensus on the barn's current ability to support the specified load without further investigation.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of detailed structural analysis and assumptions about load distribution and safety factors that have not been fully explored in the discussion.

FCStorm
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TL;DR
Tractor weighs 6500 lbs. Floor is rated to 45 psf, with floor area of 390 feet. Safe to park tractor on floor?
I have a barn that with a central bay that was originally designed for supporting hatywagons, so it's undergirded by three huge tree trunks used as beams (running longitudinally, parallel to wheel tracks). It has previously been rated by an engineer as being capable of supporting 45 psf at its weakest point. The wagon bay is 390 sq2. Can the barn support a typical 4 wheel wagon loaded with conservatively 6500 pounds of hay? Assume the decking is up to the task: two layers of planking running at right angles and previously okayed by the engineer?
 
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Welcome to PF.

FCStorm said:
It has previously been rated by an engineer as being capable of supporting 45 psf at its weakest point.
What's psf? Pounds per square foot?

FCStorm said:
Can the barn support a typical 4 wheel wagon loaded with conservatively 6500 pounds of hay? Assume the decking is up to the task: two layers of planking running at right angles and previously okayed by the engineer?
Why aren't you asking the engineer this question?
 
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berkeman said:
Welcome to PF.


What's psf? Pounds per square foot?


Why aren't you asking the engineer this question?
He's no longer around.
 
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FCStorm said:
He's no longer around.
What did you do with him?!!

And why don't you go to the same agency to ask for a different engineer?
 
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berkeman said:
Why aren't you asking the engineer this question?
He was killed in a barn collapse.

Kidding aside, I don't see how we can answer this. The tractor sits on tires, so you have a few thousand pounds per square foot at the contact points. "Ah", you say "but the load is distributed through the floor and its bracing". Well, maybe so, but there is no way for us to calculate this.
 
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FCStorm said:
I have a barn that with a central bay that was originally designed for supporting hatywagons, so it's undergirded by three huge tree trunks used as beams (running longitudinally, parallel to wheel tracks).
6500 lbs, most of that weight is on the rear axle. Say 3000 lbs per rear wheel. Tire pressure will be about 18 psi, so tire contact area will be 3000/18 = 167 sq in, = 13" x 13" square of floor.

The supporting structure should be investigated to identify if it will safely support those two tire contact patches of 3000 pounds each.

I doubt it will be safe. How do you know that the tractor wheels will always be above the beams?

You must consult an engineer about the load-spreading nature of the floor boards, joists and beams.
 
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Baluncore said:
You must consult an engineer about the load-spreading nature of the floor boards, joists and beams.
Agreed. This thread is closed for safety reasons.
 
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