[AQHACWBY]

Don't know if this has been asked in the past but ?

What has everyone used as for a type of flooring for ( small, large squares, rounds ) in a pole shed ?

I have large squares now and use plastic. have used pallets ( pain in the #$%^%$ )

Is there any new product made for large squares ?

Be nice to see like a type of bubble rap flat sheet plastic that could take the pressure. Shouldn't get much mold on the bottom bale that way.

I don't get much rot out of large squares as I did small squares that were put on plastic.

I have seen some use large white rock, but cleaning up loose hay is a chore.

I have not tried large white rock with plastic laid on top yet.

 

[endrow]

I struggle with this I am always open to what others do on the dirt floor .We haul into a hay broker who uses lots of loose hay on the floor .

 

[mlappin]

Still using pallets myself. Seems to me plastic would be a PITA but I have a pretty good system figured out with the pallets so each their own.

 

[FarmerCline]

Last year I stacked small squares and round bales on pallets that were on a dirt floor but I still have a fair amount of spoilage on the bottom bales. I have spread crusher run gravel a couple inches thick and will put pallets over the gravel so I hope it will reduce the spoilage.

 

[S10491112]

Some one on here was talking about using blacktop and said blacktop didn't let moisture come up from the ground. I was thinking about using it

 

[hay wilson in TX]

Ideal is heavy wood plank flooring.

That said a 4 inch layer of crushed rock or stones, septic tank sized.

No mold on the on the bottom bales, but there can be spider webs, and a few rocks can be stuck into the hay.

I have rocks on the floor of my pole barn and again in one of my round bale yards.

 

[berisiw]

Don't know if this has been asked in the past but ?

What has everyone used as for a type of flooring for ( small, large squares, rounds ) in a pole shed ?

I have large squares now and use plastic. have used pallets ( pain in the #$%^%$ )

Is there any new product made for large squares ?

Be nice to see like a type of bubble rap flat sheet plastic that could take the pressure. Shouldn't get much mold on the bottom bale that way.

I don't get much rot out of large squares as I did small squares that were put on plastic.

I have seen some use large white rock king custom coatings, but cleaning up loose hay is a chore.

I have not tried large white rock with plastic laid on top yet.

I've been asked to do something we don't usually do. This is for a great client, so I don't want to turn down the project. The project is to build a PT wood floor in a 20X48 existing barn. Currently there is just a dirt floor, so the new floor would be over this and it would become a crawl space. The barn is typical post & beam with 15 posts. 5 posts, equally spaced @ 12' centers, each 48' side. One post in the middle of each 20' end. 3 posts in the center, equally spaced @ 12' centers. Each post is bearing on a concrete pier. In other words, this barn has 3 rows of posts, 5 each row, 12' on center, each row spaced 10' apart. The floor has to support 1500 bales @ 50 lbs. each, or a load of 75,000 lbs. I have submitted this design to my lumber supplier for a floor design to support the load, but I would be very interested in knowing how the builders on this forum would design this floor. Right now, I'm thinking about a double rim joist, (all 2X12 PT), joists on 12" centers, 3/4" pt plywood -or- 2X6 PT Tongue & groove lumber for the deck. I will also install additional piers and stringers at the 5 foot point between the sides & the middle posts. This would mean that the 2X12 PT joists would have a 5' span from side to stringer to middle. I hope I've explained this well enough. (A drawing is worth 1000 words). If anyone has some input, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[weatherman]

On a hard packed chips and dust (411 aggregate), I place 10mm plastic and pallets. That is what is used in the past. Pallets are a huge pain but provided the air flow to the bottom 1st cutting small squares. I only sell the bottom bales as cow hay not horse hay. This year I am replacing the pallets with 40" x 48" x 3/8" plywood, easier to handle. I was able to secure about 200 sheets at $2/sheet. I don't think I will be worst off use the sheets of plywood vs pallets.

 

[Mellow]

On a hard packed chips and dust (411 aggregate), I place 10mm plastic and pallets. That is what is used in the past. Pallets are a huge pain but provided the air flow to the bottom 1st cutting small squares. I only sell the bottom bales as cow hay not horse hay. This year I am replacing the pallets with 40" x 48" x 3/8" plywood, easier to handle. I was able to secure about 200 sheets at $2/sheet. I don't think I will be worst off use the sheets of plywood vs pallets.

I have a vapor barrier, 6 inches of millings 2 inches of blacktop, with OSB laid down and still get dusty bottom bales. Did some pallets and some still get dust. Zero issues when stored in 2 bank barns. Issue almost seems unavoidable with long tern storage.

 

[slowzuki]

I'm sure I've posted elsewhere but we've added a few variations. Best so far is our damaged round bale tarps laid out as vapour barrier, some broken bales on top, pallets or tires then round bales.

We still do some pallets only on sand but it ruins bottoms of bales usually. Too much moisture leaving the ground.

 

[broadriverhay]

I use vapor barrier and loose hay. It has worked great for 12 years. I very seldom have bales draw moisture.

 

[weatherman]

I use vapor barrier and loose hay. It has worked great for 12 years. I very seldom have bales draw moisture.

Often do you clean up the old loose hay to add new?

 

[broadriverhay]

I don’t clean out the old . I just add some fresh each year as I start filling the barn up.