Barn Designs Allow Flexible, Efficient Work

By Andrew Weidman
Published on December 9, 2014
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The large doors on the ground level of this bank barn in Maryland provides access to stalls and work areas, while the upper levels are accessed through doors up the hill on the other side.
The large doors on the ground level of this bank barn in Maryland provides access to stalls and work areas, while the upper levels are accessed through doors up the hill on the other side.
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An interior view of a bank barn shows the spacious upper level and loft that can be filled with feed and fodder.
An interior view of a bank barn shows the spacious upper level and loft that can be filled with feed and fodder.
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Many older bank barns are still in use.
Many older bank barns are still in use.
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A newly constructed bank barn in Newville, Pennsylvania, was built with stone and wood by B&D Builders based in Ronks, Pennsylvania.
A newly constructed bank barn in Newville, Pennsylvania, was built with stone and wood by B&D Builders based in Ronks, Pennsylvania.

The bank barn

Farming is hard work, without a doubt. Another job always needs to be done, with too few hours left in the day and too few days in the week. This is especially true if you also hold down a full-time job, as so many small-scale farmers do. Efficiency, labor and timesaving devices can make or break your operation, and the right barn will go a long way toward helping you get it all done.

Part of the solution could be a Pennsylvania bank barn, especially in locations where winters tend to be harsh. German immigrants began building these barns more than three centuries ago when they arrived in Pennsylvania, and many of the earliest barns are still in use today. Bank barns were designed to maximize production while minimizing effort, and they’re just as efficient today as they were 300 years ago. With lofty upper-story haymows and granaries, they can hold enough feed and fodder to last through even the harshest winters, while keeping livestock warm and secure in the lower floor.

Efficient construction

A bank barn’s signature feature is in its construction, built into the side of a bank or low hill. If no bank is available, an earthen man-made hill can take its place, with ground floor access to both levels. More to the point, it allows drive-in access to the upper level.

The beauty of this arrangement first becomes apparent at harvest time. Loaded hay wagons can be driven inside the central bay in the hill-sided back entrance of the barn, then unloaded into the mows without the need for a hay elevator or hay hook. With a little determination and a couple of farm hands, you can fill an entire mow to the roof completely by hand. That is, assuming you use small, easily manhandled square bales. If an unexpected thunderstorm should roll in, as they often do in the heat of July and August, you can continue working while keeping your hay prime, yourself dry, and your barn protected from spontaneous combustion: A barn load of wet hay can create a dangerous situation, heating up quickly, catching fire, and causing disaster.

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