10/12/2026
Good Morning everyone and Welcome to Monday Funday- The Barns Hay Trolley.
Like many Barns built in its time frame, the main loft of our Barn was designed to fully open. Here a track and trolley system runs the length of the Barn.
Using the work horses for muscle, a series of ropes would be connected to a horse on one end and a claw on the other. As the horse backed up, the claw was open, and would grab a full pile of loose hay.
When the horse was walked ahead, it would raise it up into the loft and along the track until it was dropped at the desired location, at which point it could be forked around. This hay could then be stored for winter feeding.
While it may seem primitive, it was way easier than forking it up there by hand.
I had known the track was up there, but never realized the trolley itself was , just as our Grandfather had left it so many years ago.
Once we discovered it, we devised a plan to remove it with a section of track for a later use. As the siding was installed and the ceiling finished we rehung the trolley and section of track just as it had been on the other end of the Barn. So if you look up you can see this Beautiful piece of History, just as it would have operated in the late 1800’s into the 1900’s.
Hope you’re all having a Great Day, see you soon.😃
