A hay elevator is an elevator that hauls bales of hay or straw up to a hayloft, the section of a

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

used for hay storage. Hay elevators are either ramped conveyor belts that bales rest on, or a mechanized pair of chains that holds bales taut between them. The term ''hay elevator'' also includes machinery involved in the stacking and storage of bales. A typical hay elevator includes an open skeletal frame, with a chain that has dull 3-inch spikes every few feet along the chain to grab bales and drag them along. Prior to

rural electrification Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural communities are suffering from colossal market failures as the national grids fall short of their demand for electricity. As of 2017, over 1 billion ...

, barns were equipped with a vertical pulley and a horizontal track along which a bale of hay was guided manually.

See also