Just how much weight can I hang from my trusses?

40x40 pole barn, 4/12 pitch, trusses spaced 4' apart, 5lbs/sq. ft. load rating.

I picked up a few bicycle lift hoists from harbor freight at 9 bucks a pop.

I plan to use them for a couple bicycles, a 50lb kayak, and 1 or 2 aluminum ladders.

I have no sheetrock or insulation up there currently.

I plan to use some 2x4's across 2 or three trusses and attach the hoist to those, to better distribute the load.

I'd like to get an idea of how to figure out how much weight I can safely hang from the trusses, also considering the fact I live in lower Michigan, with some snow accumulation on the roof.

Can anyone give me some guidance? Would a couple bicycles, kayak, and a couple ladders, evenly spaced, be safe?

Thanks for any advice!

 

The bottom chord of a truss is "generally" rated for a maximum of 10 lbs per square ft, assuming an even distribution of weight. However we dont know the first thing about your trusses. If they really are only rated for 5#, the math is pretty easy. You would not put more than 500 lbs in a 10x10 area. (or 80 lbs in a 4x4 area.) That would include the weight of any lumber you add or any drywall you plan to hang in the future.

 

Thanks XSleeper, appreciate the response.

Just an update, I found a tag on the trusses indicating the company that supplied them, along with a job #. I called them an spoke directly with one of their engineers.
He assured me if I spread the load across 2 or 3 trusses with a 2x4, and staggered the load on different trusses, I won't have any problems with the items I intend to hang. I feel much better knowing I got the OK from the engineer who helped design my trusses!

 

Nice job, that's the best, safest way to ensure you're doing it right.