Isn't the outward thrust 0 when you have a supported ridge beam like that? From what I've been told, if the rafters are fastened on top of the ridge beam properly, then the ridge beam and the rafter sills split the vertical load without having any outward thrust, thus allowing for a higher knee wall. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Rusty
yup, if you hold up the rafter @ the peak and @ the foot, and the posts under each run to the ground, you have theoretical 0 outward thrust (from gravity loads, not taking into account wind). in the example i posted the center 2 bents are clear span, so they act as trusses. they carry the ridge load to the tie beam, and if the tie beam is not strong enough to carry the load (which it is for roof load) - then it would go into truss mode and i have to take the outward thrust into the posts.
