loft beam

[yandownie]

my loft has a horizontal joist/beam running across it (about half way up).its attached to one of the sloping beams either side of the roof space that the tiles are attached to.the bolts holding it in place are slightly loose and the beam appears to be under no load because it can be rattled.
my question is,would this be safe to be removed completely?
it doesnt seem to be of structural benefit as its only attached loosely and my guess is that it was put there to aid construction for some reason.
i do have a picture but dont know how to show it on here.

 

[noseall]

if you mean, can you remove the purlin, then no.

but a piccie would be better.

 

[yandownie]

i have a picture but dont know how to put it on here.
the purlins run along the length of the loft i think and theres always one either side ??
this beam runs at 90 degress to what i think is the purlins and isnt attached to them

 

[Symptoms]

Your 'sloping' beams are common rafters, the horizontal beam running along the loft supporting the rafters is a purlin (these often have struts which bear on cross-walls or load-bearing partitions). The beam you are proposing to move is likely to be a collar (or tie) and it's function is to brace the roof and to provide firm bearing for the purlins - it should not be removed. Remove it and the purlins may 'spead' & drop - a bit like someone doing the splits. The bolts may appear to have loosened over the years as the structural timbers have maybe shrunked a little. It is possible to re-organise roof timbers but you'd need to get some professional advice from a structural engineer.

 

[yandownie]

that makes sense.i'll leave it be..thanks for the advise