Are loft purlin binders necessery?

[ipoppy]

Hi There,
Most likely in topic I have used wrong terminology to describe my issue but hopefully picture attached will do better.
I am trying to make more space in my loft and install some doors to cover clutter located in deeper corners of my loft and I wonder if those "binders" pointed in picture are necessary for loft integrity. They don't look solid at all and it could be helpful if I could removed them.
Thanks for clarifying it for me.

 

[^woody^]

Those are trusses and there should be a continuous timber there to brace them all together, not small pieces like you have there.

In any case you should not remove them.

 

[blup]

Only an SE could clarify this for you but the "binders" probably stiffen the vertical struts and in turn the rafters.

Blup

 

[tony1851]

Those are trusses and there should be a continuous timber there to brace them all together, not small pieces like you have there.

In any case you should not remove them.

It's the Scottish system of roofing, whereby the rafters are covered by sarking; horizontal timbers would not be necessary to brace the rafters.
Those bits of matchwood will probably be doing √0.

 

[^woody^]

It's the Scottish system of roofing, whereby the rafters are covered by sarking; horizontal timbers would not be necessary to brace the rafters.
Those bits of matchwood will probably be doing √0.

So the sarking board, presumably bonded, controls racking like in a timber frame?

I've not really seen that mentioned in the truss guides. Admittedly I have not looked, but it certainly is not prominent if it's an option.

 

[tony1851]

To prevent racking, diagonal lengths of timber, such as 3x1 or 4x1, are usually nailed internally onto the underside of the trusses.
These look like fairly substantial rafters; if they were intended to have some lateral bracing, surely they wouldn't just use discontinuous bits of wood like that?

 

[ipoppy]

To prevent racking, diagonal lengths of timber, such as 3x1 or 4x1, are usually nailed internally onto the underside of the trusses.
These look like fairly substantial rafters; if they were intended to have some lateral bracing, surely they wouldn't just use discontinuous bits of wood like that?

I will ask SE regardless before removing those binders but to be honest couple of nails on them can't do much for bracing whole structure. Thanks again