Whats the span and is that beam directly under the ridge? Adding more 2x4's wont do anythig. That beam is more than likely just holding up the cieling joist by looking at the pics. You could or should of had some collar ties on those rafters. You can put a larger beam in to handle the span and load, but lots of work.It would be better to have the bottom of the beam flush with the cieling and burry the rest in the attic if that makes sense. Of course I dont know if the existing footings are large enough or what your roofing or snow loads are in that area. You would need an engineer, maybe from a truss plant, to calc that for you,... or hang a naked girl calander on the post and call it a day.
Also, I think it's time to cash in the cans.
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Jason
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