diff --git a/storage/raft_log_queue.go b/storage/raft_log_queue.go
index f7c1fffac8ad..125883721b0a 100644
--- a/storage/raft_log_queue.go
+++ b/storage/raft_log_queue.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package storage
 
 import (
+	"sort"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/client"
@@ -31,6 +32,9 @@ import (
 const (
 	// raftLogQueueMaxSize is the max size of the queue.
 	raftLogQueueMaxSize = 100
+	// raftLogPadding is the number of log entries that should be kept for
+	// lagging replicas.
+	raftLogPadding = 1000
 	// RaftLogQueueTimerDuration is the duration between checking the
 	// raft logs.
 	RaftLogQueueTimerDuration = time.Second
@@ -68,6 +72,8 @@ func (*raftLogQueue) acceptsUnsplitRanges() bool {
 // can be truncated and the oldest index that cannot be pruned.
 func getTruncatableIndexes(r *Replica) (uint64, uint64, error) {
 	rangeID := r.RangeID
+	// TODO(peter): r.store.RaftStatus(rangeID) differs from r.RaftStatus() in
+	// tests, causing TestGetTruncatableIndexes to fail. Figure out why and fix.
 	raftStatus := r.store.RaftStatus(rangeID)
 	if raftStatus == nil {
 		if log.V(1) {
@@ -76,18 +82,14 @@ func getTruncatableIndexes(r *Replica) (uint64, uint64, error) {
 		return 0, 0, nil
 	}
 
-	// Is this the raft leader?
+	// Is this the raft leader? We only perform log truncation on the raft leader
+	// which has the up to date info on followers.
 	if raftStatus.RaftState != raft.StateLeader {
 		return 0, 0, nil
 	}
 
-	// Find the oldest index still in use by the range.
-	oldestIndex := raftStatus.Applied
-	for _, progress := range raftStatus.Progress {
-		if progress.Match < oldestIndex {
-			oldestIndex = progress.Match
-		}
-	}
+	// Calculate the quorum applied index and adjust based on padding.
+	oldestIndex := getQuorumAppliedIndex(raftStatus, raftLogPadding)
 
 	r.mu.Lock()
 	defer r.mu.Unlock()
@@ -108,9 +110,9 @@ func getTruncatableIndexes(r *Replica) (uint64, uint64, error) {
 // shouldQueue determines whether a range should be queued for truncating. This
 // is true only if the replica is the raft leader and if the total number of
 // the range's raft log's stale entries exceeds RaftLogQueueStaleThreshold.
-func (*raftLogQueue) shouldQueue(now roachpb.Timestamp, r *Replica, _ config.SystemConfig) (shouldQ bool,
-	priority float64) {
-
+func (*raftLogQueue) shouldQueue(
+	now roachpb.Timestamp, r *Replica, _ config.SystemConfig,
+) (shouldQ bool, priority float64) {
 	truncatableIndexes, _, err := getTruncatableIndexes(r)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Warning(err)
@@ -124,7 +126,6 @@ func (*raftLogQueue) shouldQueue(now roachpb.Timestamp, r *Replica, _ config.Sys
 // leader and if the total number of the range's raft log's stale entries
 // exceeds RaftLogQueueStaleThreshold.
 func (rlq *raftLogQueue) process(now roachpb.Timestamp, r *Replica, _ config.SystemConfig) error {
-
 	truncatableIndexes, oldestIndex, err := getTruncatableIndexes(r)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -155,3 +156,38 @@ func (*raftLogQueue) timer() time.Duration {
 func (*raftLogQueue) purgatoryChan() <-chan struct{} {
 	return nil
 }
+
+type uint64Slice []uint64
+
+func (p uint64Slice) Len() int           { return len(p) }
+func (p uint64Slice) Less(i, j int) bool { return p[i] < p[j] }
+func (p uint64Slice) Swap(i, j int)      { p[i], p[j] = p[j], p[i] }
+
+// getQuorumAppliedIndex returns the index which a quorum of the nodes have
+// applied. The returned value is adjusted by padding to allow retaining
+// additional entries, but this adjustment is limited so that we won't keep
+// entries which all nodes have applied.
+func getQuorumAppliedIndex(raftStatus *raft.Status, padding uint64) uint64 {
+	appliedIndexes := make([]uint64, 0, len(raftStatus.Progress))
+	for _, progress := range raftStatus.Progress {
+		index := progress.Match
+		if index > raftStatus.Applied {
+			index = raftStatus.Applied
+		}
+		appliedIndexes = append(appliedIndexes, index)
+	}
+	sort.Sort(uint64Slice(appliedIndexes))
+
+	n := len(appliedIndexes)
+	q := computeQuorum(n)
+	index := appliedIndexes[n-q]
+	if index >= padding {
+		index -= padding
+	} else {
+		index = 0
+	}
+	if index < appliedIndexes[0] {
+		index = appliedIndexes[0]
+	}
+	return index
+}
diff --git a/storage/raft_log_queue_test.go b/storage/raft_log_queue_test.go
index 05b4024d183e..2aeada7c7aa1 100644
--- a/storage/raft_log_queue_test.go
+++ b/storage/raft_log_queue_test.go
@@ -24,8 +24,48 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/roachpb"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/util"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/util/leaktest"
+	"github.com/coreos/etcd/raft"
 )
 
+func TestGetQuorumAppliedIndex(t *testing.T) {
+	defer leaktest.AfterTest(t)()
+
+	testCases := []struct {
+		applied  uint64
+		progress []uint64
+		padding  uint64
+		expected uint64
+	}{
+		// Basic cases.
+		{1, []uint64{1}, 0, 1},
+		{2, []uint64{1, 2}, 0, 1},
+		{3, []uint64{1, 2, 3}, 0, 2},
+		{4, []uint64{1, 2, 3, 4}, 0, 2},
+		{5, []uint64{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, 0, 3},
+		// Sorting.
+		{5, []uint64{5, 4, 3, 2, 1}, 0, 3},
+		// Padding.
+		{3, []uint64{1, 2, 3}, 1, 1},
+		{3, []uint64{1, 2, 3}, 2, 1},
+		{3, []uint64{1, 2, 3}, 3, 1},
+		// Applied limits progress values.
+		{1, []uint64{2, 2, 2}, 0, 1},
+	}
+	for i, c := range testCases {
+		status := &raft.Status{
+			Applied:  c.applied,
+			Progress: make(map[uint64]raft.Progress),
+		}
+		for j, v := range c.progress {
+			status.Progress[uint64(j)] = raft.Progress{Match: v}
+		}
+		quorumAppliedIndex := getQuorumAppliedIndex(status, c.padding)
+		if c.expected != quorumAppliedIndex {
+			t.Fatalf("%d: expected %d, but got %d", i, c.expected, quorumAppliedIndex)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // TestGetTruncatableIndexes verifies that the correctly returns when there are
 // indexes to be truncated.
 func TestGetTruncatableIndexes(t *testing.T) {