How much weight can my ceiling trusses hold?

[superduty1]

I would like to set up an anchor point on the ceiling with a pulley so I can lift and store the shell from my truck. How much weight can I safely lift/store from my ceiling? I have put a red circle in the area where the anchor point would need to be. I don't think it matters, but the spot in the center of the garage that was designed for an FAU is empty - FAU was installed elsewhere. I know ceiling cords are typically not designed to hold much weight. I was thinking span a few trusses (perpendicular direction) with a 2x6, then use some bolts that went from the 2x6 (sitting above the ceiling cords) to a piece of angle iron on the drywall ceiling (garage is finished). Essentially sandwiching a few ceiling cords. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[john.k]

if you are in a snow area ,roofs are typically designed for a 50lb/sq ft snow load ,and probably wind loads on top of that.........however ,the trusses are wood ,then you would need to distribute any lifting point anchorage ,to reduce unit stress on the wood.

 

[BillK]

an FAU is empty - FAU was installed elsewhere.

I just want to know what in the world an FAU is ??

How much does the truck cap weigh ?

 

[mike93lx]

I just want to know what in the world an FAU is ??

How much does the truck cap weigh ?

Forced air unit?

 

[CraigStu]

I will go out on a limb here and assume the cap weighs less than you. So if you put a chinup bar there, would you feel safe using it? I would.

 

[superduty1]

FAU is a forced air unit.

I was hoping (still hoping) that there is someone on this board that actually knows how to read these blueprints and will be able to give me an actual answer.

Snow loads are on the roof not the ceiling cords, so are mostly irrelevant.

Truck shell is an ARE aluminum construction shell. Weighs a lot more than me.

 

[micromind]

Trusses are not designed to handle weight on the bottom chords unless specified at the time they're built.

They will however, support weight from the top chords. If you can arrange the connection points to the top chords, you'll be fine.

Be careful, generally speaking, drilling holes anywhere on a truss is not allowed. Small holes (3/8" or so) are ok but not larger ones. And if they're supporting weight, they need to be drilled in the top 1/3 of the board.

Trusses that are designed to have weight on the bottom chords will have vertical boards to transfer the weight from the bottom chords to the top ones. You could do this with a 2X4 or 2X6 fitted to the bottom and top chords and plywood gussets on both sides nailed or better, stapled to the truss but not bolted.

Holes are not allowed because each part of every board is under either tension or compression and any hole will weaken it.

 

[whateg01]

I just want to know what in the world an FAU is ??

How much does the truck cap weigh ?

French anteater uniform

 

[superduty1]

Trusses are not designed to handle weight on the bottom chords unless specified at the time they're built.

They will however, support weight from the top chords. If you can arrange the connection points to the top chords, you'll be fine.

Be careful, generally speaking, drilling holes anywhere on a truss is not allowed. Small holes (3/8" or so) are ok but not larger ones. And if they're supporting weight, they need to be drilled in the top 1/3 of the board.

Trusses that are designed to have weight on the bottom chords will have vertical boards to transfer the weight from the bottom chords to the top ones. You could do this with a 2X4 or 2X6 fitted to the bottom and top chords and plywood gussets on both sides nailed or better, stapled to the truss but not bolted.

Holes are not allowed because each part of every board is under either tension or compression and any hole will weaken it.

Is 500 lbs of weight (for a long period of time) too much to ask of the bottom chords... Assuming I run some supports to the top chords? I could run supports on 3 bottom chords to top, then capture the 3 bottom chords for the anchor point.

Is it ok to use nails to connect the supports?

2x4 supports with 3/8 plywood to make the connection.

 

[JSGAuto]

Why not call Hanson and ask? They stamped it.

 

[mike93lx]

Why not call Hanson and ask? They stamped it.

They'll just say it's not rated for that application. Bet you a nickle

 

[micromind]

500 lbs. in one spot would be quite a bit. Trusses are overbullt but there's a limit......lol.

I would use 1/2" but 3/8" 5 ply would work. Nails would be ok but staples are better mainly because they are a smaller diameter and disrupt the wood less. More smaller nails are better than fewer larger ones. 1 - 1/2" long is good.

In either case, place them randomly, not in line with the grain and make them about 1" apart in any direction. For a 2X4, you'd need about a dozen or so, and about the same on the vertical board but they can be spread out more.

 

[strutaeng]

Load Combination 3 (LC3) says moving load of 250 on the bottom chord.

I would call the truss manufacturer if that means that you can apply a point (single) load of 250 lb to the bottom chord of the truss?

It looks like this is separate load case to the other load combination. It's probably a construction live load, now that I think about it...

 

[superduty1]

500 lbs. in one spot would be quite a bit. Trusses are overbullt but there's a limit......lol.

I would use 1/2" but 3/8" 5 ply would work. Nails would be ok but staples are better mainly because they are a smaller diameter and disrupt the wood less. More smaller nails are better than fewer larger ones. 1 - 1/2" long is good.

In either case, place them randomly, not in line with the grain and make them about 1" apart in any direction. For a 2X4, you'd need about a dozen or so, and about the same on the vertical board but they can be spread out more.

How many vertical supports would you recommend? Assuming I spread the weight out over 3 ceiling chords.

I figured 3/8 was good, but I can get 1/2 ply just as easy.

Any benefit to using 2x6 as the vertical supports?

Nails are easy bc I have a nail gun. But I'm sure I could source a stapler. 1.5" Staples?

 

[superduty1]

Load Combination 3 (LC3) says moving load of 250 on the bottom chord.

I would call the truss manufacturer if that means that you can apply a point (single) load of 250 lb to the bottom chord of the truss?

It looks like this is separate load case to the other load combination. It's probably a construction live load, now that I think about it...

I'm pretty sure that's a live load. Like a person walking in attic.

I want to be able to hang the shell for months at a time. (If safe)

Calling Hanson would be a waste of time. That would likely entail paying their engineers to look at the prints. And I'm 99.9% sure for liability reasons, after paying them, they will simply say it's not designed for 500lb. We would have to re-engineer the complete truss system if you want to be able to hold that load.

 

[strutaeng]

I'm pretty sure that's a live load. Like a person walking in attic.

I want to be able to hang the shell for months at a time. (If safe)

Calling Hanson would be a waste of time. That would likely entail paying their engineers to look at the prints. And I'm 99.9% sure for liability reasons, after paying them, they will simply say it's not designed for 500lb. We would have to re-engineer the complete truss system if you want to be able to hold that load.

I was thinking more like a 250 lb guy walking on the bottom chord during erection/installation.

I'm just guessing here, but on these load cases, you don't have any dead load (ceilings, roof deck, shingles, etc.) or bracing (temporarily or permanent.)

Yeah, I agree. These loads look like "regular" building loads. Nothing jumps out as, "oh hey, we applied a 500lb extra point load here".

On steel roof joists construction, unless the Contract Documents say to add some additional load like from roof top mechanical units (usually 1,200-2,500 lbs) the manufacturer is never going to add that. Wood truss manufacturers are not different.

 

[duneslider]

I have been hanging various jeep wrangler hard tops from the ceiling of various garages for roughly 25 years and never had an issue. I am certain you will be fine hanging that truck shell.

 

[superduty1]

Truck shell is an ARE all aluminum shell for a long bed. I'm guessing it weighs around 400 lbs. Considerably more than a jeep hard top.

 

[whateg01]

Aluminum? I doubt it even weighs 200# unless it's one of the heavy duty ones that double as a workspace and have a walk in door. The one I had on my Dakota could be lifted on and off by one person.

 

[duneslider]

I had an ARE fiberglass shell on my 98 ram and it weighed about 200lbs, which was a little heavier than the top on my 4door wrangler. I wouldn't think the aluminum shells would be that much heavier than the fiberglass ones. Mine was only a 6.5' bed though, an 8' would obviously weigh a little more but I suspect 400lbs is a bit high. Either way I wouldn't be too worried.

 

[superduty1]

Aluminum? I doubt it even weighs 200# unless it's one of the heavy duty ones that double as a workspace and have a walk in door. The one I had on my Dakota could be lifted on and off by one person.

This is an ARE DCU (commerical unit) truck cap. I need a minimum of four guys to remove it from the truck - granted it is a bit unwieldy. I have also lifted it with an anchor point in a different garage using a 5:1 system and it was pretty heavy. I was pulling a good amount of weight. This tells me it is likely in the 400 lb range. The shell also has a 44 lb aluminum rack on it as well as a 41 lb solar panel. It also has a rear door that takes the place of the tailgate. There are full length doors on the driver and passenger side and no windows on it. I am confident it is not 200 lbs.

 

[whateg01]

This is an ARE DCU (commerical unit) truck cap. ...

I wondered. You can reduce the point load by spreading the load over multiple ropes.

 

[mike93lx]

I think I would be looking for another solution to handle the weight, like a couple dedicated joists for the purpose. Is the attic open?

 

[superduty1]

I think I would be looking for another solution to handle the weight, like a couple dedicated joists for the purpose. Is the attic open?

No it's a fully dry walled ceiling and walls. No easy place to put a support to the floor, otherwise I would have installed a large beam.

 

[The Bean]

Revised post below...

 

[The Bean]

It seems from your red circle,that you are trying to hang this load from a double (2-ply) girder truss which has a flat top and supports the perpendicular trusses for the short end of the hip roof. Hanson is sure to object IMO.
I don't think anyone at GJ who isn't a structural engineer can make a qualified recommendation. As an architect myself, i would consult with my engineer friend for advice and recommendation.
Be cautious.

 

[mike93lx]

No it's a fully dry walled ceiling and walls. No easy place to put a support to the floor, otherwise I would have installed a large beam.

I was more thinking from wall top plate to top plate

Drywall work *****, but it's easy to patch. If a little cutting solved this, I would do that.

 

[micromind]

With a 2x6, you get more surface area to nail to.

If you did 3 trusses and nailed a 2X6 horizontally to 3 vertical truss members, you'd be fine hanging 500 lbs. to the center one.

Yes, I realize that my advice may very well be overkill but since I haven't seen anything personally, I'm not going to advise anyone to do anything that might be marginal.

 

[DGZRT]

Just build a beam out of 2 PCs of 2x4 with 1/2” plywood sandwiched in the middle . Of course stand it on edge . When you put the plywood in the center leave a 1/2” gap in the middle.
Then go to a Tractor supply or equivalent and buy a forged Eye with a 8” threaded leg . And 5 larger washers and some good grade 8 nuts .
Run the eye up through the 1/2” gap and install the washers and nut on top .
Span the beam between three joist and run the eye through the ceiling. Install supports running from bottom of joist to top along the beam . Good for about 1000 lbs

 

[JSGAuto]

Calling Hanson would be a waste of time. That would likely entail paying their engineers to look at the prints. And I'm 99.9% sure for liability reasons, after paying them, they will simply say it's not designed for 500lb. We would have to re-engineer the complete truss system if you want to be able to hold that load.

Would you prefer to pay them, hear them say OK, then it fails?

Engineering calculations exist for a reason. We need something to ensure the safety of design.

 

[firebirdparts]

I was more thinking from wall top plate to top plate

Drywall work *****, but it's easy to patch. If a little cutting solved this, I would do that.

weak as a kitten.

 

[mike93lx]

weak as a kitten.

Not sure I follow? What size joists or beam did I suggest that makes it by default too weak?

 

[mm08822]

Go back to Hansen with the details of what you have in terms of load and number of attachment points. Ask them for a quote to provide a drawing specifiying what extra lumber, splice plates, etc., are needed to safely support your load. (Get the weight from the mfr, not by guessing.) Then you will have a credible work plan to execute against. (Also sleep better when snow storms occur while the cap is suspended.)

4 load points would distribute the load weight over more strusses. Having each load point tie into a 2x6 that spans the top side of multiple bottom plates sounds very easy to accomplish.

 

[The Bean]

From his plan (see my post #26), the load OP wants to support is located at the girder truss. There are no common trusses to one side, so a 2x6 over four common trusses does nothing. The load can not be distributed if it is at the end of the proposed 2x6.
I think most comments have failed to note this.

 

[sleek98]

BCDL Bottom cord dead load is 25 per your plans, I believe that is 25# per sq foot. Subtract off the weight of drywall and insulation. Most trusses when I looked were in the 5-10# range. so the extra might have been factored in for the air handler.

 

[The Bean]

Can one of you who is suggesting multiple support points please show where that works in the plan?

OP, can you confirm that the red circle you drew is correctly indicating where you want to support the load and that it falls on the GIRDER TRUSS?

Note: this is my last post to this thread. GOOD LUCK.

 

[superduty1]

Can one of you who is suggesting multiple support points please show where that works in the plan?

OP, can you confirm that the red circle you drew is correctly indicating where you want to support the load and that it falls on the GIRDER TRUSS?

Note: this is my last post to this thread. GOOD LUCK.

My circle is a rough estimate of where I want the anchor to be. I will go in the attic and double check things.