best method to lift a header beam

[Boones]

I would like to get some ideas on how to handle a portion of my garage build.

I am building a 24x48 garage with two 18x8 garage doors on 10 ft walls. I am using 4x14 laminated headers above the door openings. I have come to the point where it is time to start building the front wall (the back and sides are done and tilted into place)

What is the best way to build the front wall and install this very heavy header beam. I do not think I can build it laying down and tilt it up

Do I build the basic wall with out the header and then find a way to lift it. Is there anything out there that can be rented for a reasonable price to aid this process.

any suggestions would be great..


Here is a quick snap shot from the other day, its a little further along now

 

[sirwin]

I used my engine hoist with a truck bed extender on the end. This gave me the reach to get the beam up to spand my 18X10 opening. To handle the added weight of the beam I used old weights on the back. This has worked out very well and I still am using this to pull the body off of my 55 Chevy truck.

 

[kbs2244]

I have never done bigger than a 24 wide x 10 high with a 16 x 8 hole in it.
We built it on the floor and lifted it up with wall jacks the same as the others.
We did nail a stiffener across the bottom of the door hole and some diagonals to keep it from twisting.
I guess if I was to do a longer wall I would break it into sections no longer than 24 feet.
It would mean an extra stud at the ends, but it would be a lot easier.

 

[twostory]

I installed a LVL beam for an 18ft wide garage door. The header was actually two LVL, (20ft x 16inch tall). I got them up with two ladders and two people. We raised them one at a time, then bolted them together at their final resting place.

 

[boiler7904]

If you don't already have the headers, see if you can get 2x14 material, raise them individually, and then nail / bolt them together in place. A lot lighter and safer.

If you're set on using 4x14 material, nail some 2x4s horizontally to the jack studs to give you a place to rest the beam as you lift it in 18 or 24" increments until you get to the height you really need. You could probably lift it one end at a time using this approach meaning you need less help.

Crane, forklift, and tractor with loader and chains / straps would be my first, second, and third choices in a perfect world.

 

[nonhog]

We did my 22' (after the walls where up)with 3 guys and one stood there watching.
A couple ladders and your golden
PM me if you need a hand, I work in Auburn.

 

[FunfDreisig]

I built the wall wo/ the headers and then lifted them into place (9' high opening) using my Kubota's pallet forks and a strap. The largest header was 24'x16"x5 1/4" LVL with a 24"x2x6 upper door jam already attached. The smaller ones were only 12'x9 1/2x3 1/2" with jams attached.

But I have also placed 4 - 36'x16"x3 1/4" GLULAMS onto posts 14' high by hand. It took 4 guys 2 COSCO ladders and a pair of 'lift stairs' made of scrap 2x6. The lift stairs had landings roughly 4" wide roughly every 4ft up. This allowed us to lift the GLULAM up 4 ft at a time and rest in between lifts. The reason for the COSCO (or Little Giant) ladders is that one guy can go up each side of a COSCO ladder a the same time -- 4 guys, only two ladders.

Funf Dreisig

 

[Tom2]

If you don't already have the headers, see if you can get 2x14 material, raise them individually, and then nail / bolt them together in place. A lot lighter and safer.

I like that idea.. I would imagine that is plenty strong to hold the load.
Something that one/two people can easily do.

Otherwise I would probably adapt an engine hoist like others have done.

 

[ddawg16]

I installed a couple of 2x6's that stuck up in the air about 6' above the top of the plate.....attached a come-along to the top of each one....wraped the cable around the beam and lifted....this is how I got my center PSL beam that weighed in at 650lbs up into place...

Took me about 2 hours to set up...30 min to get into place.

 

[ml504]

When I lifted several heavy steel beams I rented a Genie material lift from the local rental place. It only cost me $80 for the day. You can check them out on Genie's website. They go up to 18ft high and have a weight capacity of 650lbs. I have attached a pic for reference. Although it may not look safe, it was very sturdy.

 

[atillett]

OK, i work as a two man crew, when we have to lift a very heavy header, we always temporarily nail a couple or three 2x4"s to the cripple and the 2 remaining studs next to them so you have to nail into the cripple and to the studs next to it..Then the fun part, have two guys lift one side of the beam onto the temporary support Sometimes we add a upright to prevent it from sliding off, then move onto the other side then lift up the remaining side....It will not just slide in, but usually has to be persuaded by a big hammer so watch both sides and be very careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Do not i repeat do not let it fall on you........if you need to buy a third person a beer and have them assist you do it and play it safe........(disclaimer)My experience only take it or leave it.......

 

[atillett]

I just re read your post, if you have a 18' opening you need a 18'6" header.......You need to put a double cripple when you have a opening that size......and you need to put the wall up first then the header in place..........Some towns even want you to put a triple cripple in place,so in turn your header would have to be 18'9".............

 

[rsanter]

2 options
manpower, get a bunch of friends
machinepower, rent a forklift

bob

 

[Boones]

Thanks guys. The 4x14 laminated beam that is 19' long and i do plan to do a triple cripple.

I was not aware of a wall jack so that is an idea (good idea with the lower brace) and the gennie rental option is also possible.

I had been thinking of using the two ladder route and lifting one step at a time, moving the ladder in each time. (I have one of those gorrella expandable multi-position ladders so I have lots of height and adjustments

I will let you all know how it goes.. (this weekend is our big goodguys car show, so it will be the saturday after next.. (now back to lurking and reading about which lift to use - half of the garage is having attic trusses the other with scissor trusses so their will be plenty of height..)

 

[FunfDreisig]

Getting the beam up to the right height is only part of the problem. Getting the beam slid into place, even on triple cripples/jacks, while holding the beam vertical and square to the opening is what takes the most muscle power (people or machine) because you are holding it in the air the longest. Having a temporary cripple at both ends (fastened to the inside of the real cripples) lets you set it down at the right height, get it square and then slip it in over the real cripples.

I like to screw a 2x4 'back stop' on the other side of each end of the opening so I can't push the beam to far. The backstops also help to get the beam set flush.

Funf Dreisig

 

[Bustawrench]

The best method....................

Rent a sign crane....cost about $400.00 for a half day, with an operator.

 

[IDASHO]

Why would you need a sign crane?

I see no sign....

Call up a local building supply outfit that uses knuckle-boom trucks.

We charge just $30 in town, + $90/hr for boom jobs.

One or two beams would be a 20 minute job.

Working at such a place, I can use one as I need one, so I use them quite often. They are VERY handy.

A triple stage boom will give you a 30-35 ft reach.

 

[Boones]

now that boom truck would solve my other question/ problem. how I am going to stand the trusses up once they are lifted onto the roof by the truss company...

 

[rwhite692]

+1 on renting the proper equipment.

The cost is minimal, it will be much safer, and will get done faster.

 

[metal1313]

i've lifted beams into place with one other person helping, and they couldnt do much. i used scaffolding at either end of the opening. and worked back and forth from either side. since i had rungs on the scafolding every foot or so i would lift one end of the beam up and my helper slid a peice of pipe under the beam and i set it down on that.

personally i see no need for a boom lift or anything like that. if your doing it with out much help rent a material lift. get the beam to height and postioned and then put in the cripples or supports. someone else mentioned adding a temp peice to make sure you get the beam flush to the outside wall. i do the same and then adjust with a bfh and a block tacked to the beam to prevent damage

 

[IDASHO]

now that boom truck would solve my other question/ problem. how I am going to stand the trusses up once they are lifted onto the roof by the truss company...

Normally you set them upside down, or across a few walls.

Then you "roll" them into place. It sounds harder than it is.

That said, I used a truck to set each and every one of them.

 

[FunfDreisig]

now that boom truck would solve my other question/ problem. how I am going to stand the trusses up once they are lifted onto the roof by the truss company...

In industrialized countries we usually opt for modern machines to reduce the labor (e.g. cranes, fork lifts, tractors, etc.) But some of the worlds greatest structural wonders were built before these machines even existed. Their builders used manpower and mechanical advantage supplied by much simpler machines: the incline wedge, screw, ropes & pulleys, etc. Yes they take more time but they are very effective. Trusses can be quickly lifted with a crane. But they can also be lifted with a few long pieces of lumber in conjunction with ropes & pulleys, come-a-longs, etc. The choice is yours.

Funf Dreisig

 

[Old Moparz]

The two steel I-beams in the photo were set in place inside my garage with a rented platform lift. I did this with only my wife, & the hardest part was figuring out a way to rotate each one so it rested over the walls. The beams are 24 feet long & weigh over 600 pounds each, but the depth of the garage where they were placed was 22 feet deep.

Long story short, I built a rotating platform with plywood, 2x6's & (believe it or not) a swivel from an old console style, color TV.....LOL. This rested on the platform lift forks, then the beam rested on top & could be spun easily. It was strapped down with a ratchet tie down to keep it steady. I had to raise the beams directly from under their final, center point which meant that they had to be raised skewed to fit between the front & rear walls.

You can do the same with the laminated beam by setting up in the center of the garage door opening. The laminated beam should be lighter & easier to move & you may not need the swivel, just a few extra people to move it on the lift after it's raised.

Steel Beams:

Rented platform lift: (Genie)

 

[ddawg16]

This was how I did it......one come-along at each end.....went up easier than I expected.....

 

[FunfDreisig]

This was how I did it......one come-along at each end.....went up easier than I expected.....

Quick question. Did you install the king studs under the beam after the lift?

That would work with headers too. Lift them vertically into place using come-a-longs and then install the cripples, and let the header down onto the cripples.

Funf Dreisig

p.s. please forgive me if that method was obvious to everyone else.

 

[zark]

About 10 years ago I removed a 16' section of non-load bearing wall that separated my kitchen and living area. That section was replaced with a beam on posts (triple cripples). The beam was made with 1/2" ply sandwiched between 2x12s, glued and screwed. The beam wasn't really necessary but I wanted it to match the headers above the openings in the two rooms.

I lifted the beam by myself by constructing four 2' wide ladders out of 2x4s from the wall demo. Each had a 4' long "foot". Rungs were spaced at a distance of about the height I could easily lift one end of the beam minus 4". Each ladder had about 4 rungs.

With the beam in place on the floor, I started by straddling each end with two ladders (I seem to recall that I connected each set of ladders with a 2x4 base and set each end of the beam on that).

For the actualy lifting, I would lift an end and put a 4x4 across the rungs of the ladder, move to the other end and do the same. After each lift I would screw/nail a brace across both sides of the ladders under the beam. The lift progressed this way and the ladders turned into towers that became more structurally sound as the lift progressed.

Since it has been so long ago, I don't recall if I had fastened the ladders to the bottom of the trusses or not. But the the towers were very stable. This might not help in your situation but it may give you some ideas.

Kurt

 

[ddawg16]

Quick question. Did you install the king studs under the beam after the lift?

Yes.....

Actually....since I was using 2x8's for floor joists....I nailed the end joist to the end of the beam making sure the tops were perfectly aligned....then I let it down on top of the top plate so that the outside joist was holding up the beam....then I cut to size the support beam (4x8) making sure it had a little 'extra' to insure that it was carrying the load and not the end floor joist.

 

[KCarGuy]

We had a "Beam Lifting Party". After building and installing all the walls on my 25X30 Garage, we had the pockets ready for the beam.
The Beam was dropped in my driveway and then it was up to us.
(the power lines to my rance style house hang fairly low, so trucks cannot go all the way down my driveway.)
I want to say that there was 3 guys on each end. and we built platforms to stand on.
It went in pretty quickly and easily...fit perfect. and rang like a bell once it was dropped into place.

 

[Boones]

I ended up reserving a Gennie material lift, picking it up tomorrow.

Still trying to figure out how i will do the trusses. might hire some help since I am doing during the work week (taking vacation) and all my friends are working. Thought about using a larger telescoping man life and attaching the top to the lift to the bucket and raising the end up and then fastening it to the walls and bracing.

 

[scotstern]

All of these ideas are valid and make sense. I have one more for you to consider that I would try if I were putting up a header. Simply buy a garage lift for your cars, place the header on the lift and take it up into position.

Now I understand all of the reasons why this won't work, but I would certainly give it a try.......at least with my wife. Afterwards, I would explain that I would keep the "header lift" as a useful garage tool that, oh by the way, happens to also lift a car.

Scot

 

[FunfDreisig]

...Now I understand all of the reasons why this won't work, but I would certainly give it a try.......at least with my wife. Afterwards, I would explain that I would keep the "header lift" as a useful garage tool that, oh by the way, happens to also lift a car.

Scot

You're a brave man Scot. I hope you live to tell us how this worked out for you -- with all your natural appendages still intact

Funf Dreisig

BTW Welcome!