Installing trusses without one of the gable ends

[Farmer Mark]

Hey Guys. Long time watcher here.
I have a question. I'm building a shop by myself. 40x60. I have the walls up except one gable end. I want to use my tractor and lift the trusses up with an attachment and drive into the shop through the open end. The open end ends are braced, as is the whole building. I can't see any problem with this idea. As the trusses go up starting at the finished gable end the structure should be more and more secure and the open end will be added at the end of the trusses. Am I missing something?? Thank you.

 

[The Cobbler]

as long as the walls are well braced so they can splay outwards ( or inwards) I see no problem , other than it might be more difficult to get the gable wall in place at the end

 

[LopezBart]

I'd brace both ends securely, and run string lines say 2" outside the walls. As the trusses go up and are fastened to the walls, keep an eye on that 2" spacing. Also, of course cross brace those trusses as you put them up. With wood trusses, they're essentially pinned at the walls; cross bracing is essential to keep them from tipping. Once the roof sheathing is in place, of course, it can be removed.

If you can draft some helpers, to help locate the truss ends, it will go a _lot_ faster. With the loader tine extension we made shown below, it was difficult to lower the metal trusses in small (< 1") amounts; the chain hoist made it easier to precisely control the placement.



When we built the barn with the gambrel roof below, we lifted each wooden truss end onto the walls upside down, and then rotated the truss into position; no crane was used. We were a lot younger then.... There's a cross brace used during construction still visible in the upper left...

 

[cvairwerks]

Setting the trusses from one end to the other and then setting the one gable end is done all the time. I've even seen them set all the trusses on top and at one end, then the crew walks each one into position and secures it. Lots of ways to do it, depending on manpower and weather.

 

[Farmer Mark]

as long as the walls are well braced so they can splay outwards ( or inwards) I see no problem , other than it might be more difficult to get the gable wall in place at the end

Yea I just started to think of the difficulties of raising the wall with the trusses set. I've been doing them with an excavator from connections at the top. Now the trusses will obviously be in the way. I'll have to think on it. Great advice Cobbler, thanks.

 

[Farmer Mark]

I'd brace both ends securely, and run string lines say 2" outside the walls. As the trusses go up and are fastened to the walls, keep an eye on that 2" spacing. Also, of course cross brace those trusses as you put them up. With wood trusses, they're essentially pinned at the walls; cross bracing is essential to keep them from tipping. Once the roof sheathing is in place, of course, it can be removed.

If you can draft some helpers, to help locate the truss ends, it will go a _lot_ faster. With the loader tine extension we made shown below, it was difficult to lower the metal trusses in small (< 1") amounts; the chain hoist made it easier to precisely control the placement.



When we built the barn with the gambrel roof below, we lifted each wooden truss end onto the walls upside down, and then rotated the truss into position; no crane was used. We were a lot younger then.... There's a cross brace used during construction still visible in the upper left...

Great advice

 

[Farmer Mark]

Great advice LopezBart. Cool attachment on the loader! Fancy windows! Thanks.

 

[Farmer Mark]

Setting the trusses from one end to the other and then setting the one gable end is done all the time. I've even seen them set all the trusses on top and at one end, then the crew walks each one into position and secures it. Lots of ways to do it, depending on manpower and weather.

Yea you'd think it was done all the time but I just couldn't find anything on the internet to say I was right. Should have come here first. Thanks cvairwerks.