Lifting a 640lb Beam 8'

[ddawg16]

A major accomplishment today....I got the center beam of my garage raised.....this beam weighs about 640lbs and I had to get it up 8'....by myself.

I used 2 come-alongs to lift the beam....each one was rated for 1000 lb so they were not stressed lifting 350 lbs each. For safety, I hung a rope under each end and would tighten it as I raised each end.

Overall it took me about 1hr to actually raise the beam....preperation took a lot longer as is the normal case.

Now I get to do the floor joists.....

Amost in postion...

Now in position

Finished result

 

[RobertG]

Wow, that's pretty creative. I'm far too lazy to do that and would have gone to a rental center and rented a reach forklift or a boomtruck. Good job man.

 

[GSSFC]

Nicely done! I would have just lifted with one arm and nailed with the other, but to each his own!

Tim

 

[IDASHO]

Great job doing it yourself!

This is how I install heavy stuff overhead

I just grab a truck from work.

 

[tfi racing]

Wow, that's pretty creative. I'm far too lazy to do that and would have gone to a rental center and rented a reach forklift or a boomtruck. Good job man.

Yeah,some of us are just too stubborn and have to do it the hard way just to prove a point.Good job,I probably would have done it the same way!

 

[sam 8]

I work alone on a regular basis, don't wanna wait til the boys are around.
Kudos to you.

 

[Bear]

I am interseted in the beam size and what you are supporting with it? I am looking at putting in a mezzanine in my shop with a simular glue lam with a 23' span. How do you determine the size with out going to an engineer?

 

[bchee]

Nice job. That ladder on the left is super strong!!!!

 

[2LTim]

Nicely done! I would have just lifted with one arm and nailed with the other, but to each his own!

Tim

Tim:
You must eat a keg of nails for breakfast, and do other unspeakable things to get your heart started evey morning!!
I can relate,
Tim

 

[ddawg16]

Bear....the beam is 16"H x 7"W x 20'L......final garage is 20' x 25 (top 20' x 27')
I had to get engineering done on the design......even though this is just a 'garage', there will be an attic that is strong enough for a second floor....basically, it's a 2 story building....even though it's just a 'garage'.

They used 20 yards of concrete in the foundation alone.....you should see some of the anchor bolts I have.....when I'm done, there garge is going to be bullet proof.....

Tomorrow I'll start hanging the 2'x8' floor joists.....

 

[fotoflojoe]

Holy ****! That's one massive beam! What are you putting on the second floor, a full blown machine shop?!?

Serious kudos and admiration for coming up with a way to "fly it in" by yourself!

 

[Bevis]

good job...that's how I lift thing by myself too.

 

[mmg440]

Nice resourcefulness to get the job done. It would been nice to have one helper just to raise the second come-along so you wouldn't of had to go back and fourth up and down each ladder a lot of times to keep the beam somewhat level as it was brought up into place.

 

[Bear]

Thanks John - that is about the same size as mine will be. Here is another system we used to lift my roof system after building it on the ground.





Using hand winches from HF with the handles removed. Cranked them with a 1/2" drill from the ground. Used 6 of them and it worked like a champ.

 

[c39er]

I also raised a 6"x21"x28' long glue lam beam by myself. Engine hoist at one end and a ***-a-long at the other.

 

[mmhouse]

That looks and sounds like a great garage...and a fun project.

I commend you for being resourceful and creative. I enjoy doing projects by myself and figuring out how I'm going to accomplish a particular task like lifting your beam. Sometimes I'll think about it for days (various options) before I finally decide how to attack it. I guess I just enjoy challenges.

Here I am lifting hollow composite columns over 6x6 beams embedded in concrete while building a pergola over my patio.

 

[PAToyota]

It is things like this that led me to the decision to purchase my Bobcat.