To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Setting Trusss without a Crane

ddurrett896

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2015
Messages
994
Location
VA
Have (14) 27' trusses and (6) 21' trusses to set this weekend on 11' walls. Might have a crane sourced, but want a contingency plan.

Really not trying to manually lift up the walls. I've seen duct lifts used to raise and place. Anyone got a recommendation?

The garage is attached to my house so I only have access from one side. Thanks!
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
OP
D

ddurrett896

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2015
Messages
994
Location
VA
3 guys.

Thought about a telehandler but I need some serious reach - maybe like 50'.
 

Aerospace Eng

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2019
Messages
93
Location
Zelienople, PA
3 guys.

Thought about a telehandler but I need some serious reach - maybe like 50'.

Why do you need this much reach for 11' walls?
Can't drive the telehandler on the slab or down the middle if it is still dirt?

I have a mid '90s VR90, and it both took down trusses for some pole-barn type hangars the airport was getting rid of, and set the large trusses for my hangar (65' span, about 2500 lb of steel) 25' or so up. On the first hangar we had used a crane that the airport manager had but had subsequently sold. The telehandler was way faster.
 

Chris705

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
834
Location
The Finger Lakes of NY
I have helped set many roof trusses as "Gungatim" stated in post #2.....works well, and you can stack the trusses up to make sure you can swing the last 4-6 trusses up-right. At a minimum 3 would be needed to work this way, a couple more to be go-fers/helpers would be better. The trick is to get the truss upright quickly, using the momentum of the swing.....keep in mind I was helping to set standard trusses, not attic or scissor trusses.....A really good tool to help swing the trusses upright is a fireman's pike pole, where the point and hook meet is where you want to lay onto the metal plate at the peak. Ground person manning the pole pushes through & up while the two guys on the wall, hold secure and help to swing upright.....works well. Good Luck with however you proceed!
 

JPinSTL

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
98
Location
Stanton, MO
how many helpers do you have? I helped do my BIL's garage, 24' trusses on 10' walls. we just lifted one end up at a time and set on the wall (truss upside down), then used a long pole to flip the pointy end up with a guy on the ladder to nail to a temporary brace. 3 of us did them all in a matter of hours.

We did something similar. 24ft trusses on a 12ft wall. 3 guys needed. Walk each end up the ladder. Lift them up and set upside down. Ground guy gets them started to flip and pushes with a 2x4. End guys continue the roll and secure.

Not sure what your spacing is? We were doing a pole barn and had 8ft centers. Screwing a wobble board to the truss meant the guy on the ground could hold it vertical while getting it positioned and secured. The wobble board made it very easy.
 

joe_padavano

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
1,788
Location
Northern VA
how many helpers do you have? I helped do my BIL's garage, 24' trusses on 10' walls. we just lifted one end up at a time and set on the wall (truss upside down), then used a long pole to flip the pointy end up with a guy on the ladder to nail to a temporary brace. 3 of us did them all in a matter of hours.

^^^THIS. I've set 24ft trusses on three out buildings this way. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. Now, for the 36ft trusses on my other building, I did have to use a telehandler. Those trusses were just too floppy to set one end at a time.
 

Zaxxn

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 19, 2017
Messages
241
Location
CT, USA / Germany
Friend of mine who does tree work came over with his bucket truck which worked perfectly to lift 28' trusses onto 14' walls. Had one guy stabilizing the truss with a rope attached to the end of it and two guys on each side nailing them down. We got done with 25 trusses including bracing, lookouts and everything in about 7h.

--Zax
 

klassenl

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
713
Location
Southern Alberta
I did 18 rafters at 24 feet all by myself when I built my garage. Lifted one end on one wall. Lifted the other end and then flipped up the middle. There was maybe only 2 times I thought I was going to die.
 

HoosierMark

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Messages
1,438
Location
Southeast IN
My pole barn builder used his bucket truck to set the 36 foot trusses 5 foot apart 14 foot high on my pole barn. He had three experienced helpers. The bucket truck it idea,l as is the prep work to have the right lumber in the right place.
 

kwb

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
1,769
Location
PNW
I had a small scissor lift and we had one guy in the lift, one on each wall. 36' span.

Trusses were delivered to the top plate so we just had to drag them off the stack and finish rolling up 90 degrees.

Telehandler is another good way to go. Did my brothers shop that way, three packs at a time with temporary cribbing that was fine tuned once on the top plate.

Forklift is another easy way if you have the floor in place.
 

bad_idea

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
Messages
4,330
Location
Pasquotank, NC
Hire a framing crew. A small side job like that should only take them a few hours. Couple hundred bucks and they will be on their way. Should be cheaper than a crane. I framed the walls of my shop and then paid a guy to come in and put the trusses up and sheath walls and roof. I got in a crunch for time and had to get the build closed in before everything got ruined by the continuous rain we had last summer. Best money I spent on the build, was not looking forward to hefting all that sheathing up.

I am down in Elizabeth City, not sure if the guy I used would be interesting in traveling up to VA Beach. PM me if you would like his info. I went down to the local lumber yard and asked the manager for recommendations. I won't say he was amazing but his work and price were matched. Not the best work but decent and not the most expensive but not cheap.

The next best thing would be to drive by a construction site where they are framing and ask them if they want to make some side money. I'm sure they are framing houses somewhere in VA Beach right about now.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Kaizen

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Messages
6,938
Location
New England
your pitch is important. 4/12 is way lighter then 8/12. Also having the peak at say 6 feet above wall height vs 12 is a big difference.
 

firebirdparts

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
10,578
Location
Kingsport, TN
I have only ever set them by hand. It's easy. Just put them on the house upside down and push on the point. Get a man to support the bottom chord when you invert it, but when it bows down you'll know exactly when you need that.
 

mrobins297aaa

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
3,283
Location
south east michigan
this is how they set mine, there 36' with 4/12 pitch
 

Attachments

  • DSCN6227.jpg
    DSCN6227.jpg
    156.7 KB · Views: 138
  • DSCN6223.jpg
    DSCN6223.jpg
    152.8 KB · Views: 138
  • DSCN6224.jpg
    DSCN6224.jpg
    148.1 KB · Views: 140
  • DSCN6229.jpg
    DSCN6229.jpg
    151.3 KB · Views: 134
  • DSCN6230.jpg
    DSCN6230.jpg
    151.9 KB · Views: 131
  • DSCN6232.jpg
    DSCN6232.jpg
    149 KB · Views: 131

matt_i

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
10,722
Location
SE Michigan
Forklift is another easy way if you have the floor in place.

I used this method, cushion tired forklift, but a couple of issues to think thru with any lifter that can't go off the concrete...

...it has to go high enough to engage the peak, I didn't have enough travel on my mast and had to remove the forks and replace with a "post" with a couple of hooks which was a weldment I created here.

...at some point the forklift has to turn around to set the last few feet of trusses due to the counterweight end being too close to a wall. Eventually the "lifter" has to be withdrawn thru the 22-1/2" slot that's left, which rules out most standard forks.

...there also becomes an issue as the truss field is built and the daylight is being closed out, if the trusses are inside the walls, they have to be raised on a diagonal so the tails can clear the top plates of the walls (assume stud here). Eventually there won't be enough room for the diagonal. This requires putting more trusses up as a group in the center and building from the endwalls back, and finishing somewhere near the center.

I helped my neighbor who had access to a rough terrain forklift/shooting boom/telehandler. With 12' walls it required some thinking thru the geometry and using a chain so the arm could clear over the wall from outside after lowering. This was a much wider and taller building and the reach of the forklift arm was maxed out.
 

mmb617

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
4,424
Location
PA
I did 18 rafters at 24 feet all by myself when I built my garage. Lifted one end on one wall. Lifted the other end and then flipped up the middle. There was maybe only 2 times I thought I was going to die.

And here I thought I was the only one. I did mine all by myself too. 13 ft walls and 4/12 pitch. It's a lot of trips up and down ladders on both sides I will say that.
 

CraigStu

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2014
Messages
4,012
Location
Blacksburg, Va
Helped a friend 5 yrs ago. We had total of 4 guys. We made up 3 different length pusher poles which 2 guys used. Guy A starts w/ the shortest, guy B follows w/ the medium, and guy A comes in w/ the longest. We did the end trusses first and had 3 2x4s on the outside so we had something to lean the trusses against. Put maybe 3/4 of the trusses up and had one guy up there to nail in the spacer 2x4s. The did the last trusses which we stacked against the other end. Once all were up we walked them into position and nailed in the spacers. This was a 28 deep 36 wide garage and they were scissor trusses. I had never been involved in this before and was surprised that we had them all in about 6 hours. We got one row of osb up along the front lower edge of the roof also. He tried by himself to do more osb and quickly realized that hiring that done was the smart move. Like several here have said, he found a crew that did the osb and shingles and were done in < a day.
 

red61cj5

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Messages
3,738
Location
West Virginia
I set 28' trusses on 12'walls with 3 guys. Set one tail on wall, guy holds on wall. Walk other tail to opposite wall, set up and guy holds it there. 3rd guy takes long 2x4 with fork,( think of a lowercase letter y), and rolls up the peak. 2 wall guys hold it to previous truss with truss irons of appropriate span, and one wall guy sets the tail overhang. Nail down tails, (I like blocks rather than toe nailing) then nail to 2x4 spanners that hold in place until sheathing. A poorly run crane can be as dangerous as hand setting, or more.
 

Bobf

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
308
Location
Poway, CA
When I built my 24X30 Dixieline kit I did it alone with two 8' step ladders. Once you the end one up braced by a long 2X4 the rest go right up. Hang them up side down then swing em up and nail. Just remember the last 3-4 have to be swung up at the same time.
 

bgarrett

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Messages
4,393
I've been wondering how to do my building. I bought chicken house trusses that have 7 ft legs. I also got some 9 ft extensions (for 16 ft tall walls) that are not welded on yet. I could make the extensions bolt on. The trusses are 40 ft wide and bolt together in the middle. Its going to be flimsy until its up and X braced. How can I erect them by myself?
 
Last edited:

mvusse

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
87
Location
Strasburg, Ohio
When I set my trusses I was lucky enough to own a forklift. 12'6" tall walls, 28' trusses 4/12 pitch and a quad telescoping mast on the forklift with a reach of 20'. With two helpers we set 26 trusses in a half day. Did have to do a bit of advanced planning for the last few, We then spent the other day and a half of the weekend sheeting most of the roof, again using the forklift to lift the sheets (edgeways) in between the trusses.

Without the forklift we might have still been able to do it in a day, but we'd be a bit more tired.
 

C91x

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 26, 2015
Messages
267
Location
Prescott Valley
I set all the trusses myself on my pole barn using a material lift. The trusses were 36' 4/12 pitch and doubled up on each post.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom