Lifting Trusses

[Kiwi55]

Anyone got any tips, trick, or particularly easy to build jigs for lifting and positioning roof trusses?
The cabin is single story but with the post and beam foundation I will need to lift the trusses a bit over 10' to top the walls.
Trusses are 6:12 (about 7 1/2' high)

Thanks...Paul

[NM_Shooter]

In the past, I've flipped them upside down, and pushed one end up so that it sits on a top plate, then push the other side up onto the top plate.  Then slide them into position, and roll them upright. 

You have to watch the span sometimes, and the type of truss.  For instance, a scissor truss can get a bit noodle-ish in the middle.  But I've done this for trusses with a flat bottom chord of 20' length with no problems.  You probably want to have a helper or two to keep the ends on the plates so that they don't skid around at inopportune times.

-f-

P.S.   This is assuming that you can still get the truss inside the building....

If not, you may need to put the trusses upside down next to the gable end of the wall, and pull it up using ropes from each end.  Once you get it above the plate. Let it hang upside down on the plate and slide it into position.  If these are 2X4 trusses they are usually not heavy at all and 2 guys can handle them easily.  2X6 are a little more difficult but not bad.

[harry51]

Paul,

Three of us installed trusses with all parts made of 2x4 df and a 3/12 pitch by hand on top of 9' walls years ago. It was a garage building with no inside walls, only the perimeter walls.

We put them up from inside the walls, one end at a time, using one man on a ladder and two helping from the ground, with the truss upside down, always as close to its final location as possible.

Beginning with the truss at one end of the building, when both ends were up on the walls, we rotated the peak of the truss up, then ladder man nailed it to temporary vertical 2x4's nailed to the end wall. (Clamp would have been better)

When we tilted the second one up, we put 1x4's across them, two boards on each side, one near the peak, one about 3' up from the wall, to hold it up. Ladder man balanced it upright, and the ground men climbed another ladder to nail the 1x's.

As we progressed, we came to a point where the peak of the truss would barely clear the other end wall when it was rotated. At that point, we had to put all the remaining trusses up, standing them in a group against the ones already braced in place. This amounted to the last 3, IIRC.  We nailed temporary vertical braces to the second end wall, and manhandled the end truss against them, then worked the others into place.

Once we had them all on the marks and the rafter tails lined up, we toenailed them to the top plate, and installed the purlins and freeze blocks.

Here's a link to a CountryPlans page showing pics of BishopKnight setting trusses in what looks to be a similar way:

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=5386.msg74577#msg74577

Now, the truck that delivers them sometimes has a boom and will set them across the walls in piles. Then you move them into position and set them much as we did. They may even set each truss if you talk to the driver right....

[Bishopknight]

After reading your post, I updated my page with these details about how we did it.

We brought the trusses in upside down so they'd fit through the doorway and sat them on the ends of the walls so they'd be ready. Next a 20" 2x6 was nailed to the top plate next to the OC marking. Then me and Sean got up on each end and held the truss ends while the strong guy (Runar) flipped the truss into place. Note: You get a sudden pull from the truss as it wants to slide away from you. Around a 50 lb sudden jerk. But one hand is enough to do it. Then when its flipped up, you take the metal truss bracers and lock the previous truss with the new truss, then nail the baseplate in place, then the bracers in place.

[n74tg]

I used the same basic methods listed above to put up my 30' trusses about two weeks ago.  Roof pitch is a little over 4 in 12, so max truss height was about 5.5 feet tall.  Only, I added the use of a block and tackle and a 4x4 column (12' tall).  The wall tops were 9.5' tall.  Into the top of the column a 1/2" x 6" lag bolt was screwed.  The block and tackle hung off that lag bolt.   My trusses weighed 160 lbs each.

To mount and secure the column in place I screwed a 2' x 5' piece of OSB to the column along one of the 5' sides.  The other 5' side was screwed to one of my wall studs, about 5 screws each side.  Additionally, I braced it with one 2x4x12'.  This mount was very solid and secure. 

Using the block and tackle, just lift that truss end up above the wall plate and then as you lower it back down have your helper push the truss a little toward that wall.  That will set the truss heel down on top of the wall.  Then slide the truss wherever you need it and rotate it up.

If you want a more detailed description, read my blog (address below).  Pay particular attention to the safety problem at the end of the post.   

In retrospect a 2x4 column probably would have worked too; I just felt better using a 4x4. 

Good luck with it.

[akemt]

We used trusses for our addition and had 4 people helping put them in place.  They spanned the 30' width of the addition but were made of 2 x 4 material and fairly light.  We took some reject 2 x 4's and put another board cross-wise toward the top to use as a lifting/positioning tool.  My mother and I manned these from the ground while my husband and brother-in-law were on the top plates at the exterior walls.  This made it easy to slide them into place without them falling over and causing a domino effect.  Then we nailed the bracing into place as we went across.

I think the two men just man-handled them up in the first place, probably just as described above.  I was taking the kids to a babysitter at that point...

Best of luck!

[cordwood]

 I hate seeing people do the "flipover" thing with trusses. If your truss is not solid it can split in the middle or partialy pull out the gangnails. (They have very little design strength that way)
Get a tractor with a front end loader on it and load the trusses and then use it for the other dirt work you need to do, There always seems to be a need for some dirt work

[n74tg]

When I "flipped" (rotated) my trusses, on the first truss I noticed that when the truss was halfway thru the rotation (ie parallel to the floor) that it wanted to sag a good bit (on my 30' span I'd say it sagged easily 12" to 18").  I didn't like that at all, I could just imagine it trying to loosen the pressed-in plates that held the truss together.

So, on every other truss I made sure one helper was on a T-shaped brace that would catch the bottom chord of each truss and prevent truss sag as we rotated it.   The T-brace main leg was the same height as the outside walls.  We didn't see any sag on any of the remainiung trusses.   

Note of caution:  My first "T" was only 8" across.  As the first few trusses rotated up, the bottom chord would walk across the T and try to come off the other side.  So we increased the T to 12"; that worked much better.

[Bishopknight]

Cordwood,

I hate seeing people do the "flipover" thing with trusses.

Get a tractor with a front end loader on it and load the trusses

With all due respect, that's easier said than done. Neither my backhoe bucket or loader would have helped lift the middle trusses into place. We did use it on the gable end truss, sure, but it was tricky and a pain to release the rope lifting it. A crane could have been rented for about $1200 but why do that when a suitable safe method is attainable flipping them up with 3 men? We had no bending at the middle when Runar was pushing them up.

[NM_Shooter]

I had no problems with my 20' trusses either. 

Heck...If you are worried about them bending a bit, sister up a 16' 2X4 on the bottom chord with clamps till you get them upright.  But using a middle person to keep the center under control should fix any problems before they start.  These trusses just don't weigh enough to be a problem.

[Bishopknight]

I'll be the first to admit, Trusses are definitely not strong laid on their side. That's where the middle carrier is essential.

If someone can afford to rent a crane, by all means, go for it. I'm not one to discourage anyone. But when you go with an expensive crane, you're sort of moving away from the true reasons of being a owner-builder DIYer where saving money is usually of tantamount concern.

[cordwood]

In the 80's I rolled trusses on hundreds of houses but the way we did it back then would surely get fifty comments from the safety crew on here. Walking plates takes some practice and an overall disregard for gravity, But loading all the trusses first and them placing them has always been my method of choice. (A front end loader can put them up in a bundle easily)
With a lookout sticking out of one wall end 3 guys can easily load trusses manually. If you prefer walking on scaffolding that's about 18" below the top plate then do that. But when we had to load by hand we would load a truss on the lookout at the birdsmouth with 2 up and 1 on the ground lift the truss up to the top plate and set the against a brace (most had "rake walls" back then) but a 2X6 stinger will work.
The biggest problems I have seen "flipping" the truss came from not getting the truss from flat to vertical the first time, Someone either gets pulled of the top or the guy in the middle gets slammed by the swinging pendulum. Interior walls make it half impossible from the inside and if your ground slopes away (which it should) it can take a VERY LONG pole to upright a truss on the outside.
I have only seen a crane used when the house was over 2 stories or one was already on site for another reason. I would never think of ever renting one for myself or suggest it to anyone else unless there was no other way.
But if you load all your trusses on one end and start setting them from the other end 2 guys can truss a large house before lunch. 5 guys used to make 2 crews, 2 up on the house and 1 runner for both crews and if you couldn't get 6 basic layouts rolled a day you were looking for work elsewhere.

[Kiwi55]

I can probably get a front tractor with a bucket on front, but I wasnt sure it would have enough reach to get the trusses on top. I was also concerned (maybe I should be) that the walls would hold the weight of all th etrusses at once. (But then I guess I dont have to put them all up at once.

If the loader will reach I'll use this method.

I will have one interior wall that would get in the way of the flip up method. (But I could always get the trusses up before building that wall).

I was thinking about building a jig using a pully system that would let me pull the truss straight up the wall (truss would be upright) and then rotate into position. But I would still need some method of 'walking" the truss into place.

Thanks for the suggestions...Paul

[n74tg]

When I put my trusses up several weeks ago, we hung 9 of them upside down close together at the end of the first day.  I wanted to get them off the ground ASAP, so that's why we did it. 

All I did to reinforce the walls was just put in an extra wall brace on each side.  The next day we positioned the nine trusses and rolled them up; no problems with the wall. 

Here's a pic