lifting roof trusses with a fel

[top gnome]

Hi I know I wasI saw it somewhere on this site but I have some 22 ft roof trusses to lift up on to 10 ft walls. did someone make a boom that went on a bucket to lift the trusses? thank you

 

[pigdoc]

When I was building pole barns for a living, we used a boom made of 3x3 box steel that had a 'hook' welded to the bottom of it that slipped over the bottom edge of the loader bucket. It also had two long stabilizer rods that were attached to the far end of the boom, and to the upper corners of the bucket on the other end. There was also a receiver welded inside the bucket for the end of the boom. Just like a hitch receiver.

The boom we used was extendable - it had a smaller piece of box steel that slid inside the main boom, to variable lengths, set by a through-pin. A slip boom.

As I recall, the main boom was about 12 feet long, with the capacity to extend to 20 feet, with the slip boom extended all the way.

You could probably fab one up from scratch for about $300 of steel purchased from an industrial salvage place (like Moses B. Glick).

BTW, we used a couple of nylon web car towing straps to connect the truss to the boom. Place them where the longest diagonal attaches to the upper chord of the truss.

Ask me anything about building pole barns.

-Paul

 

[i7win7]

My trusses were around 250#, used 70's era Ford 4000 with loaded tires & heavy 3pt rear blade. Used a hydraulic boom pole bolted to pallet forks.

tested setup by lifting old engine block off the ground before ordering trusses. Can't recommend doing this with a modern tractor unless it's a larger AG tractor. Weight is your lifeline here.

 

[fried1765]

My trusses were around 250#, used 70's era Ford 4000 with loaded tires & heavy 3pt rear blade. Used a hydraulic boom pole bolted to pallet forks.
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tested setup by lifting old engine block off the ground before ordering trusses. Can't recommend doing this with a modern tractor unless it's a larger AG tractor. Weight is your lifeline here.

I lifted twenty four 50' trusses with my old Ford 3400 TLB

 

[Grandad4]

Hi I know I wasI saw it somewhere on this site but I have some 22 ft roof trusses to lift up on to 10 ft walls. did someone make a boom that went on a bucket to lift the trusses? thank you

I'm thinking you would need something bigger and heavier than a B2301 to be placing those trusses using an extension pole. I once did some 14 footers using a Grand L and it did fine, but we rented a telehandler for larger trusses.

 

[Captain13]

My trusses were 26 feet long when I built my shop (10 foot walls). We actually walked up one end at a time with a ladder and set it on the wall, then walked up the other end and set it on the wall. Once they were all up we walked them into position and then stood them up with a rope.

if you have pallet forks you could lift one end at time and slide them on the wall or put the top of the truss on the pallet forks and pick them up (upside down and work them on the wall and stand them up with a rope.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Only took 3 Mennanites(sp) to put trusses up down the road, 2 on the ground lift one end up onto top plate, 3rd lifts with rope as others help,trusses are facing upside down.....
Once all trusses up, 2 guys up top, one on ground,rope on peak is pulled by btm guy, truss 'swings' up, top guys position and nail the truss. 'repeat for the rest'.took less than 2 hours.
House next door, dutch crew, needed telehandler and a crew of SEVEN, took all day for 3x qty of trusses AND they dropped one......

 

[OntheRidge]

spend the $$$, hire a crane. I swung a lot of trusses when I ran a crane, best way to to do it.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lift+roof+trusses

 

[top gnome]

thank you for all the replies . I thought someone had a wooden 4x4 installed in a bucket with a winch but I could be mistaken . we are going to build a catwalk about 7 ft up the walls I think I can use the forks to set one end on the catwalk then the other end can be lifted with the forks and manually liffed the couple feet to get them on the cat walk then raise them the three feet to the top plate. The company had a boom truck last time I did this but no longer have one.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Given the option of catwalks vs 'man lift aka genielift ?' I'd rent the lift. FAR safer, faster too....NOT that you should be in a hurry.

Should prenail the 22.5" spacer 2by4s onto the trusses on the ground, it saves time 'up there' and safer....

 

[fried1765]

spend the $$$, hire a crane. I swung a lot of trusses when I ran a crane, best way to to do it.

"Rent a crane" ????
32 years ago, when I set 22 - 50 foot trusses, minimum crane rental quote (1/2 day} was $800.
THAT was 32 years ago!

With one (free) helper, I set them with my old Ford TLB with forks in 6 hours.
I placed 4 - 2x10x16's leaning on the sidewalls, then slid the trusses up on their flat sides.
Stood 1st truss up with a pole/pulley/rope.
After the 1st one was up, and braced, the rest were easy.

 

[top gnome]

thank you all for the replies. I will have the hurricane braces in place so once the trusses are up there we should be able to set them in the braces and get them to stay upright working off of the cat walk. I called the local home hardware and they rent a boom truck with an operator. so I may be able to get them set up on the top plate for 2-3 hundred dollars. If that is the case I will spend the money. I only have a helper for a few hours. So the more time we can spend pounding nails the better. Winter is coming.

 

[58Ford]

Are you ordering the trusses? If so ask them how much $$$ to have them placed on top of the walls. If they are delivering them they usually have a crane on the truck already.
If you are building your own trusses then you have great suggestions here.

 

[top gnome]

The truss maker no longer has a boom truck. they only roll off the trusses. and yes there are some great ideas here thank you all

 

[fried1765]

The truss maker no longer has a boom truck. they only roll off the trusses. and yes there are some great ideas here thank you all

Many truss builders have decided to abandon the "boom truck" concept for liability reasons.

 

[top gnome]

Just to thank everyone again the trusses came this morning. The boom truck guy stopped by yesterday and gave me some tips to get ready for the trusses. He came by at about 10:30 and set the trusses on the top plate he was here about 20 minutes and when I called home hardware it was $100. Me and one helper had all 15 trusses up and in the hurricane braces by lunch time. Maybe close to the best $100 I have spent lately.

 

[fried1765]

Just to thank everyone again the trusses came this morning. The boom truck guy stopped by yesterday and gave me some tips to get ready for the trusses. He came by at about 10:30 and set the trusses on the top plate he was here about 20 minutes and when I called home hardware it was $100. Me and one helper had all 15 trusses up and in the hurricane braces by lunch time. Maybe close to the best $100 I have spent lately.

That being $100 CAD = $74 USD
A real bargain!

 

[top gnome]

the catwalks worked great for the 10 ft walls. and the trusses went up with just 2 people in about 1 1/2 hours here is a pic