Raising Roof Trusses Without Crane

With planning and careful preparation the authors can raise trusses and sheathe a good sized roof in a single day.

Raising roof trusses without crane. Sidebars explain how to make the most of the crane that s already on site. Two gable ends complete with crane triangles cutout at the top. Carry the trusses in one at a time and turn them upside down. Have someone up on the peak of the trusses that are already set to catch it as it comes up.

You can let a truss hang upside down inside the walls then someone with a 2x4 that has a fork on the end will raise the peak up and support it while someone else with a fork will support the middle of the bottom chord so that it doesn t break under its own weight while you drag it down into position. Any roof truss that s over 30 long and has a pitch greater than 5 12 is probably too big to be lifting by hand. Set the heel of the truss up on the wall on each end. This article deals with getting roof trusses into position quickly and efficiently.