My brotherinlaw ordered trusses for his tractor shed. He will be spanning 24 feet with 2 feet of overhang. Our help is limited. It appears logical to put up one end, brace it and then continue on. We expect to turn the trusses upside down and then turn them over to nail them to the walls. Does anyone have some tips for hanging trusses with limited help?

-- bobby achord (bobbyachord@aol.com), November 18, 1999

Answers

If you purchase your trusses they normally are delivered with a boom truck to set them in place on the wall plates. The usual place is to put them at one end so the peak is sitting on the cross wall and a support "kicker" in the middle on the other side away from the wall.

Cut the bands, and one person on each end of the truss can "walk" each truss into position and nail it down. This presupposes you are comfortable and well balanced to walk 2 x 4 plates; the first few may be mean, but not really scary. Have all your frieze blocks precut (they often come with the trusses or can be ordered with them) and nail truss, frieze block, truss...etc to end. This way there is no need to measure each one, though I usually do a pre-install layout on one side or both for added insurance that all are going where they should be.

In case your trusses are simply set on the ground or you hand make them, then one end is set on the plate, the other end is set up and the truss pulled back to sit on both plates, set into position, and nail. This way is harder and more time consuming. Do not turn them upside down because turning them over with one person on each end is not fun. Start at the end and lean against each other as you move them into position. They are not all that heavy individually.

As you move along you will also need to nail temporary boards onto the trusses to assure spacing and keep them from falling over. Lay out these boards (usually 1 x 4 or 2 x 4) in advance and mark with keel (crayon) to easily see your marks. These boards come off when you nail on the sheeting so keep them away from the first five feet of the edge. A third person to do this will speed up the process immensely.

This way two or three people can set roof trusses in a short time. Also, be sure your walls are straight BEFORE you nail off the trusses. If needed brace with 2 x 4's.

-- Nick (nikoda@pdqnet.com), November 19, 1999.