Any way to lift body off frame without a 2/4 post lift?

[Eneto-55]

My dad's garage is 24' wide, 2x4 trusses on 24" center.  I lifted the body of my P-15 w/ no problem.  As I said above, we had drive shafts laid across 3 trusses at the hoisting points.  At the front end I used a chain hoist, and at the rear, a come-along.  I'll find a picture if it's necessary for you all to believe me.

[Ulu]

Pics are always helpful, but why do you think we don't believe you?  

 

BTW, back in the 70's I designed wood roof trusses for hundreds of houses and small commercial buildings.

 

Some trusses have a lot of excess capacity and some do not. it depends on lots of things considered during the design phase.

 

For instance: we commonly sold exactly the same truss for houses, with a span ranging from 25' to 36'.

 

The same exact truss! 

 

Now it was well within the building code requirements at 36', but a 25' house with that same truss will have a much, much stronger roof.

 

So, though what you did worked well, all houses are not equal, and in fact (depending on design liberties taken by the designer) they can be far, far from equal when it comes to the roof.

 

 

[Eneto-55]

Pics are always helpful, but why do you think we don't believe you?  

 

BTW, back in the 70's I designed wood roof trusses for hundreds of houses and small commercial buildings.

 

Some trusses have a lot of excess capacity and some do not. it depends on lots of things considered during the design phase.

 

For instance: we commonly sold exactly the same truss for houses, with a span ranging from 25' to 36'.

 

The same exact truss! 

 

Now it was well within the building code requirements at 36', but a 25' house with that same truss will have a much, much stronger roof.

 

So, though what you did worked well, all houses are not equal, and in fact (depending on design liberties taken by the designer) they can be far, far from equal when it comes to the roof.

(I thought some didn't believe me because of the later comments about putting in additional bracing under the joist part of the truss.)  

 

Your point regarding varying strengths in a truss of identical span is well taken.  I was just thinking of span & spacing.  I imagine my Dad got those trusses from the same company, but the first time I lifted the body off - with the doors still on - I did it in a latter addition to his shop, then later did it again in the original part of the shop.  The first part we built in 67 or so, and the addition was put on in around 80. But the design of the trusses is the same, except that in the original section the bottom member (ceiling joist) was spliced in the center, and in the later section it is spliced at an offset.  I remember that because when we set the trusses, we thought that it would be stronger to alternate that splice on every other truss.  It was not a good idea, because the peak was off (the two sides were not exactly equal), and so it staggered back & forth along the length of the building.  (We lined them up by the heel along one side, as I recall.)

[wayfarer]

 

 

For instance: we commonly sold exactly the same truss for houses, with a span ranging from 25' to 36'.

 

The same exact truss! 

 

 

 

...seems that the small house might look kinda funny with 4-5' of truss hanging over the side....

 

With the truss' bottom chord or the rafter exposed some folks might feel more secure if they sistered a 10'-0  2x6/8 along side then a 4x4 post cap would work to secure the column. Yes, tie the new 2x to the existing with a handful of 3" screws.

[Ulu]

Hmmm...OK, you know what I meant. Same plates, same lumber.

 

The longer sizes of that design (T36 4-33 4/3) might have had slightly different metal plates, or have a requirement for better lumber in some members, but they all were built off the same engineering drawing of a Fink truss.

 

To the casual observer they would appear the same design except for size.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Ulu