Finally started pole barn - 40x50

[cowpen]

Both main beams bolted up - ready for trusses. At this point, I'm still kind of puzzling about how I'm going to set them. At 12', it's a little too high to try to set them in and flip them up. To further complicate matters, my buddy needed his tractor back, so I'm in manual mode.

[charlz]

Nice! I'd rent a boom truck or something that can suspend them into place. The time and effort savings would be well worth the rental fee. Just have everything and a couple buddies ready to go so you get it done with minimal rental fees.

[weldingisfun]

Any idea what the trusses weigh? If they can be lifted from one end by one man, I have a suggestion. It has worked for me. But, first try to lift one.

[cowpen]

So I decided to rent one of those tow-behind man lifts. They have a 500lb capacity which will be plenty for me and a truss tied off to the side of the cage. It worked perfectly.

My truss-setting crew consisted of myself, my wife, son, daughter, and 81 year old father-in-law! He's built a few barns over the years, so he as excited about the barn as I am.

Here's the first truss going up.

[cowpen]

Once we got the first truss up and braced, the others fell into place quickly. I made a jig to hold the top of the truss on 4 foot centers.

The kids took turns hauling trusses up with the lift while their Papa and I toenailed the tails to the beams. Here's my daughter taking up the last truss while I ran the bucket with the ground controls.



My son toenailing in the last truss. He knows how to swing a hammer pretty well, but the palm nailer's a lot more fun.

[cowpen]

I didn't know it until later, but while we were nailing the last truss, my daughter was carving her initials in it.



I asked her, "isn't that kind of like hiking your leg to mark your territory?" She failed to see the humor. '"Uggh! that's Gross! Dad!"

Seriously though, involving the kids in projects like this is always a pleasure for me. It gives them a sense of ownership in the final outcome and brings the family closer in the process. I think I've also succeeded in convincing them to study hard so they can do this for fun rather than make a living at it (not that that's a bad thing).

[cowpen]

Originally Posted by weldingisfun

Any idea what the trusses weigh? If they can be lifted from one end by one man, I have a suggestion. It has worked for me. But, first try to lift one.

The trusses are 2x4 hard yellow pine which I thought would be pretty heavy. But after I broke the bundle and lifted one, I found it was surprisingly light. I could lift one myself pretty easily. I probably could have managed without renting the man-lift, but it only cost about $240 for the day and it kinda made the whole ordeal a little more fun.

[cowpen]

The next Saturday, my brother in law came over and we set 2x4 purlins over the trusses. The final overhang will be 2' all around, so we hung the 2x4's roughly 2' over the gable ends. The "rough" measurement would bite me later, but I'll get to that in another post.

One of my friends who's a contractor suggested that I place the purlin sections so they end between trusses rather than on top of a truss. Then just scab a 2 foot length of 2x4 to the bottom of both ends to tie them together. The logic is that the junction will be stronger because you're not nailing so close to the endgrain of the 2x4's. I did that, but I'm not sure if I'd do it that way again. The scabs were a pain to nail in, and I'm not convinced it's all that much stronger.

The trussed section of the barn is mostly done here and I'm ready to start setting the beams for the two shed roof sections.

[cowpen]

Once the trusses were stabilized with purlins, it was time to set the 40' double 2x8 beams for the shed rafters. Unfortunately, my buddy's tractor wasn't available, so I had to figure something else out. What I came up with was this elaborate series of ropes, pulleys, straps, and a makeshift gin pole to hoist the heavy beams up by hand.



The plan was simple; hoist a little, tie off, snub the ropes up, and hoist again. So, I'm up an 8 foot ladder beside the pole, hauling up on the block and tackle when the rope gives way - very suddenly. This was a completely unexpected development.

Since time tends to stand still during these kind of events, I had time to cuss the rope (and myself) on the way down. I'm sure the backflip off the ladder looked perfectly graceful, but I was certain that this was going to hurt... BAD. I wondered what the ambulance ride would be like? Would I be airlifted? Would anyone besides my mother come to my funeral? I hit the ground flat on my back, braced for the pain. Guess what? It didn't hurt. Don't ask me why, but I was fine. I've had worse falling off a barstool!

Anyways, after giving thanks for great fortune, I proceeded to ditch the mechanical solution and go for the brute strength approach. I lifted the beam shoulder high while my son backed the pickup under it. Then I got in the bed and managed to get it high enough to catch the notch on the pole. Repeat on the other end and the job was done.

I'll be glad when I have my own tractor.

[cowpen]

With the shed beams completed on both sides it was time to set the rafters. The 2x8 rafters are basically a continuation of the truss tails. I bought Simpson hangers for this, but failed to realize that the truss tails would be in the way. So, instead I toenailed to the truss beams and nailed through the rafter and into the tails on 2.5" centers. On the outside beams, I made birdsmouth cuts and tied the rafters down with hurricane clips.

I decided that scabbing onto the trusses at the gable ends wouldn't look so hot, and would present other challenges for siding. Instead, I notched out the rafters so that the truss tail fit flush, and then glued and nailed a plywood mending plate on both sides. This shot kinda shows the details.