Trusses delivered - problems

[TheMan419]

WE are in the process of having a pole barn built (well 2 of them) one is 36 x72 the other is 60x140. Posts were put in and have passed inspection. The rain has delayed further construction.

The company that does the trusses (they are a sub of the general) delivered today. Could not get their big truck in the driveway. Decided to back in off the road into the front field next to the house. No problem for me as that is not grass and will be turned into a pasture.

However, see prior comment about the rain. That spot is the lowest spot on the property. It will turn into a lake if there is more than 2 inches of rain. So it is a mud hole right how.

So now my trusses are sitting in a mud bath.

How worried should I be about this? The general said they are not sure how worried they are until they come out and see the situation.

Due to the rain they likely will not be out until Monday.

 

[/pine]

Wood trusses? Are they banded together and laying flat?

 

[TheMan419]

Yes wood trusses. Laying flat. Yes banded together.

By laying flat I mean they would have to be flipped 90 degrees to be put up in place to build the barn.

 

[Citydude]

My trusses layed along my entrance road for a few days due to the semi truck driver would not traverse 1400 feet into the build site. I really didnt blame him though. I had the same concerns about the trusses laying in the weather however the contractor wasnt concerned. He said he would correct any bends during the roofing process. Which he did.

 

[/pine]

Yes wood trusses. Laying flat. Yes banded together.

By laying flat I mean they would have to be flipped 90 degrees to be put up in place to build the barn.

If they are laying flat (on their sides) and not drooping over a drop off etc...they should be fine...if left on uneven ground for any length of time they will take on the contour and will have to be dealt with once they are set...

Good Luck...

 

[TheMan419]

If they are laying flat (on their sides) and not drooping over a drop off etc...they should be fine...if left on uneven ground for any length of time they will take on the contour and will have to be dealt with once they are set...

Good Luck...

I am not at home, but relying on pictures sent by SWMBO.... however the spot they are on is flat. This is north central Indiana after all. For us a BIG hill rises 10 feet.

 

[Ford850]

I assume they set them on some sort of blocks to keep them out of the mud. As long as they are not under the water they should be fine. Looking at your forecast, it's not supposed to rain again until at least next Wednesday.

 

[jack707]

My trusses were on the grass/ snow when they were delivered .

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Trusses are very easily moved around in the direction they are laying currently, they are only stiff in the vertical direction as they would be when the roof is installed. I would try and get them up out of standing water if it was me, but I'd try and get them as flat as possible.

 

[TheMan419]

I assume they set them on some sort of blocks to keep them out of the mud. As long as they are not under the water they should be fine. Looking at your forecast, it's not supposed to rain again until at least next Wednesday.

I have not seen them. I will try to get pics when I get home if the light allows. My understanding is that they were just pushed off the end of the truck and not set on anything.

To say the builder is mad at the truss sub contractor is an understatement. He said the truss company is going to lose a lot of money on this job as they will likely have to redeliver some new trusses. Likely not all of them but the ones on the bottom.

Moving them will not be an option it is for a 60x140 barn and a 36x72 barn and all the trusses are in one stack.

They are on flat ground. The difference in elevation between one end of the pile and the other end is probably measured in inches.

 

[teejk]

With those spans are they 2x4 or 2x6? Either way I doubt you will have any problems if they sit for a day or two or six or eight or ten. They'll get lifted and put in place and then get their "structure" from the purlins. The whole idea behind trusses is that they can utilize short sticks of lumber (i.e "junk") to provide strength in conjunction with steel gang plates. Was already mentioned above that they will sit vertically and as long as the load bearing surfaces are not rotten (takes a long time) you'll be fine other than perhaps some mud. Make sure the builder sweeps them before they go up.

 

[MossRoad]

Whereabouts in north central Indiana? After the rain finishes tonight, its supposed to be nice until late Tuesday up here near South Bend.

As long as they're laying flat in a stack, there's not much that's going to happen to them. If it puddles, just keep track of how many were submerged and how long. Sounds like your GC will make the truss contractor pay for any damaged ones.

 

[QRTRHRS]

The trusses on the bottom are going to be a mess to handle and will likely stay stained. Some people would be upset about that, some not. A banded together pack of trusses usually suffers no damage sliding off a trailer onto the ground at about a 30 degree angle between the raised roll off deck and the ground as the truck pulls away. Sometimes the drop "ain't" pretty.

Trusses are pretty amazing really. I used to pull alot of them out of this place. They had their own fleet of delivery trucks and seeing one set up with an long load (I think 100 feet was the max?) was impressive.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Laid flat and banded together and wet then probably not a major issue. Once they are cut open and the bands removed then they need to be quickly installed and well braced to hold their spacing. Once they start to dry out the warping starts to a much larger degree.

 

[EddieWalker]

Who told them to deliver the trusses to that field? If they just did it on their own, then whatever damage to them is on the delivery guy and truss company. If you or the GC told them to do that, then it's on you.

As for the integrity of the truss, in my opinion, there is a time limit on how much water any board can handle. The truss company has an engineer that certified the trusses and stamped them to cover your span. I would get into contact with that person and ask him if he still certifies those trusses after being out in the field, in the rain. It is very likely that he wont, and then you will need all brand new trusses.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...Here in the S.E...(don't know about Indiana etc...) trusses are usually made from # 1 dense yellow pine sometimes referred to as structural grade...it is very clear and very dense...often the webbing is cut from lesser grades but the general density of the material prevents it from absorbing much water...

Sometimes trusses sit on job sites for months and months (for different reasons) without effecting the integrity as long as they are stored (yet exposed to the elements) properly...

There are still some old school GC's that won't pour an intricate foundation until the trusses are on the site...( has saved many contractors from having to deviate original plans down the road)

In building boom economies and regions that are rebuilding from storm damage etc...truss orders often get backlogged

As far as the OP...Without knowing more I tend to think the contractor is more concerned about where the trusses were left in relation to the actual building location...than having to deal with some mud...

Any man hours incurred to get the trusses to where a sky hook (crane) can pick them up and set them in place is/was likely unexpected...and moving large trusses any distance is not an easy job...and dragging them with a truck/tractor is more likely to cause damage than a some rain and mud...IMO...

 

[teejk]

FWIW...Here in the S.E...(don't know about Indiana etc...) trusses are usually made from # 1 dense yellow pine sometimes referred to as structural grade...it is very clear and very dense...often the webbing is cut from lesser grades but the general density of the material prevents it from absorbing much water...

Sometimes trusses sit on job sites for months and months (for different reasons) without effecting the integrity as long as they are stored (yet exposed to the elements) properly...

There are still some old school GC's that won't pour an intricate foundation until the trusses are on the site...( has saved many contractors from having to deviate original plans down the road)

In building boom economies and regions that are rebuilding from storm damage etc...truss orders often get backlogged

As far as the OP...Without knowing more I tend to think the contractor is more concerned about where the trusses were left in relation to the actual building location...than having to deal with some mud...

Any man hours incurred to get the trusses to where a sky hook (crane) can pick them up and set them in place is/was likely unexpected...and moving large trusses any distance is not an easy job...and dragging them with a truck/tractor is more likely to cause damage than a some rain and mud...IMO...

We have a few truss plants around here (Cleary, Menards, others) and the finished products sit out in the weather (if you ever visited one you would understand why...it is a "horizontal" build on HUGE tables using powerful presses to attach the gang plates and once finished I can't imagine how anybody could store them inside). As for the OP, I will agree that being dropped into a lake will differ than being in a properly drained spot but the pole barn pros deal with this stuff all the time. They know how to straighten a truss until they attach it to the wall and then again when the purlins go on. With all that said, I hope the OP doesn't get in the middle of a fight between the builder and the truss people...getting in the middle usually means that the middle guy loses.

 

[Rustyiron]

You'll be fine, like /pine said, trusses that big will prolly be SYP. Not that a few days under water would really hurt hemfir or any typical wood used today. Don't be alarmed if they look "wavy" after they are high & dry. They usually look that way before delivery it the "week" dimension. (1-1/2")

 

[TheMan419]

OP here..... not worried about a fight... the builder and I have had a long talk and we are on the same page.

Not only did I not tell the truss co to deliver them where they did, the GC specifically told them NOT to deliver on the day they did because of rain we had on Wednesday. Also the GC knows that the font part of my property near the road is the low part and therefore a mud puddle.

I am less worried about it now that I have had the conversation with the builder. Yes we will have to get some new trusses, but likely not all of them.

Thanks all for your thoughts.

 

[teejk]

OP here..... not worried about a fight... the builder and I have had a long talk and we are on the same page.

Not only did I not tell the truss co to deliver them where they did, the GC specifically told them NOT to deliver on the day they did because of rain we had on Wednesday. Also the GC knows that the font part of my property near the road is the low part and therefore a mud puddle.

I am less worried about it now that I have had the conversation with the builder. Yes we will have to get some new trusses, but likely not all of them.

Thanks all for your thoughts.

Just an observation...you most likely wanted a few buildings and hired a builder to erect them (I know a guy that tried it on his own and broke his back in the process...came off the roof in a light drizzle)...your GC most likely dealt with the truss people. IMHO, don't leave either of them off the hook until you get what you paid for. And a dirty little secret is that the cost of a truss is???...(hint...not much)...probably costs more to deliver than what is in the materials (that is the magic of trusses).