Right Tool For The Job

[Robert_in_NY]

How are you going to set the trusses? We talked to our friend who owns a couple machine shops about building up a 10' boom for the front of the TN that would have been great for installing the attic trusses we did on a barn last year. However, they would not have been able to get it done when we needed it by the next week so we scrapped that idea and had our local lumber yard bring their boom truck to set them. The trusses we set were 30' wide with a 7/12 pitch so they were a little to big to handle by hand. I still am thinking of having the boom built for the TN, possibly a nice winter project for them down at the shop since things have slowed down. The barn looks great so far though.

 

[Spencer]

jinman, I doubt the glulam beam weighs more than 200 pounds. I'm sure somebody like Hazmat can calculate the actual weight given the above dimensions. I have experimented with the boom pole lifting capacity this summer. I know a lot of people have expressed concerns about this thing tipping over the tractor but my 7308 loader's lift capacity ensures that I can't lift anything heavy enough to tip the tractor over. The heaviest thing that I could get off the ground with this boom pole setup this summer was my Bushhog Squealer 600 rotary cutter. Bushhog's website says that the SQ600 weighs just over 500 pounds. I could only lift it about two and a half feet off the ground. While I had it lifted as high as it could go I went over and put some of my weight on it too and the tractor did not budge. I will keep the side to side shifting in mind while I am working with it. I don't plan on lifting anything up with it unless I can grab it exactly in the middle so the weight is distributed evenly.

 

[Spencer]

Thomas, the storm turned out to be just an inch or two of snow. They are now saying that we will get an additional 1-3 inches today and another 1-3 inches tomorrow. The wind is terrible though. I went out today and got some tarps to close in my 16' by 16' addition to the pole barn to give me some shelter from the snow and wind.

 

[Spencer]

JohnMiller3, thanks for the thoughts. I wish I had a helper too! I was real careful while working with the beam. I didn't walk directly under it at anytime and I had it balanced just right so it took very lift effort to position it on top of the 4"x6"s. I have learned a lot about safety from everyone here at TBN and I don't mind the suggestions.

 

[Spencer]

JBCat, I usually drink water but I was concerned that with the colder temperatures the water might freeze on me.

 

[Spencer]

Buster57, the boom pole is a standard 3-point hitch boom pole from TSC. I just hooked it up to my Kasco Switch-Hitch, which is hooked up to my Kasco Unihitch. It really takes just a couple of minutes to set up. I had a previous post on the system at this <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=158132&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1>link</A>

 

[Spencer]

Robert_in_NY, I am going to try and use the same boom pole setup to set the trusses. I don't think that I will be able to set them right side up but will probably lift them up upside down and then flip them upright with a long 2"x4".

 

[JohnMiller3]

Hi Spence,

If you leave one end of the pole barn open... you can "drive in" and set up the trusses fairly easy, one by one... (you drive in... and back your way out)

I did a roof a few years back and made jigs for each side to maintain the 24" o.c., having the jigs made life a lot easier, kept things uniform and the job progressed smoothly... I also used 2x3's as I went (on the underside of the truss), to scab the trusses together until I was able to cap it off with sheathing...

Believe me... I know what it's like to work solo... You improvise rather quickly if you want to get anything done... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[ns_in_tex]

Great work.
I also work a lot by myself. After several years I finally added an electric winch to mine. Mounted the winch near the loader. Extended the winch control cable to about 30'. It sure does make the work a lot easier & the loader can handle a much larger load, since the gin pole can be nearly straight up when you start lifting the load. Main thing to watch is the level of the tractor, sideways. Fine tuning the lift in 1/4" increments is a snap.

On my small tractor pole top is 25' with a roller in the end for the winch cable. I also have another one on another tractor that goes to 32'.

I know your ready to get the roof on that barn. I've been there.

Good luck

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Darn Neal, you stole my thunder!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I read Spence's post a little bit ago and made a mental note to come back after cruising through the rest of TBN and offer that very suggestion for the very same reasons.

Using the boom there is a point where the arc of travel will put the weight where it's at it's biggest disadvantage for lift. But using a winch you can put the boom almost vertical and have a lot more control.

Spence has done a wonderful job with a lot of attention to detail. I'm sure he had the winch in mind but decided the wife needed that mixer, right? He does have his priorities in the right places. Wife, mixer, cake......................

Seriously Spence, it's a great job and a great tool. Our comments are only about an improvement, not criticism in any way.