Truss Boom Build

[4570Man]

How do you size up the tube that way there isn't any play and what about wearing the steel thin in a few years?

Hope the gap is a standard width and weld in bar stock for shims. Grease it.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Some of you guys way over build things! All I did to lift rafters is chain a pipe onto the bucket of my 430 loader. I welded an angle iron to fit over the lip of the bucket, welded on a brace on each side and ran a chain around the bucket.

Later a buddy of mine borrowed it and added a piece of angle iron to hold two chains to spread them and then used it to lift tin up to the roof. I used it for my tin and it sure saved a lot of lifting.

 

[deanprince23]

Some of you guys way over build things! All I did to lift rafters is chain a pipe onto the bucket of my 430 loader. I welded an angle iron to fit over the lip of the bucket, welded on a brace on each side and ran a chain around the bucket.

Later a buddy of mine borrowed it and added a piece of angle iron to hold two chains to spread them and then used it to lift tin up to the roof. I used it for my tin and it sure saved a lot of lifting.

that sounds great, my plan is to build a solid practical boom and hire it out to my son and son in law who are both house builders. they spend a good deal of money to rent cranes etc. plus i like to weld things

 

[jmc]

ha. yea, that would work but i really like hydraulics, thanks for the input though

Yeah, I get that. Would hydraulic side to side be more useful than in and out?

 

[PILOON]

Looked briefly at that extendable boom and a thought came to mind.

Why not an ATV 12 volt winch with a pully arrangement to extend the slider?
Much cheaper and easier to assemble.
Winch would be bottom end mounted (short power cables) and pully at top to pull up and out the inner tube.
Naturally tubing sizes would be selected to allow cable passage (and shimmed with perhaps brass or HDPE sliders) but should be doable.
I think 3" tube inside a 4" would leave adequate space for a cable and sliders.
Being intermittent usage the tractor battery would keep up easily.

 

[Rustyiron]

thats exactly what i'm talking about...you got any plans for that boom? it looks great.

I just put it together with what I had laying around. 4570Man pretty much nailed the details. The outer tube is 6x6 - 1/4" wall and the inside extension is 4x4 with a heavy 3/8" wall. The cylinder was from a guy that "scrapped" out stuff from Grove Crane, he had the best junkyard I've ever seen. It was alway's a several hour visit walking around his place and "hmm, what could I build outta that?" IIRC I gave him about $100 for 2 of those cylinders! Still have one kicking around.

 

[52wej]

Best idea I ever saw was a local contractor had a long 3 " steel pipe that was slipped over the end of a hay spear on a farm tractor. He then used chains to fatten it to the corners of the spear frame. Worked slick for lifting 24' roof trusses. Here is a picture of it in use. W Jones
/Users/Jones/Pictures/Willie's phone.photoslibrary/resources/proxies/derivatives/06/00/6b8/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_6b8.jpg

 

[52wej]

Lets try this again.

 

[smiley]

If you want something cheap and easy to build for 1 job, before I had a loader, I just set an apprx. 12 inch x 20 ft tree trunk in the ground next to the foundation, or it can be set in the center of the building to cover more area, chained about a 20 foot smaller tree about 2 1/2 -3 inch dia. on the small end just above the foundation, attached some pulleys including one at the base, pulled the trusses up with the car and swung them into position. Here's a link to the best photos I could find -- at a model railroad site, but the full size looks the same.

Railroad Line Forums - The Gallery: March ?13 "Cranes, Hoists & Derricks?
Smiley

 

[joeu235]

If you want a really sketch version of a truss boom, try two 2x6 screwed together into a "T" and strapped to the forks.