Homemade wall jacks anyone

dhodges · #1 08/21/06, 01:19 PM

Wife and I have a 2 story 16X24 cabin going,(bottom half done). Had plenty of help last summer raising all four walls with sheeting doors and windows already installed. Up and done real slick. This summer we are 50++ years old and by ourselves. Am planning to frame the two 24' walls in two pieces and carriage bolt them together when up. Plan "A" is to use two modified farm jacks with extensions for wall jacks. Anybody have a better plan for two old farts to do this by themselves easier. Beware!! we are stubborn and very well known for doing things that "can't" be done but we're not carpenters and am proceeding with How To books and HELP!!! Please Dave & Chris in NE Washington State

CatsPaw · #2 08/21/06, 05:49 PM

i see many injuries in your future..........

when you say cabin, do you mean log, timber frame, or stick frame?

farm jacks are a disaster waiting to happen.

They actually make a wall jack system you can buy.

If you're stick framing, you don't have to carriage bolt anything. build the walls shorter, raise them, splice them together with the second top plate.

I actually have several designs for much safer walls jacks (i've done so many things by myself, it comes as second nature to figure these things out.) alot of it depends on how much set-up time you want to spend.

Used step jacks for raising 24' 10 x 10 poplar beams (took three of us old farts ) 12' in the air for a timber frame strawbale house.

describe your situation a little better and i can tell you how to do it (it's just in my nature to try to tell people what to do. i don't actually expect them to listen...but....what can you do.)

tiogacounty · #3 08/21/06, 07:14 PM

There is a fairly inexpensive wall jack made by one of the scaffold "pump jack" manufacturers. It works like a mini pump jack and climbs a 2x4 while lifting the wall. This would probably be your best bet. I used to own a set and lifted many 30'-40', 2x6 walls that were fully sheated. Good luck.

farminghandyman · #4 08/21/06, 10:08 PM

http://www.proctorp.com/wallproducts/features.html

http://www.proctorp.com/wallproducts/howitworks.html

http://www.proctorp.com/wallproducts...ctions_p1.html

I made a set simular to this product, using a 15' of 1 1/2" light square tubing, (15' should work well for 8' wall) and a cheap come along a new cable for leanght, and a sheave at the top, and lifted a good number of walls with my daughers help, you could do it by your self, and you do want the top hook to catch the wall in case the wind catches it it will keep it from going over,

this is to lift walls from flat on a deck into an upright position,

mkh100 · #5 08/21/06, 11:16 PM

I have rigged up something similiar to farminghandyman for frame construction. Basically 16 foot 2x4's with a heavy duty hinge on one end secured to your deck, an eye bolt on the other end, and a come along from the eye bolt to the top of the wall.

I used one about every 10 feet and have set up to 45 foot 2x4 stud walls up that where fully clad in hardi-plank windows in everything.

I also used metal strips to secure the bottom of the wall to the floor so it wouldnt slide out while raising.

When doing this I found I had to raise the top of the wall off the deck about a concrete block width to get it started.

dhodges · #6 08/22/06, 02:19 PM

Thanks folks for all your info. Will look at it all and decide what to do. For CATSPAW....I don't like injuries, I am stubborn but not stupid so please help me out. This is stick frame with 2X6 walls 8 feet high, 2X10 upper floor joists and 2X8 lower floor joists with 3/4 T&G OSB for decking top and bottom. 7/16 OSB for sheeting and lots of windows. 42" wide stairway with 4 foot landing at top an bottom near the middle and runing across the short span of the cabin. Double headers at the top and tripled upper floor joists. All setting on 15 evenly spaced PT 6X6's on 4 foot deep concrete piers. Have 6X6 beams to go from center post and pier straight up to the ridge pole of a 3 - 4 pitch roof with 2X8 rafters, 7/16 decking and metal on top. Thanks alot. Dave & Chris

Salmonberry · #7 08/22/06, 02:34 PM

My husband and I just used proctor wall jacks to put up 12ftx18ft sections of wall up. very slick, very safe. We contacted our nearest proctor dealer inquiring about the price of a set. We weren't about to pay THAT much. They got us in touch with a builder who had bought jacks through them. The builder let us rent the jacks for $150.00 for a month. Worked out very well.

Salmonberry

dhodges · #8 08/22/06, 06:34 PM

Hear you there SALMONBERRY!!! Just called my local dealer and was quoted $762.49 + Tax per pair. Definitely homemade, rented or jury rigged for us. Thanks, Dave & Chris

boxwoods · #9 08/22/06, 07:26 PM

If I was doing a second floor, I would make 3 or 4 uprights out of 2x4 16's.
nail 2 together using nails every 8" up the 2x4s using 2, 1 , 2 etc with common 10's nail at a slight angle

Place the uprights against the face of the first floor and make sure they extend about 9 feet above the second floor. Hook chain at center finished wall to raise and equal lengths away from center. Hook to comealong and jack it up. You should be able to lift the whole 24' wall with no problem. Once you have it half way up or a bit more, nail some swing arm 2x4x 8s to move with the wall to keep it from coming back down. Once all the way up against the uprights, plumb it and nail your swing arms to keep it plumb and square. Nail it off and go to next.

CatsPaw · #10 08/23/06, 07:34 PM

I'm thinking.....well...with standard framing, I'm wondering why you think you have to build the entire wall and then stand it up. I know there are some logistical problems with that, but, easily overcome. I've done it at least 162,593.325 times.

hinge and post is very similar to some things I've thought about. could work very well, just lag the hinges into floor joists. nails just won't hold.

there are ways to set up swinging jacks attached to various studs that will fall out to the floor and give you some help on the way up.

Also, any jacking action with a wall that big would have to have serious stops out at the sole plate. (or as perviously stated strapped and screwed.)

dinner time.

mkh100 · #11 08/23/06, 07:58 PM

The reason I did it is because I was working alone and the deck was already 6 feet off the ground. I was able to raise the 2X4 frame, completley sheathed windows installed, hardi panel on and exterior painted.

I used the proctor wall jacks as sort of a model.

ricky · #12 08/24/06, 01:31 PM

block bottom of the walls and use a cable and your truck to raise them .simple as can be

CatsPaw · #13 08/24/06, 08:39 PM

yea, buddy....I always like those america's videos things where the guy cuts the tree down and it falls on his car or something.....can't wait to see it on t.v.

also, 2 x 4 posts wouldn't hold. you'd just get these really sproingy bow like things that, when the wall started bouncing up and down, would make you feel very unsafe. And you wouldn't want to nail to the side if it's already sided.

For the two of you, I would probably consider the hinge post cable/comealong type crane thing lagged to the floor. Or you can lever and jack with someone to put jacks under the wall as you raise it.

A 24' foot wall fully sheathed is going to run maybe 600-800 lbs (quick brain type calc. so don't get all spec.y on me) depending on any windows etc. Gets "lighter" as you go up. So whatever you do it had better be strong. You don't want to see a 24' wall go off the second floor of your house. it ain't pretty. (I always think of when my dad pulled the last tack out of a garage wall. Fortunately, I was on the inside when it fell outside. Still don't know why he was taking the tack nails out.)