Gin Pole Story

[Jim_Rogers]

Gin Pole story.

Last summer we created a gin pole for using at a raising of a 12' x 16' garden shed.

The first thing I did was I made a drawing of what we intended to do, which was to lift two plates that were 8"x8"x16' and weight an estimated 249 pounds, up and place them on top of three posts.

Now figuring that each man could lift on average 50 pounds I knew that five men could easily pick this plate up and carry it. But getting it to the top of three ten-foot posts wasn't going to be that easy. So that's why we wanted to create a gin pole and use it to do this.

After doing some research and viewing some different gin pole designs, I made up a drawing of what we were going to do.

Here is a shot of the drawing with the gin pole leaning over the plate:




Also:



And here are the plates in place:



And;



Using the drawing I knew that the gin pole was leaning at a 20°̊ angle off of plumb. And that the top of the gin pole, and the pick point, is directly over the plate's final position.

I could use the program to measure how far off the side of the frame the base of the gin pole needed to be in order to maintain a 20°̊ angle.

During several workshops we created the gin pole.

Here is a shot of it on site and ready to be assembled:



Next we put the base on it:



Here is a shot of the rigging I borrowed from a friend:



Here is a picture of all the rigging on the gin pole as it's about to be raised:



What we did on raising day was erect the three bents and then raised the gin pole next to the middle bent so that it would be as centered as possible.

Here is a shot of us raising the gin pole through the shed's doorway:



Here is a shot of the top of the gin pole with all its rigging attached.



Here is a shot of the base of the gin pole in the correct spot and secured to the bent's post to prevent it from sliding while under the load.



At the base of the gin pole is a block known as the "redirection" block. The pull line comes down from the top block through this redirection block so that the men can pull the line out sideways and lift the timber.

Once the gin pole was raised, we slid it over next to the center bent's tie beam and tied off the back line (brown rope) and the two side guide lines (white rope).

As shown here:



We're now ready to attach the lift block to the plate:



Then with everyone and everything ready we just pulled on the line and lifted the plate up over the post tenons and lowered it back down onto the tenons.



After that plate was pegged off, we disconnected all lines to the gin pole and rotated it on the deck to the next position.



We then lifted the second plate the same way:



Here is a shot of the finished frame.



I hope this has helped you to understand that there are ways to raise heavy timbers easily using a gin pole with block and tackle.

Jim Rogers

[sawguy21]

I remember helping my dad lift trusses. That setup would have made it a lot easier.

[Max sawdust]

Nice work Jim thanks for the story.

I will take some pics of setting second story beams with our gin pole and boom.  It really is the way to go for lifting heavy objects.  It is my opinion almost all job sites can benifit from one.

I guess the excuse for not using one is that you have no excuse to have a "barn raising party" ;D
Max

[asy]

FAntstic post, thanks HEAPS!

Looks like you have a great crew there!

asy :D

[Don P]

I like that Jim, that would be a good chapter in a book  .
Here's another link on gin poles that was good. It has a pole size/ weight capacity chart.
http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14251/css/14251_175.htm

[Jim_Rogers]

Bump to the top.....

[SwampDonkey]

I seemed to have missed this thread earlier. I gotta come into this board more often. 

[Stephen1]

Amazing all the info on this site. I think it would have been a little cheaper to use the gin pole versus the crane I used. A little slower but a lot cheaper. I have to do more searching to see what else is here.

[Jim_Rogers]

bump to the top

[Clovis]

Thank you Jim. It took me a few minutes to figure out what "bump to the top" ment. Old post, great info for us beginners. I think I've got this figured out, if someone needs to ask a question, do a search of old posts first. Thanks to Don P for the link to the gin pole limits. I will be useing one in the future and this is great info. Clovis

[moonhill]

Jim, a question on the gin pole set up you have here.  With the bottom of the pole braced off in such a manner how do you move the top plate left or right?  I see you have the white guy lines going to the gable ends of the building.  Does the bracing at the foot hinder lateral movement?  Or can you gain just enough to get the job done.  I have used a similar set up but with out the struts at the brace, and a sloppy mortise/tenon,  and 4 guys/stays.  I was thinking the struts would prevent movement.   As a further note on gin poles, make sure it is long enough.  What a bummer when the blocks bottom out 6" to short of the full lift.  Tim B.

[Jim_Rogers]

With the bottom of the pole braced off in such a manner how do you move the top plate left or right?

When you line up your gin pole you line it up as close to the center of your lift as you can then you place your timber to be lifted as close to the center of it's finial position as you can. So that the lift will be straight up and then straight down onto your post's top tenons, if building a timber frame.
If the plate hangs a little low on one end that's ok as it is going to be the end you engage into the mortises first. Kind of like stitching the plate onto the tenons. You work your way down the plate inserting one tenon first, then the next, so on and so on down the line until you get to the end of the plate. This makes it easy instead of trying to align all tenons all at once.

I see you have the white guy lines going to the gable ends of the building.  Does the bracing at the foot hinder lateral movement?

Yes the bracing at the foot of the gin pole prevents lateral movement. This is what it's suppose to do. You don't want it to lean left or right, looking at it from the backside. You want it to be as stable as possible. And the base piece with the braces adds weight to the bottom of the gin pole. Having this extra weight there makes it very easy for one person to raise. I can raise this gin pole myself, out in the open without any help at all.
I placed the base where I wanted it for the test lift, then grabbed the top end and lifted it up over my head. Then walking towards the base I shifted my hand over hand until the pole was standing. At that time, my helper who was there, tied off the back line to hold it up.
If I was alone, I would have had the back line around my back line anchor, and very near me so that once the pole was standing directly vertical, and easily balancing, I could reach down and pick up the line and tie it off to the anchor. After the line is tied off then you tie off the two, in my case white, side guide lines.

Jim Rogers

[Lennyzx11]

Resurrecting an old thread. 

Will a 6x6 (or 4x6) white pine post be safe to set 8x10s approx 16ft long in the 2nd level or should I go to an 8x8?

I'm about at the point of starting on the 2nd level of my shop.
My tractor won't reach high enough to set the principal rafters, ridge beam and purlins at a top height of 16ft.

I understand the max inclination angle of 20° and the guy ropes to supports. Just unsure of the size of the timber.
My lumber yard has a hard time making 8x8s that long and I have to move the thing alone with my tractor so want to keep it as light as possible but safe.

The Army rigging manual says safe working load for a 6x6 spruce is 5000 lbs at 20 ft.

Thoughts?

[Jim_Rogers]

You haven't stated the type of wood that the 8x10 will be. You'll need to figure the weight of that timber.

We used a 6x6 for a 8x8x16 white pine timber that weighed 249 lbs.

Jim Rogers

[Joe Hillmann]

Resurrecting an old thread.

Will a 6x6 (or 4x6) white pine post be safe to set 8x10s approx 16ft long in the 2nd level or should I go to an 8x8?

I'm about at the point of starting on the 2nd level of my shop.
My tractor won't reach high enough to set the principal rafters, ridge beam and purlins at a top height of 16ft.

I understand the max inclination angle of 20° and the guy ropes to supports. Just unsure of the size of the timber.
My lumber yard has a hard time making 8x8s that long and I have to move the thing alone with my tractor so want to keep it as light as possible but safe.

The Army rigging manual says safe working load for a 6x6 spruce is 5000 lbs at 20 ft.

Thoughts?

I don't have any idea if it is strong enough.  But make sure it is tall enough.  The angle of the pole takes away height and the rigging takes away height.  When I built one I lost about 5 feet of height between the angle and rigging.  I was able to gain a couple feet back by switching to a chain hoist.  And instead of lashing it to the side of the pole near the top I hung it from a barn cleaner chain hook that was spiked into the end of the pole.
In the long run the chain hoist was better for a one man operation anyways.  You can let go of the chain at any point and the load will just hang there.  With a rope you need to tie it off every time you need to stop and adjust something.  Also my rope had a small amount of stretch to it that made super fine adjustment to height difficult.  The block and tackle would bind just a bit and the rope would stretch until it overcame the friction on the pulleys or ramps and then the entire log would jump up several inches at a time.

[Lennyzx11]

You haven't stated the type of wood that the 8x10 will be. You'll need to figure the weight of that timber.

We used a 6x6 for a 8x8x16 white pine timber that weighed 249 lbs.

Jim Rogers

Sorry Jim. It is white pine. My fingers typing didn't get that input from my brain. 

[beenthere]

Keep in mind that white pine has knot whirls at the same location intervals. They are weak spots in your post used as a gin pole. Depending on the rigging, there can be some pretty serious bending forces that may cause failure, but knowing that and accounting for the safety of the people around the lifts should work. 

[Jim_Rogers]

Resurrecting an old thread.

Will a 6x6 (or 4x6) white pine post be safe to set 8x10s approx 16ft long in the 2nd level or should I go to an 8x8?

I'm about at the point of starting on the 2nd level of my shop.
My tractor won't reach high enough to set the principal rafters, ridge beam and purlins at a top height of 16ft.

I understand the max inclination angle of 20° and the guy ropes to supports. Just unsure of the size of the timber.
My lumber yard has a hard time making 8x8s that long and I have to move the thing alone with my tractor so want to keep it as light as possible but safe.

The Army rigging manual says safe working load for a 6x6 spruce is 5000 lbs at 20 ft.

Thoughts?

I don't have any idea if it is strong enough.  But make sure it is tall enough.  The angle of the pole takes away height and the rigging takes away height.  When I built one I lost about 5 feet of height between the angle and rigging.  I was able to gain a couple feet back by switching to a chain hoist.  And instead of lashing it to the side of the pole near the top I hung it from a barn cleaner chain hook that was spiked into the end of the pole.
In the long run the chain hoist was better for a one man operation anyways.  You can let go of the chain at any point and the load will just hang there.  With a rope you need to tie it off every time you need to stop and adjust something.  Also my rope had a small amount of stretch to it that made super fine adjustment to height difficult.  The block and tackle would bind just a bit and the rope would stretch until it overcame the friction on the pulleys or ramps and then the entire log would jump up several inches at a time.

We ran into this issue once. To overcome this we put the "T" base up on blocks which gave us another 8" in height.
It is true that the rigging can take up some of the lift distance.
Jim Rogers

[Prizl tha Chizl]

Chi Yes, absolutely measure the rigging at its minimum length, and be sure to figure for the angle and pole height lost before the point of attachment for the rigging...

Apparently I wasn't the only bonehead who discovered they came up a few inches short with a beam in the air and a half dozen helpers on the other end of the rope. In our case we were able to put our shoulders under the beast and muscle it to the top of the 16 foot "Quing" post. 

Lots of fun and laughter all around, But not to be repeated. And even so, this first gin pole experience of mine made me respect the utility of the tool as Jim described.

I've been daydreaming about building a "gin pole trailer," to make moving and setting the pole easier, but have been stuck on figuring out the out riggers, among other things. Anybody ever see or make anything like this?

[Joe Hillmann]

Mine wasnt a trailer but it was on a sled.  It was a tripod but the leg that was the boom was 2x as long as the other two. It would almost stand up on its own but needed a couple cinder blocks on the front of the sled to keep it standing up. 

I would drag it into place by hand then run a single anchor line out to a spike driven into the ground.

With a single anchor line the anchor, pole and load had to be nearly perfectly in line with each other.  Otherwise the pole wanted to tip sideways. A better method would be to have two anchor lines about 60from each other.  That way the sled could be moved around a building site and the ropes would need to be adjusted for each spot but you wouldnt have to be constantly driving new anchors every move.

[Don P]

My overhead rigging often takes up several feet... and yup, I've had to bring everything down or lift till the sparks fly before... sucks! Small white pine would be just about my last choice for a serious, life critical, boom. Skip the building supply, go for a walk in the woods.

We were clearing a jobsite one day, far enough back in. I got ready to go and had a flat... and no jack. I had a saw, give me a lever long enough and a place to stand. I rigged it up then put my sweet wife out at the end of the lever for ballast while I swapped out. I saw her rise and the truck go down. She needed more see saw than me  :D. A had to lay another tree down on the lever to help her out.

Oh, but anyway, there was a point. We tend to forget, those rigging supplies are usually standing around or laying about.

[Lennyzx11]

Thanks everyone. I'm debating on using one of the 24 ft 8x12 tie beams I have. Definitely overkill and would be tippy for one guy and a tractor.

 First I'm going over to see the saw mill for the possibility of a nice hardwood 6x6 24 ft piece.
Second is making something from 4x4 1/4" steel depending on the price. 

More to come....

[Prizl tha Chizl]

Interesting... how tall was it?

[iosborne]

I am curious what would be the ideal wood for the pole? Something light, straight, strong and free of knots. And why do you need it sawn, wouldn't that make it weaker? Around SE PA there are plenty of black birch which grow straight without low branches. 

[Jim_Rogers]

Doesn't need to be sawn, you can use a tree. 

Jim Rogers