Truss Repair

croatan

Anyone here ever done a truss repair where the engineer proscribed replacing the existing metal connectors between the top cord and the webbing and also the bottom cord and the webbing?

I'm doing a bid on a bank owned foreclosure. The previous HO took a sawzall and cut the webbing from the trusses in his attic apparently to have more storage space. A home inspector discovered it, they need it fixed, engineer says to remove existing clamped metal connectors, put webbing back in and then reattach new metal connectors.

In my years framing etc., I've never seen anyone begin to attempt, let alone think about, installing those multi-toothed metal connectors in the field. All the truss repairs I've done involved simple plywood gussets with a nailing pattern and maybe some heavy duty adhesive.

I guess my point is that without the factory press there seems to me no way to re-install that kind of connector.

Any thoughts appreciated.
later,

jmic

Have you asked the engineer about using an alternate method of fastening such as plywood gussets with adhesive and screws/nails ?

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croatan

Can't seem to get up with the guy. My thinking is that he'll probably say plywood is ok, but he would have to write a new "letter" and stamp it, which would cost the bank another $130 or more.
I'm guessing on that, so it might not be a big deal. I was just wondering if anyone has ever installed those connectors in the field.

jmic

I use to buy that type of connector years ago from a company. We use to use them to connect top plates together ( 3"x8" ). Just beat them on with a hammer, but that was hammering downward on something more solid. I'm thinking that they would work though.

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Mike772

On those stamped metal plates, they have to be 'pressed' in.

I talked with a guy at one of my truss companies and he said that they have to be pressed in the wood with equal pressure across the entire plate for the plate to have the rating it is supposed to have. Now I would imagine that would be the same with all truss plates no matter who made them.

I too use them for tying walls together, we do beat them in with a hammer then drive some spikes through them as insurance. While beating them with a hammer I do notice that the prongs get bent and don't always (never) go in the wood perpendicular to the metal plate. That is probablay why they (truss company engineers) require them to be pressed in.

In my experience for repairing trusses, plywood gussets are the normal field fix. The engineer usually specifies the thickness and the size then the type and number of fasteners.

I suppose you could use those metal plates with a heavy steel plate on each side of the truss and a couple of big c-clamps or something that would generate lots of clamping force. Is the truss company supplying the new metal plates?

I just would be nervous beating on new truss plates. Perhaps a new call to the engineer is best.

neolitic

Have you looked at
http://www.who-sells-it.com/cy/simps...ss-plates.html
or
http://www.dietrichindustries.com/li...Connectors.pdf
?????

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croatan

yeah, I think I'm gonna wait til I can talk to engineer. The other funny thing is is that he said in his letter to remove the existing plates. That to me sounds also incredibly ridiculous because if you start pulling those things off it just tears the #$%& out of the wood their in. Not to mention that the existing plates still tie the cords to one another.
engineers and their silly rubber stamps....

Meetre

I've seen a guy toting a portable plate setter. Big electric clamp for the metal gang nails. truss guy missed some support spots, didn't get caught by anyone till the inspector saw it, and the truss co. came out with a portable press to fix it.

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RobertCDF

I too have seen portable presses when the truss company screwed up the trusses. They sent out a couple of guys and added lumber and plates as needed.

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croatan

Now if I could find a portable press to rent. Seems like a PITA. Hopefully I can talk the engineer into plywood gussets.
thanks for the replies.

platinumLLC

Is there a truss company anywhere around you? They will probably have one and rent it to you or maybe even let you borrow it.

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Nailerconstruct

I would pay the money out of my pocket if there is a bunch of them to fix. That’s a huge pain in the ars. I bet it will be cheaper in the end.

Every engineer I have disagreed with were usually quick to give me a stamp when it came to me crawling up his butt over something like this. Fixing trusses with glue nails and plywood is very common. I also, have fixed a countless number of trusses with plywood glue and nails. I would ask him to politely bend over then crawl right up that ars.

You can get gang nailers at home depot in the hangar section. You can press them on with two clamps and a couple two by fours. Either way you should give it to that engineer. Might save the next guy a headache.

rbsremodeling

There is no way you can reuse the existing clip.

There is no clip company to my knowledge that sells a clip that you can legally to code field install.

I think the engineer is an idiot, but I could be wrong.

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neolitic

Odds are against it.

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WarnerConstInc.

Gussets made from ply. I had a garage package one time that looked like the trusses were trampelled by a herd of elephants. Engineer comes out from truss company and tells me to ply gusset all the F-ups, I told him here is a ladder and the saw is right over there. About 2 hours later they had a crew from the factory out fixing all the problems.

SNC

our parent company has its own truss plant and they do not own a feild press, we have repairs hundreds of trusses over the years, maybe just some 2x scabs sometimes plywood glued and nailed sometimes screwed especially on floor trusses. Sometimes they send out new truss plates and we put them on. Ive seem a plam nailer that has a big head on it like a mallet that i always thought would work for this. If you use a truss plate 'iron' it on slowly work it down i would use a metal plate to hamme on to keep it even. You will probably need a bigger plate than the original since the wood is most likley chewed up from the original.