Its Truss Day

There is no photographic evidence of what actually happened on truss setting day so you will have to take my word for it.

I fire up my tractor with the precision built boom and head for the stack of trusses.  At this point its just me so I get a truss all hooked up and ready to go.  I'm back on the tractor raising the truss and it starts flopping around like a wet noodle on the end of the boom.  Hmm.  Probably going to need some help here.  As luck would have it, its the weekend and Treasa is home.  I decide to get everything ready before I go get her to help.  I can't find a rope to tie to the end of the truss for her to hold onto.  Good news, I have lots of bale twine from the hay I feed to my goats.  I tie several of them together and tie them to the end of the truss.  I got it now I just need my assistant.

Treasa has been mowing and she has run out of gas about as far away from the house as you can get with the mower.  She has just got back to the mower with the gas can so this is perfect timing because she is not actually mowing at the moment.  I walk over to where she and the mower are and let her know I need some help.  I sense a lack of confidence from her about this whole truss project.  You know, its not really anything she said its more a feeling I get.  So I decide to help her get the mower back up to the house while she brings the gas can back with her.  Just trying to be helpful and set the correct tone for the day.

Ok.  We are back at the trusses now and I explain how she is to hold the string while I get on the tractor and move the truss down to the building.  There's that feeling again about her lack of confidence in this project and this time I get a look.  If you've been married long, you know the look I'm talking about.  We had to unload the trusses about 50 yards from the building so we have to travel before we actually get to raise the truss.  This little trip actually goes pretty good.  I'm thinking this will help build her confidence. 

Ok.  We are at the building and ready to set that truss up on the wall.  I explain again how she is supposed to hold that string and guide her end of the truss up over the wall.  Just saying, this is a tricky operation and I want to help her get her part right.  I start raising the boom on the tractor, higher, higher, higher.  I discover a potential problem at this point.  That boom I built is now hanging out in front of me like a giant blunt spear pointed right at me.  This could be a problem if something breaks.  I take a second to scope out my potential escape routes. Just in case.  Now, I like my tractor but it was built in another country and they must all be really small people over there because I have the steering wheel really close to my belly and the clutch and break peddles are pretty close to.  I don't think there is any way I can just duck for cover on this tractor.  My best bet is going to be to just drop the boom as fast as possible and hope Treasa makes it to cover.  After all, if things go bad here, somebody is probably going to need to use the tractor to move debris off of the other.  And I am on the tractor so it would probably be more efficient for me to be that person.

Back to the lift.  I have the truss as high as my tractor can go.  I direct Treasa to throw her string over the wall and get inside the building to guide the truss.  This is working.  We have over half the truss over the wall now.  Slowly, slowly, slowly I move the tractor forward.  Almost there.  Uh oh.  My end of the truss is hitting the wall and her end is way above the wall and she is running out of string.  I should have tied a couple more strings to that thing.  We still need to go about another 10 feet.  Ok.  I have an idea.  If she pulls her end back towards me the opposite end should raise up over the wall.

Ok.  That didn't work.  Trusses are not supposed to look like that.  My 40 foot truss is now in the shape of an L and I can't get it loose from the boom.  I'm getting that look again.  I'm yelling instructions, I want to make sure she hears me, so we can get this project back under control.  Wait a minute.  Where did she go.  Uh oh.  No more looks, she is headed for the house.  Project is over for the day.

Well this didn't go at all like the picture I had in my mind.  I'm sure her total lack of confidence in my boom just poisoned this whole project.  I'm going to need a plan B.  Bet we eat out tonight.