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How to place a 500lb beam in the ceiling inside a house?

Gazz

Stainless
Joined
Sep 7, 2004
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NH
A friend is doing some serious renovations to her apartment which is on the ground floor of a larger commercial building. Her architect has spec'd an Ibeam that is 6.5" wide and 8" tall and 19'8" long so about 500 pounds. This beam has to be hoisted to the ceiling which is about 10' up and then supported on each end by wooden beams as columns resting on concrete slab on grade. Since it is inside the apartment there is no way to get a fork truck in there or any other type of lifting machinery. The architect apparently has some kind of plan to hoist it up but has not revealed it yet. My friend suspects that he thinks that a bunch of young guys with the proper machismo can lift it into position with just muscle power. I have suggested cribbing at each end and jacking it up or hiring a pro to do it but her budget is tight. I keep telling her that hiring someone is best as the potential for serious injury or death is there and she wouldn't like living there if she knew there were bloodstains under the carpet. Do any of you folks have any good ideas on how this might be done?
 
I'd use a pair of these-

Edit- maybe even just one if spacing allowed. They could probably be rented cheaply enough.
41GiJU5xg7L._SX342_.jpg
 
In the interest of load safety I'd probably fix both ends of the beam to a pallet with a much larger footprint than the beam's flange width. This would also allow you to pick up some extra height.
 
As I was looking at images of those, I had the same thought. The one you show can lift to 70". Lifting the other 50" required using stacked pallets? That's a lot of pallets and I would be concerned about stability once you are 9' up. It may be the answer though.
 
Visit a good equipment rental place and ask questions.

This is a common task that contractors do often and they often rent what is needed.

Consider a contractor does not wish to have blood on their hands so they rent correct tools and that cost is marked up in the price.



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Do you have access above the beam? I lifted one about that size from below in a house with 2 cable comealongs by attaching the sheaves above the beam.

Can you lift it straight up or do you have to jockey it into position once it is raised?
 
Do you have access above the beam?

That was my first question. If you have room above the beam when it's at full height you have a lot of options.
There are a multitude of small portable jib cranes around. If you have no headroom and you have to lift entirely
from under the beam then I'd recommend a small scissor lift...
 
Sumner 21 1ft Heavy Duty Portable Material Lift - Jim & Slims Tool Supply

I would imagine he plans to use something like this. Plenty of lifting options that fit through a standard man door.
This is what is used in this situation. I do structural welding work and fab and install beams just like you are doing. I own one of these lifts, the common name is a duct hoist. Heating an air people use them to hoist equipment up to the ceilings. Mine has a capacity of about 600 lbs and some rented ones I have seen up to 750 lbs. The little "forklift forks" can go in the carriage upside down to be able to push against the ceiling. If you have two moving dolly type carts the lift can be positioned in the center of where the beam goes and the beam rolled onto it and lifted right of the carts. Have some sawhorses or something to set the beam on part way up to flip over the forks. The hoist is on wheels and will roll with the load on it so you can fine tune the placement once the beam is up near position. Hoist should fit through a 36" door and rollls like a hand truck on the larger wheels.
I would also bring 1 or 2 other jacks that can be used on each end of the beam to get the wood posts in nice and tight.
On edit,
Sometimes it is hard to get a 20' beam though a house so the duct hoist can be positioned near where the beam will come into the room, (window usually) and raised upto window sill height and the beam slid in untill centered on the lift then just rolled into place. Dont overthink it.
 
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Engine hoist sitting on the floor above with a 3/8" hole drilled into the floor (ceiling of the room the beam will be in) in order to pass a cable down from the engine hoist down to the beam. When finished, a bit of wood putty fills the two 3/8" holes in the floor of the room above.
 
Do what Mud suggested, get it as high as you can and then crib/ block under it and jack it into position. OR a couple 2 x 6's on each side of the beam at each end floor to ceiling and jack it, throw a cleat between the verticals every foot or so as you lift it. Its only 250# per end, lifting each end, and two guys can do that easily. Nail blocks in under the beam as you go using duplex nails.

Problem I see with those lifts is they don't go to the ceiling, meaning blocking to get high enough and that could get a little crazy when you get up in the air.
 
I did this exact thing in my basement when I did an addition. I cut four sections of 2x4, each 24" long. Rounded off the 8" or so on either end to form handles. I just used c-clamps on the lower flange, two per handle to hold the handles on, equally spaced along the length. Could also drill some holes and carriage bolt them in place for added security.
'
I only had four people, plus a 'ladder tender'. Lift the beam up two feet, have the 'ladder tender' put an upside down spackle bucket under each end. Take a break. Lift it up to 4', set each end on a step ladder. Then up 6', then up and into place.

Took 10 minutes of work, after the handles were in place.

I did it at home that way, but for a company job I would have done it differently. Everyone had directions that if the beam started to get away from us, anyone could yell 'drop' and we all step back and let it fall.
 
Portable material lift, just rent it. I've picked heavier beams higher with one before, worked like a charm. Weight capacity isn't a problem for one, but stability for a 20' beam will be, just use two.

If one is using two, that'd put it in the range of pneumatic sheet rock lifts I've used before.
 
Do any of you folks have any good ideas on how this might be done?

500 lbs isn't hard. Think three adults males - or two "hog wimmin" - standing on the floor above. If the existing 'overhead' and floor structure will stand that [1], then...

Last one I single-handed, this very house. I started on grillage at floor level.

Suspended it with a series of ratchet straps from the joists either side. Put my automotive "trolley jack" under it. Lift to jack-max, block with grillage, snug the ratchet straps, retract jack, insert longer 4-by. Straps were rated for over twice the mass, but their "real" purpose was to prevent the beam going sideways off the grillage six+ feet up...

Repeat 'til demo-grade jackposts could fine-tune placement, install FHA-approved permanent steel jackposts, weld to beam. Concrete-in at base.

All that said, someone ELSE'S commercial building ???

DIY NOT! "Sneak" it NOT! Legal & mechanical / structural "Code" reasons more than technical ones!

Leave it to the licensed and bonded RPE Architect, ditto a qualifed General Contractor with all the permits, certs, "civils" and inspection paperwork the building OWNER will also require.

Trust this: There will be no shortage of paperwork!

[1] Existing structure may NOT be able to support that load. One assumes there is a REASON for this beam being wanted. Among my experience were a rather large number of high-grade jewelry safes - upgrades for an `18-store retail chain.

A luxo-bathtub or kitchen and heavily tiled area around either of those - above - might be more likely, here.
 
How about a couple drywall jacks. They go up to 15'

Brand new drywall jacks are $175 delivered on Amazon. They will lift atleast a few hundred pounds. I use mine for that kind of stuff.

I also have a JLG scissor lift. It is rated for 600 lbs, but it turns out the load sensor is only active for the 1st foot of travel so if I use a forklift to help the scissor up a little it will lift about a ton up 25' in the air.
 
...I also have a JLG scissor lift. It is rated for 600 lbs, but it turns out the load sensor is only active for the 1st foot of travel so if I use a forklift to help the scissor up a little it will lift about a ton up 25' in the air...

That sounds really safe; exceeding the safe working limit by over 60% at 25 feet off the ground. WTF! :D
 
If you have one -- another cheap option is an import hydraulic lift table - good for 1000# or so. Lift 2' at a time with temporary supports to match.
 








 
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