I just raised 4 40 ft by 8ft walls with sheathing on them, with the qualcraft jacks. I used 3 for each section, placing the first and last one about 8 ft in from the end, and the other one in the middle. I made a long handle with a joint in the middle (conduit) to jack the jacks. so, i didn't have to be under the wall or use a ladder at any time. Using these jacks without the "wind hook" or something similar is insanity. You might get away with it, but if you get a stiff breeze, the wall is going over. I just made a few short pieces of chain attached to a couple of framing brackets to loop around the top of the jack instead of their $50 wind hooks. I raised a 30 ft. wall with two of them.
Yeah, it would not be to wise to raise any walls with these and not have something to hold them back from a small gust of wind, breeze or whatever. If anyone has ever been behind a sheet of 4x8 in a slightest of a breeze, they know the surface area on the wall would be impossible to control. I had it in my mind the whole time I raised where the wall would be in a split second if something failed. Thinking forward saves a bit of hurt and potential anguish no doubt. I bought mine for this one time lift, but well worth it given I will likely build again in the near future.
Thanks for sharing this great video! I'm putting up a small "tiny home" this summer and plan on doing a lot of the work myself, so this came in really handy. I remember some guys doing this years ago, but slipped my mind until I saw your video. The pump jacks have been around a long time.
well just be very conscious of where you are in relation to the wall's path should a fail in the 2x4. Not trying to scare you, it was only 3 feet up or thereabout when it gave way on one of the post......the visual image that ran through my mind immediately is how back it could have been had I been under it at mid point. Outside of that, it's worth the money even for just once life in my opinion....I'll use them again when I get a garage going for sure!
Many thanks. I didn't read your full description at first, and see you mentioned your technique for the prep-- Sounds easy enough to me! 10" isn't much to really raise the wall.
No problem, they made what would be impossible, possible for 2 people or 1 when I got down to the 26 foot section. It will take quite a bit of work if you do the 42 foot section with 2 jacks....my father helped on that and it was quite a bit of pull necessary to manipulate the jacks.....just be super careful! I had one snap at 3 foot off the deck.......made me very aware of staying out from under!!
I finally got around to using these. The only issue I had is as you reach the top of the wall, the weight of the actual jacks can push the wall over! You definitely need to make sure you have some rope or something tied to the wall. I found when I got within about 2 inches of plumb, I just set up a brace, and then removed the actual 20 pound Jack, and then pushed the wall into plumb. It's much safer that way.
Troy D They have an accessory kit, which I used ....look at the bottom of the 2x4, you'll see part of the retainer kit, the part that is hinged and retains the 2x4 in place...the cable part you can't see it as the top at the jack's cradle and screwed to the top plate so it can't take off and go too far as you mention........it keeps the wall retained so it cannot fall over..... you can find them on Amazon dot com Qualcraft 2602 Wind Hook Accessory Kit
+Pete Joplin That might work on a wall short in length, but I can tell you this much on that wall that was 42' long........no way, the pull to ratchet was pretty substantial and you could not do something like that. Thanks for the suggestion though.
That wall is not 42' long. Maybe your 4 and 2 are reversed for a 24 ft wall? Furthermore, you never used two hands to ratchet, and neither pull seemed greater than about 20 lbs. But, you were there...
+Pete Joplin You are correct with respect to the wall being raised in this video, however I was referring to the walls that run front to back of the home, which are 42' long. Read the description on top and it gives more details about what was going on.
I assume that sheathing was plumb with the bottom plate? I would like to raise a wall with sheathing lapping over the bottom plate - can you do this when using the jack?
Definitively....have your wall near edge of exterior when raising. I used short pieces of duct strap screwed to bottom of bottom plate and to floor to prevent kickout...
@@johncraig3595 I did 42 feet of wall 10 feet tall with sheathing with 2 of them...I don't see why not if you are well centered....I had base plates and the safety part for the top so it would not cut free and keep going...it's easier the higher it goes or the load is shifting to the floor....I did have 1 of the 2x4's snap on the second long wall about 3 feet up...so don't get under that at any point during the lift!
First of all, knot free and 16' in length....type of wood....can't recall, but it states in the directions what to use....go to Qualcraft or google it, I think they were fir though, but don't quote me on that.
Probably not considering the amount of pressure it takes to push downward on the jack...maybe on the short wall I did....but not that 42 foot long one...took quite a bit of pressure on each downward motion....depends on the load how much...like a car jack would.
You actually have to raise the wall with whatever means just a little bit....with prybar, by hand, I used a prybar and slid stacked scrap under to gain enough room to get in there if I remember correctly.......remember these are not lead walls, just be careful and stay out from under during lift at all times!
+JJ Rogers ...........they just cradle the plate unless you have the retainer/safety kit which I had on this. In which case you ....if you used screws, unscrew them and take them out, otherwise...........this is not attached physically, so unless you're doing it on the moon, you will release the jack and slide it back down the 2x4 or pull it down after you remove whatever you utilized at the base to hold it in place....nails or retention set up like I had....I would suggest getting it to eliminate potential slippage/kick out.
+Earl Ismyname Thanks for your reply but I have 1 last question for you Earl what type and how long should the 2x4 be. I can't get one of Fir so I was thinking about a #1 grade 2by with no knots around 12 feet long. What do you think?
+JJ Rogers I would run that by the Wall Jack company if I were you.......my opini d be to make sure that you have no part of your body or anyone else' under that wall .......always think of it as if it were to fail, what would it land on........not me would be my first choice. Keep clear in case of 2x4 failure.....but they sure do make lifting a wall a much easier, no doubt about it!
Well, it is tiring........2 knee surgeries makes it easier. I can tell you that climbing the stairs of a 170 foot air traffic control air tower several times a day for several months while building it is much more exhausting and stressing to the knees.....the ladders in this little clip, not so much.
I wanna see these used on a 12 pitchgable that's 45 ft long with 10ft walls and all the trim on it.. Would be suicide .. Theses are good for little shacks but not for big shacks.. 1044 only..
+spin230 That is what they make forklifts or a boom/crane for. The 42 foot of wall I lifted was just shy of 10' and it was what I would say is the limit for 2 of these jacks as one of the 2x4's snapped on the second lift. Still the point of these are exactly what I used them for....running solo or with limited manpower available.
That why I said 1044 only.. Just yesterday we picked up an odd gable with my 1044 Lull but we have a matching one on a walkout basement side and I'll have to order a crane.. Usually I use 23ft wall jacks for them but these two are over framed with 2x10.. Sucks that they don't make the round tube wall jack anymore, I just ordered a pair of the square tube ones and hopefully they don't suck.. But these red jacks look like they could come in handy with a small crew
+spin230 I'll be honest, they should have an engineered aluminum pole as with some of the pump jacks or something like the old car jacks you used to get for changing tires with ...to rely on a 2x4 is a roll of the dice in my opinion with loads such as my first wall (42 foot)..these could literally be fatal if you are under the wall getting jacked and it gives way....like anything though, complacency will get you. I wish I would have had the camera rolling when the 2nd 42 foot wall snapped of the 2x4's out of 2....at about 3 foot off the deck......it made me much more aware of the potential damage if I were under it.
I just raised 4 40 ft by 8ft walls with sheathing on them, with the qualcraft jacks. I used 3 for each section, placing the first and last one about 8 ft in from the end, and the other one in the middle. I made a long handle with a joint in the middle (conduit) to jack the jacks. so, i didn't have to be under the wall or use a ladder at any time.
Using these jacks without the "wind hook" or something similar is insanity. You might get away with it, but if you get a stiff breeze, the wall is going over. I just made a few short pieces of chain attached to a couple of framing brackets to loop around the top of the jack instead of their $50 wind hooks.
I raised a 30 ft. wall with two of them.
Yeah, it would not be to wise to raise any walls with these and not have something to hold them back from a small gust of wind, breeze or whatever. If anyone has ever been behind a sheet of 4x8 in a slightest of a breeze, they know the surface area on the wall would be impossible to control. I had it in my mind the whole time I raised where the wall would be in a split second if something failed. Thinking forward saves a bit of hurt and potential anguish no doubt. I bought mine for this one time lift, but well worth it given I will likely build again in the near future.
Thanks for sharing this great video! I'm putting up a small "tiny home" this summer and plan on doing a lot of the work myself, so this came in really handy. I remember some guys doing this years ago, but slipped my mind until I saw your video. The pump jacks have been around a long time.
well just be very conscious of where you are in relation to the wall's path should a fail in the 2x4. Not trying to scare you, it was only 3 feet up or thereabout when it gave way on one of the post......the visual image that ran through my mind immediately is how back it could have been had I been under it at mid point. Outside of that, it's worth the money even for just once life in my opinion....I'll use them again when I get a garage going for sure!
I will just be doing 14' sections (28' walls), so should be a piece of cake. Thanks again for the video!
Many thanks. I didn't read your full description at first, and see you mentioned your technique for the prep-- Sounds easy enough to me! 10" isn't much to really raise the wall.
No problem, they made what would be impossible, possible for 2 people or 1 when I got down to the 26 foot section. It will take quite a bit of work if you do the 42 foot section with 2 jacks....my father helped on that and it was quite a bit of pull necessary to manipulate the jacks.....just be super careful! I had one snap at 3 foot off the deck.......made me very aware of staying out from under!!
I finally got around to using these. The only issue I had is as you reach the top of the wall, the weight of the actual jacks can push the wall over! You definitely need to make sure you have some rope or something tied to the wall. I found when I got within about 2 inches of plumb, I just set up a brace, and then removed the actual 20 pound Jack, and then pushed the wall into plumb. It's much safer that way.
Troy D They have an accessory kit, which I used ....look at the bottom of the 2x4, you'll see part of the retainer kit, the part that is hinged and retains the 2x4 in place...the cable part you can't see it as the top at the jack's cradle and screwed to the top plate so it can't take off and go too far as you mention........it keeps the wall retained so it cannot fall over..... you can find them on Amazon dot com Qualcraft 2602 Wind Hook Accessory Kit
Yeap, I saw it on Amazon. Just adds another $48 to each jack, but no doubt safer.
Why am I just now finding out about this no more giving the Mason's a case of beer to borrow their skytrack lol
Span a 1-by, 2-by, re-bar or what ever to both jack handles and use one ladder, so you won't have to go back and forth.
+Pete Joplin That might work on a wall short in length, but I can tell you this much on that wall that was 42' long........no way, the pull to ratchet was pretty substantial and you could not do something like that. Thanks for the suggestion though.
That wall is not 42' long. Maybe your 4 and 2 are reversed for a 24 ft wall? Furthermore, you never used two hands to ratchet, and neither pull seemed greater than about 20 lbs. But, you were there...
+Pete Joplin You are correct with respect to the wall being raised in this video, however I was referring to the walls that run front to back of the home, which are 42' long. Read the description on top and it gives more details about what was going on.
I assume that sheathing was plumb with the bottom plate? I would like to raise a wall with sheathing lapping over the bottom plate - can you do this when using the jack?
Definitively....have your wall near edge of exterior when raising. I used short pieces of duct strap screwed to bottom of bottom plate and to floor to prevent kickout...
@@13612 Thanks - Will one jack handle a 2x6 wall - 16 feet long with sheathing attached?
@@johncraig3595 I did 42 feet of wall 10 feet tall with sheathing with 2 of them...I don't see why not if you are well centered....I had base plates and the safety part for the top so it would not cut free and keep going...it's easier the higher it goes or the load is shifting to the floor....I did have 1 of the 2x4's snap on the second long wall about 3 feet up...so don't get under that at any point during the lift!
Answer to question "...for you Earl what type and how long should the 2x4 be?"
C^2=A^2+B^2
First of all, knot free and 16' in length....type of wood....can't recall, but it states in the directions what to use....go to Qualcraft or google it, I think they were fir though, but don't quote me on that.
Could you wire a 2x4 to each lever and work it from the middle?
Probably not considering the amount of pressure it takes to push downward on the jack...maybe on the short wall I did....but not that 42 foot long one...took quite a bit of pressure on each downward motion....depends on the load how much...like a car jack would.
BTW, how do you get the jacks under the wall when you 1st start?
You actually have to raise the wall with whatever means just a little bit....with prybar, by hand, I used a prybar and slid stacked scrap under to gain enough room to get in there if I remember correctly.......remember these are not lead walls, just be careful and stay out from under during lift at all times!
How do you remove the wall jacks once the wall is up?
+JJ Rogers ...........they just cradle the plate unless you have the retainer/safety kit which I had on this. In which case you ....if you used screws, unscrew them and take them out, otherwise...........this is not attached physically, so unless you're doing it on the moon, you will release the jack and slide it back down the 2x4 or pull it down after you remove whatever you utilized at the base to hold it in place....nails or retention set up like I had....I would suggest getting it to eliminate potential slippage/kick out.
+Earl Ismyname Thanks for your reply but I have 1 last question for you Earl what type and how long should the 2x4 be. I can't get one of Fir so I was thinking about a #1 grade 2by with no knots around 12 feet long. What do you think?
+JJ Rogers I would run that by the Wall Jack company if I were you.......my opini d be to make sure that you have no part of your body or anyone else' under that wall .......always think of it as if it were to fail, what would it land on........not me would be my first choice. Keep clear in case of 2x4 failure.....but they sure do make lifting a wall a much easier, no doubt about it!
Watching you walk up and down those ladders is making me tired.
Well, it is tiring........2 knee surgeries makes it easier. I can tell you that climbing the stairs of a 170 foot air traffic control air tower several times a day for several months while building it is much more exhausting and stressing to the knees.....the ladders in this little clip, not so much.
you have no jack posts under your door header!
I put them in later before I cut out the OSB for the transome.
Actually before the trusses and windows....look at this one: ua-cam.com/video/jqwB-Gv8etw/v-deo.html
I wanna see these used on a 12 pitchgable that's 45 ft long with 10ft walls and all the trim on it.. Would be suicide .. Theses are good for little shacks but not for big shacks.. 1044 only..
+spin230 That is what they make forklifts or a boom/crane for. The 42 foot of wall I lifted was just shy of 10' and it was what I would say is the limit for 2 of these jacks as one of the 2x4's snapped on the second lift. Still the point of these are exactly what I used them for....running solo or with limited manpower available.
That why I said 1044 only.. Just yesterday we picked up an odd gable with my 1044 Lull but we have a matching one on a walkout basement side and I'll have to order a crane.. Usually I use 23ft wall jacks for them but these two are over framed with 2x10.. Sucks that they don't make the round tube wall jack anymore, I just ordered a pair of the square tube ones and hopefully they don't suck.. But these red jacks look like they could come in handy with a small crew
+spin230 I'll be honest, they should have an engineered aluminum pole as with some of the pump jacks or something like the old car jacks you used to get for changing tires with ...to rely on a 2x4 is a roll of the dice in my opinion with loads such as my first wall (42 foot)..these could literally be fatal if you are under the wall getting jacked and it gives way....like anything though, complacency will get you. I wish I would have had the camera rolling when the 2nd 42 foot wall snapped of the 2x4's out of 2....at about 3 foot off the deck......it made me much more aware of the potential damage if I were under it.