Steel Erection Best Practice For Unloading & Shaking Out Joist and Joist Girders

Unloading & Shaking Out Joist and Joist Girders

1. Use a Crane and /or Forklift when unloading joist. (most cases a forklift is best)
2. On a large sequenced project, if site allows you will want to pull the truck into the center of the sequenced area and unload joist.
3. If site allows place the joist where the ground man can hold on to the tag line on one end of joist to put the other end of joist right into the connectors hand.
4. Know that there will be many different site conditions that will require you to adjust where and the way you will shake out joist.
5. Instruct Field Crews to inspect Joist & Joist Girders when unloading and if damage is seen to cords where tie down chains were, do the repairs on the ground before they are flown into place.

NOTE: When referencing joist in the below text I’m also referring to joist girders.

Unloading Joist – can be done with a forklift or crane, depending on the job site. I think that a forklift works best to unload joist.

Shaking out Joist – there is basically two scenarios that you will come across when it comes to shaking out joist.

Large Sequenced Project

– On a large sequenced project, if site allows you will want to pull the truck into the center of the sequenced area and unload joist. On a traditional project that have different joist numbers you will want to keep stacking of joist to a minimum so the crane can swing over and pick the whole bundle and drop it in the bay, when joist are ready to be erected. Also if site allows, place the joist where the ground man can hold on to the tag line on one end of joist to put the other end of joist right into the connectors hand.

– If site allows place the joist where the ground man can hold on to the tag line on one end of joist to put the other end of joist right into the connectors hand. You will find a huge time saving when shaking out joist in this fashion with the Build Master joist bundled option.

– If you can not pull truck into the center of the sequenced area, find and open area on project in close proximity of where the joist go, unload all the joist and then with forklift move into the bays in similar fashion as above.

Small and Medium Sized Projects

– Find and open area on project in close proximity of where the crane can reach them, unload all the joist trying to keep stacking of joist to a minimum if the crane can reach the whole site great if, if not erect joist that go in that area then with forklift move remaining joist to the next location the crane will be set up at.

If the site is tight and you do not have the room to place joist with in reach of crane due to the steel is using all available lay down area, have the joist close and bring the bundles of joist with a forklift as they are needed.

Note: Sometimes in shipping Joist & Joist Girders will suffer damage where the tie down chains are and will bend the cords, instruct Field Crews to inspect Joist & Joist Girders when unloading and if damage is seen to cords where tie down chains were, do the repairs on the ground before they are flown into place. It is by far much easier to do this on the ground then in the air and it can normally be a very simple fix.

Grant it there will be many different site conditions that will make you have to adjust where and the way you will shake out joist.

Steel Estimating Solutions

Vince Hughes

505-249-2390

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