I put this short video together as part of my off-grid homestead-build series because I've started raising my walls and realized immediately that the standard wall jacks most folks use for this (available from several vendors on Amazon for less than $100 - sorry I don't have an affiliate link) work best in moderate- to low-wind conditions.
This is probably not a problem for most, but if you're like me and your property gets higher winds, they can be very dangerous to use. The original vendor, Guardian Fall Protection, sells an add-on kit (that costs almost as much as the jacks, for what amounts to two short cables and nail plates) but I wasn't able to get it on short notice and didn't want to waste the money on a one-time use build.
This video walks through what I came up with instead, which is essentially:
* A pair of 2x4 braces on each side of the jack itself, to keep it from shifting left or right.
* Three 2x4 braces creating a "pocket" to keep the base of the stud used in the jack from shifting.
* One or two 2" ratchet straps with beefy ratchets plus screw-on tie-down plates to attach them (to keep the wall from tipping over once it's vertical).
* A pair of extension bars and 22-degree (I recommend 45) elbows to allow you to pump the jacks from the ground, outside the fall zone, once the jack is past 45 degrees.
This was a jury-rigged setup but it worked perfectly and even let me get the walls perfectly level. There are a lot of videos on RU-vid about how to use spring-boards to do the same job, but it's a lot of extra work. If you already have the jacks on the wall, leveling the wall is simple. Just jack it to slightly PAST vertical, keeping tension on the ratchet to stop it from tipping over. Then slide each jack back slightly, using the ratchets for help if needed, until it's perfect. I was able to get each wall perfectly vertical as it was raised with only an extra minute or two of work. I'm very happy with how this system worked out.
4 авг 2024
