jckk335 Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Hi the gym club that I work for are doing a Christmas display and want a star cloth backdrop. The gym floor is 13m and I have seen a cloth that will cover it. The main issue is can I put a 12m piece of truss between 2 winch stands and not have them collapse in overs. Or will I need extra stands for support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barreller Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 The answer has to be it depends on the load and the design of the truss. However 39ft is one hell of an unsupported span. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 it also depends on the stands, they're unlikely to be rated to support the weight of a 13m width of starcloth. Safer to get more stands, safer still to hire a professional to install it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyro_gearloose Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Since you're simply hanging a cloth it would be safe to assume that the load will be distributed evenly along the length of the truss. In that case you could put the stands 3 metres in from either end of the truss so the maximum span is only 6 metres. Doing it this way will mean that the furthest distance from stand to truss is 3 metres, as opposed to 6 metres if you just supported the truss from either end. However, if you do this then don't blame me if it falls over. I don't know what truss, stands, and cloth you've got so I can't and won't give a definitive answer as to how best to rig your cloth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jckk335 Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 Cheers guys my idea was to have 4 winch stand through the load. So it is supported in the middle and not too strain on the outer legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonkiDonki Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 How about hiring some pipe and drape supports?Like thisPlenty of places hiring the stuff. Easy to put up and available to hire from plenty of places.It's generally a good idea to allow some extra stage weights on the bases, especially if you are going anywhere near their max height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianknight Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 Without knowing the type of truss or the star cloth it's tricky for anyone to give a definitive answer but you'd sort of hit on the answer yourself in the original question - "Or will I need extra stands for support". You're not looking to create an open arch or goalpost lighting rig - there will be a star cloth hung from it so there's no reason why you shouldn't position a couple of extra stands at 1/3rd points on the span to help take the load, the star cloth will mask them. It will take a couple more hands to help rig them but as long as you plan for that - it shouldn't prove too testing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjadingle Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 I'd get pipe and drape supports - using wind ups means the legs will come through the cloth and be a trip hazard . The base plates on pipe and drape kit are flat and negate that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 Get some numbers first! Rated load of the stands at full height, number of stands available, weight of starcloth per metre as hung. check whether the stands will hold the cloth and truss, check the truss for distributed load limits, then come back to the forum. At this time it's likely that Christmas party equipment is mostly spoken for already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seano Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 The maximum permissible span for a given UDL, or to put it another way the maximum permissible UDL for a given span, is arguably the single most basic bit of information a truss manufacturer gives you in its specs. You shouldn't really be using a truss if you don't know at least that much about it. When a 'goalpost' type structure falls over, it tends not to go in the plane of the truss itself but rather forwards or backwards. (Especially when it's been blown over by the wind, obviously, because the cloth/screen/whatever acts as a sail.) Adding more stands in a straight line does nothing to address this. When you have three or more wind-up stands on a truss you also need to think a bit about distributing the load - think about a truss on three stands, a wildly over-enthusiastic winder-upper in the middle will find himself trying to lift the entire truss on his own, *and* the two stands at either end. Pipe & drape, already suggested above, could be the way to go. It'll get your drape up to about 3m ish very easily. Much lighter and easier to deal with than truss and wind-up stands, less likely to go wrong, less likely to hurt people if it does. Otherwise you need to think quite carefully about whether you know what you're doing. Ground supporting a truss is, if anything, more difficult to get right and less forgiving of mistakes than hanging one from the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitlane Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 Possibly not a critical issue in this case but don't forget that adding more supports does not mean the load is equally distributed to each one. If you support the truss right at each end plus one support in the middle, the middle one will take around 62% of the load and the end ones just 19% each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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