Truss outside the US

[kicknargel]

Hello,

I'm engineering a design that will sporadically tour in and out of the US (not even sure where; assume UK, Europe, Asia) and will rely on locally rented truss for structure. Can I rely on 12" x 12" square truss being available in 10', 8', 5', 2.5' sections, or will I run into metric / other?

 

[RonaldBeal]

Most will have metric, with 2.5m and 3m being "close enough" for 8' and 10' respectively. Not sure on the shorter sections... 1.5m would be the 5' substitute.... doubtful for the 2.5'.

 

[almorton]

If you look at the hire places in the UK they all quote lengths (and radiuses for curved sections) in metric sizes, so it might be worth perusing a few European hire shops too to get a feel for what's available. Pretty much everything in UK and Europe will be quoted in metric sizing, although you get strange hybrids like 12"x12" truss in metric lengths. Which parts of Asia may affect whether in metric or imperial, but likely to be metric.

 

[kicknargel]

Most will have metric, with 2.5m and 3m being "close enough" for 8' and 10' respectively. Not sure on the shorter sections... 1.5m would be the 5' substitute.... doubtful for the 2.5'.

Thanks. Do you know the section dimension of the metric approximation of 12" x 12"?

 

[kicknargel]

. . . it might be worth perusing a few European hire shops too to get a feel for what's available.

Thanks. Any suggestions on shops to look at?

 

[RonaldBeal]

Thanks. Do you know the section dimension of the metric approximation of 12" x 12"?

300mm truss is the metric "close to" 12"
ad 500 mm truss is the metric "close to" for 20.5" truss

PRG and its various branches will have all of it
(disclaimer: I work for PRG in the U.S.)

Here are our European locations:

https://www.prg.com/uk/en

https://www.prg.com/be/en

https://www.prg.com/fr/fr

https://www.prg.com/nl/en

https://www.prg.com/ch/de

https://www.prg.com/de/de

 

[Ancient Engineer]

I (nearly exclusively nowadays) specify and use Thomas 12x12 Supertruss, which lists in SAE dimensions but always seems to arrive in odd-ball Metric lengths to equate SAE lengths...

Be certain to specify inspection requirements for your rentals.

There are plenty of less-than-scrupulous truss renters that will send out any old thing regardless of its mileage/use/abuse/dentage/weld conditions/frozen and swollen ends/age/stretch/overloaded and sprung/use as a traction device to get the truck out of the ditch/crap.

Yes they should get inspected prior to use, but what if, the day of install, a lot of it is poopy/unsat/bad and there are not enough good spares available??

In backwater Belgium.


Never specifically happened to me, but there's a reason my rate-card is a regional affair...

 

[cbrandt]

Be incredibly careful with your specification of manufacturer. I've (too many times to count) specified a specific manufacturer of truss and lengths, and had sent to me "that manufacturer equivalent", and it never is...

 

[kicknargel]

Another question: most / all of the metric truss I'm seeing seems to be spiggot connections rather than plates. Can anyone confirm? I'm trying to make a ground-supported structure that will be very close in dimension whether rented in the US or Europe / UK. The extra .25m that the spiggoted corners add is making things complex.

 

[almorton]

It's at this point I'd suggest you ask the same questions in the rigging conference on the blue room, as there are UK and European based riggers on there who will have up to date first hand knowledge - worth a try?

 

[kicknargel]

It's at this point I'd suggest you ask the same questions in the rigging conference on the blue room, as there are UK and European based riggers on there who will have up to date first hand knowledge - worth a try?

I'll check it out. Unaware.