I saw this today in the attic of a manufactured home. Notice the gussets on the right side that aren’t connected to anything. I’m wondering is there a truss member missing? Your thoughts appreciated.
No way to really know Skip, unless you saw changes in coloration where previously-installed web bracing had been in contact, or saw nail holes or some other evidence that truss members had been installed at some point. Looks like there are no corresponding gangnails at the left side.
I’d describe what I saw, mention whether or not I saw failure which appeared to be connected with this condition, and move on.
I tried to look at the photos closely, and bumped my head. Go something for people with just 20/20 vision?
tom
Skip, if you could make the pictures smaller it would be great. 
Heck, what do you know?!!!???
Skip,
Many modular homes are shipped with the roof folded down and these straps are used to secure the framing during transit. On site they remove the strap and erect the roof. You can usually look towards the eave and note a hinged minding plate.
That roof framing is certainly not trusses, so there can’t be a truss member missing. Mr. Gallahorn seems to have the answer.
Richard, it’s 2x4’s with gangnailed connections. How can you tell that they aren’t trusses?
Skip; as Robert stated, the hinged knee brace is attached to the rafter top cord for transport and set-up. It keeps the knee braces from putting holes in the ceiling and makes it easer for set-up. Here is some more information on how a hinged roof is supposed to be fastened.
When inspecting an installation set-up; the knee brace should be fastened with 2 # 8x3 wood screw or 16d nails to the Nailing plate and king post. The hinged knee brace at each end and every 3rd rafter should be fastened to the king post with a 1 ½” x 8” x 26 GA. strap nailed with 8d nails, this is tn help prevent lifting from high winds. The double 1x top plates should be fastened with a plate 7/16” x 12” x 12” rated sheating with 2 rows of 6d or 8d nails every third bay. The ridge can be strapped, lagged or screwed or a combination of straps, lags or screws depending on the manufacture.
It’s obvious they aren’t trusses…what I see in the photos are rafters bearing on knee walls, with no bottom chord. There is no triangulation whatsoever, ergo, not trusses.
Richard I can see you are not educated on how hinged trusses are built or engineered for modular and manufactured homes.
The trusses are made with one or more double-hinge plates . A roof truss featuring an upper chord segment at its apex which segment is not installed until final erection of prefabricated building allows “over the road” load height reduction in transport of building. Making steeper pitch roofs feasible allows use of relatively smaller truss members. A longitudinal flat member lying at right angles to trusses and attaching to tops of lower chords at mid span between panel points stiffens lower chords against ceiling deflection and also serves as an attic catwalk. Final erection installation of upper chord segment and the small portion of roofing overlying same, permits concealment of structural attachment method utilized to join two half-buildings and a finished appearance results.
http://www.ufpi.com/product/dhp/index.htm
http://www.homanlumber.com/rvmh_truss_plant.htm
Gary
http://www.hsspropertyinspection.com
](http://www.homanlumber.com/rvmh_truss_plant.htm)
What I see are small bracing members toe-nailed into a horizontal member running at right angles to the span. Then I see short studs extending down from there to the ceiling joists. I can’t see the connection there because of the insulation, but I assure you, toe-nailed connections are not how trusses are fabricated. The connections in a truss are either bolted or made with Gang-Nail type plates. There is also no triangulation at the bottom…no bottom chord. Therefore, what I see in the photos are **not **trusses. The description above applies to “piggy-back” trusses, or hinged sections of trusses, and that’s not what is seen in the photos. In every illustration cited, there is a bottom chord and a triangulating member…both not seen in the photos. They ain’t trusses.
Yes, this is common. Here is a link to the patent on the hinge plates used on such applications that includes a drawing of such connections.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=7uooAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&dq=wood+truss+hinge+plate