WHY INSPECT YOUR TYLER TRUSS/All Truss

Safety! Of course.

Truss has a lifespan. Especially when you use it for years…it gets banged around, dropped, ran into and more. So how do you inspect your truss and what are you looking for. Above all, contact Tyler Truss now and make sure you have the most updated inspection instructions. They are based on ANSI E1.2 guidelines and engineering recommendations.

And before we go any further, you can ship your truss to Tyler Truss, and we can inspect it. But if that’s not in the cards, the Tyler inspection instructions comes in very handy.

So, what is ANSI E1.2? It’s ESTA’s Approved and Published Technical Standards Program Standards. The American National Standards Institute oversees standards and conformity assessment activities in the UNITED STATES

What is ESTA? It is the Entertainment Services and Technology Association,  a non-profit trade association for the entertainment technology industries. Its members are the industry’s leading dealers, manufacturers, production companies, rental companies, and professional service companies. ESTA’s members are responsible for creating some of the most important programs in our industry including the Technical Standards Program, Entertainment Technician Certification Program and Rental Guard.

ESTA does not approve, inspect, or certify any installations, procedures, equipment, or materials for compliance with codes, recommended practices or standards. Compliance with an ESTA standard or recommended practice, or an American National Standard developed by ESTA, is the sole and exclusive responsibility of the manufacturer or provider and is entirely within their control and discretion,

The ESTA Technical Standards Program was created to serve the ESTA membership and the entertainment industry in technical standards related matters. The goal of the Program is to take a leading role regarding technology within the entertainment industry by creating recommended practices and standards, monitoring standards issues around the world on behalf of our members, and improving communications and safety within the industry. ESTA works closely with the technical standards efforts of other organizations within our industry, including USITT, and VPLT. USITT was founded in 1960 as an organization to promote dialogue, research, and learning among practitioners of theatre design and technology. Today it has grown to include members at all levels of their careers and has embraced the new technologies being used in entertainment.  USITT is now the leader in life-long learning opportunities for the entertainment design and technology industry.

Now…back to our SHOW!

Once you get Tyler Truss’ Inspection Instructions, you’ll see that in addition to visually inspecting your truss, you will need some tools as well. Such as: Calipers, Caliper accessories, a Bastard Cut/Mill American Pattern file, and a straight edge.

And just what are some of these “issues?”

• Wear and elongation of bolt holes on end plates
• Gouges and Bends
• Holes or cut marks other than those that came from the manufacturer.
• Dents, Scrapes
• Loose fork end connections
• Forks that are warped, bent or corroded.
• Clevis Pin elongation or wear
• Missing or loose-fitting coil pins
• Holes drilled that didn’t come from the manufacturer
• Damaged or missing diags, verticals or horizontals
• Are sides of truss square?
• Check all truss and tower to see if it’s twisted, bent or bowed
• Welds! Any cracked or orange peel and cracked in the weld, get truss out of service
• Weld gouges or abrasions?