Thought I would throw this out there:
What is more efficient? 2 men carrying 2 pieces of 1/2 inch drywall or two men EACH carrying ONE sheet of drywall. I have to wonder if someone has timed this.
My preference is one carrying one. Seems too awkward with two on two.
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2 carrying 2 because I would think they would run into each other and they would get tired faster
The next level is here.... Turning.
That is probably why drywall usually comes bound 2 up. That and making it rigid enough so it doesn't break.
When they delivered my drywall 2 guys carried 2. I suppose guys who do this for a living have thought about it.
Having carried a lot of boards, both ways, it's easier to carry 2 on 2, as long as the guy in the back stays in step with the guy in front. That's mainly because you don't need to balance the board with two people carrying. Balancing adds some tension to carrying which tires the muscles quicker.
One important thing to remember, solo or 2 on 2, switch sides often. Carrying only on one side will put serious stress on the lower back.
On a windy day one carrying one results in one carrying two shorter ones
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If they are 12' sheets - then definately 2 x 2
Back in 79 I use to hump board for a DW company doing evening deliveries. Four man crew and a boom operator could unload and scatter a full truck load in just over two hours. All 12' board either 1/2" or a half load of 5/8".
Double sheets and two young men.
You hustle for two hours at a quater a sheet, scatterred, you could make $20/ hr. Without a boom truck we had to do drag offs and run from the yard or driveway. Those sux and we only got another few cents for a first floor scatter. Maybe a nickle more for a second floor.
Now they paid by the hour, I think, not board count, but it is still a two man job.
One man has to lift the board and cup his hand under the center point. That raises the 4' board to at least 30" off the floor and puts a real strain on his back and shoulders. Then he has to almost squat to get the board under a door header, and put his back in another strain to set the board down.
Two men on a double sheet just grip, lift and walk. The board never gets more than 3" off the floor and neither man has had to bend thier back to pick it up. It is all handled by the legs and a staight back.
If I get a crew that delivers board to me now and shows the hustle we had back then. I give them a big enough tip to buy the beer that night!
Edited 7/25/2008 6:58 am ET by DaveRicheson
1 carrying 2
Done it that way plenty.
1 carrying 2 Was waiting for that part. Or 4? 1 at a time is for real wutzes???
Age/size of the people makes a BIG difference.
Frenchy ought to weigh in soon about the advantages of telehandlers and forklifts.
Do have a hard time nowadays carrying just 2ea 1/2" 8 ft sheets up a set of stairs, when in 20's could do four at a time relatively easily for a half hour at a time, even carried 6 at a timeup up the stairs a few times to see if I could do it, pretty tough on the hand. Probably could not even lift 6 today.
Have a bunch of 5x10 sheets of 1.8 cm baltic birch, they weigh 126# apiece. Nathan has not posted here for awhile, but he was over 5-6 years ago loading some of those for Jeff. He could carry 2 of those at a time at his side!.... big guy, 6'-8" or so.
Gotta go buy myself a telehandler when I build another house if I ever retire.
7 YO grandson was trying to lift a 94# sack of cement last week when we were pouring some stairs. Not quite, have a hard time myself nowadays, and often carried 3 at a time 40 years ago.
Heck to get old.
I know the fealing, I used to carry 2 bundles of shingles up to the roof at a time. Now it is all I can do to carry one!
junkhound,
You said it! I would pick up a stack of sheetrock, squirt the boom out to the window opening and the only job was slide the sheets off the telehandler and onto the stack. Since that was downhill work all the way it was a real breeze.More of a slide and drop than any lifting . That job took mere minutes rather than hours..
A boom truck does much the same thing and nowdays whenever truckloads of sheetrock are delivered around here they have boom trucks on them.
I bought one of those handles to haul plywood/sheetrock and they help a great deal. They are really great at hauling 3/4 partical board around..
16 foot 5/8 MR boards I expect....
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
2 carrying 2 and using one of these panel carry things.