Apparatus and method for installing roof moisture barrier fabric

Abstract

A trolley carrying a roll of vapor retarder fabric is supporting on building roof purlins and moved along the purlins as the fabric is dispensed onto the purlins under longitudinal tension. Fabric tension is maintained to inhibit sagging thereof between the purlins by applying one braking force to the fabric roll and another braking force between the trolley and the purlins. The trolley has a rectangular support frame with opposite sides and front and rear ends. Rotatable rollers adjacent the rear end movably support the frame on the purlins, and a friction brake adjacent the front end engages the purlins. A handle attachment adjacent the rollers receives a handle for tilting the frame about the rollers to release the frame brake and push the trolley along the purlins. A frame guide roller extends downwardly from the front end of the frame for engaging a side of a purlin to prevent skewing of the frame relative to the purlins. Fabric roll supports extend upwardly from the frame sides between the front and rear frame ends for supporting a roll of vapor retarder fabric.

I claim:  
     
         1 . Apparatus for installing a vapor retarder fabric on a plurality of spaced-apart roof support members comprising: a support frame having front and rear ends, rotatable support rollers adjacent said frame rear end for supporting the frame on a pair of spaced-apart roof support members, said support frame including upright supports adjacent said frame front end for supporting a roll of vapor retarder fabric, a sheet material guide member for guiding the fabric from the roll onto the roof support members beneath the support rollers as the support frame is moved along the roof support members, a roll brake for inhibiting rotation of the fabric roll, and a frame brake adjacent said frame front end that engages the roof support members to inhibit movement of the frame therealong, the frame being tiltable about the support rollers to raise the frame front end and disengage the frame brake from the roof support members.  
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  including a support frame guide member depending from said support frame for engaging the side of a roof support member on which said support frame is positioned to inhibit skewing of the frame relative to the roof support members.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said support frame guide member is rotatable about an axis extending perpendicular to said frame.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said sheet material guide member is rotatable.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said sheet material guide member is positioned adjacent said support rollers and is located between said support rollers and said upright roll supports.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  including a handle attachment on said support frame for supporting a handle used to manually push said support frame along the roof support members.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein said handle attachment is located between said support rollers.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said handle attachment includes an upwardly inclined pin and a handle support below said pin, the pin being receivable in an open end of a handle that is positionable against the handle support.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said frame brake is a friction brake material.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein said frame includes a front frame member having an underside and said frame brake comprises a friction brake material attached to said underside of said front frame member.  
     
     
         11 . Apparatus for carrying and dispensing a vapor retarder sheet material from a roll of same comprising: a generally rectangular support frame having opposite side support frame members and front and rear support frame members extending between said side support frame members, a pair of spaced-apart rotatable support rollers carried by said support frame between said side support frame members adjacent said rear support frame member, upright roll support members extending upwardly from said side support frame members adjacent said front frame member for rotatably supporting a roll of vapor retarder sheet material on said support frame and dispensing same beneath said support rollers, and a friction brake material on said front frame member for engaging support surfaces on which said frame is supported.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  including a handle attachment on said support frame adjacent to and between said support rollers.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said handle support is inclined upwardly for supporting a handle extending upwardly and rearwardly from said support frame for tilting said support frame about said support rollers and for pushing said support frame to move same along while supported by said support rollers.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said handle attachment is secured to said rear support frame member.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein said support rollers are rotatable about a roller axis, said rear support frame member being secured to said side frame members above said roller axis, and said handle attachment being secured to said rear support frame member above said roller axis so that a handle supported by said handle attachment extends across said roller axis above same.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein said handle attachment includes an upwardly inclined pin welded to said rear support frame member and a handle support welded to said rear support frame member outwardly of and below said pin so that a handle having a handle end socket is positionable with the handle socket receiving said pin while the handle end portion engages said handle support.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein said support rollers are positioned on the opposite side of said rear support frame member from said front support frame member.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  including a vapor retarder sheet material guide member extending between said side support frame members adjacent said support rollers, said guide member being spaced from said support rollers in a direction toward said front support frame member.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein said sheet material guide member is rotatable.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein each said support roller has opposite roller ends and an outer peripheral surface that slopes inwardly toward the roller center from said opposite roller ends.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 11  including a frame guide member depending from said front support frame member for laterally engaging a roof support member on which said support rollers are positioned.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein said frame guide member is rotatable about axis extending perpendicular to said frame.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein said front frame member has an underside and said friction brake material is on said underside of said front frame member for engaging roof support members on which said support rollers are positioned, said support frame being tiltable about said support rollers to move said friction brake material upwardly out of engagement with the roof support members.  
     
     
         24 . Apparatus for installing a vapor retarder sheet material onto parallel spaced-apart roof support members comprising: a generally rectangular support frame having opposite sides and front and rear ends, a pair of spaced-apart rotatable support rollers between said opposite sides adjacent said rear end, upright supports extending upwardly from said sides adjacent said front end for supporting a roll of vapor retarder material thereon, a transverse sheet material guide member extending between said opposite sides adjacent said support rollers and spaced from said support rollers in a direction toward said front end for guiding a vapor retarder sheet material beneath said support rollers, a vertical frame guide member depending from said support frame adjacent said front end for laterally engaging a roof support member on which said support rollers are positioned to inhibit skewing of the support frame, a frame friction brake adjacent said frame front end that engages roof support members on which the frame is supported to inhibit movement of the frame along the roof support members, and a handle attachment adjacent said rear end for attaching a handle used to tilt the front end of the support frame upwardly about the support rollers to release the frame friction brake and push the frame along roof support members.  
     
     
         25 . Apparatus for carrying and dispensing a vapor retarder sheet material from a roll of same comprising: a generally rectangular support frame having opposite side frame members and front and rear frame members extending between said side frame members, a pair of spaced-apart rotatable support rollers mounted between said side frame members on the opposite side of said rear frame member from said front frame member, a sheet material guide member extending between said side frame members adjacent said support rollers and below said rear frame member, upright roll supports extending upwardly from said side frame members adjacent said front frame member for supporting a roll of vapor retarder sheet material, a support frame guide roller depending from said front frame member adjacent one of said side frame members for laterally engaging a roof support member on which said support frame is positioned, a frame friction brake adjacent said front frame member that engages roof support members on which the frame is supported to inhibit movement of the frame along the roof support members, and a handle attachment on said rear frame member between said support rollers for receiving a handle used to tilt the support frame about the support rollers to release the frame friction brake and to push the support frame along roof support members.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein said front frame member has an underside, and said frame friction brake comprises a friction brake material attached to said underside for engaging roof support members on which said support frame is positioned.  
     
     
         27 . A method of installing vapor retarder fabric on a building roof having a plurality of spaced-apart parallel roof support members comprising the steps of: providing a trolley having front and rear ends and spaced rollers adjacent the rear end, the rollers being engageable with an adjacent pair of roof support members for supporting the trolley thereon, the trolley carrying a roll of vapor retarder fabric; positioning the trolley on a pair of adjacent roof support members with the rollers and the frame front end engaging the roof support members; positioning the vapor retarder fabric between the rollers and the roof support members; moving the trolley along the roof support members while applying longitudinal tension to the fabric and dispensing same onto the roof support members by tilting the trolley about the rollers to raise the trolley front end while pushing on the trolley; and maintaining longitudinal tension in the fabric by applying a braking force to the vapor retarder fabric roll and by applying a braking force between the frame front end and the roof support members.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the step of positioning the trolley on adjacent roof support members is carried out by positioning a plurality of trolleys on different ones of adjacent pairs of roof support members.