Tote-Em-Pole is an innovative hoist that gives framing contractors an affordable way to lift trusses up to three stores high. In fact, New England Builder was all set to display the product in our special December tool section, when we received a strongly worded memo from the Truss Plate Institute (TPI). The memo warned that the Tote-Em-Pole literature prominently displayed a dangerous lifting technique — lifting trusses from a single line fastened at the peak (see photo). The proper technique is to always use a sling with at least two lift points, according to TPI. Regarding the one point lift, the TPI memo states: "Depending on the truss configuration this practice can cause a stress reversal
