How to move equipment properly

1. Buy Casters
2. Hire a Roadie or a buddy with no friends other than yourself
3. Lift with your knees, if you unload a heavy ass cab wrong just before a show your back can be screwed for the whole gig!

What kind of equipment are you moving?

 

Get help with awkward cabinets. A 50-pound 210 cab isn't very heavy, but it's clumsy to lift and you can get hurt.

Big Hungry understates the back-injury risk. Your back can be screwed for the rest of your life. Don't risk it.

 

get a friend to help, add extra handles/wheels, or get lighter gear

 

Collapsible 2 wheelers can be had cheap.

Lift with your legs.

Choose gear that is designed to meet your needs under most circumstances and have a plan for the other .5% of the time.

Gear is getting more efficient and smaller all the time. Do your research and upgrade whenever possible.


JKT

 

I move my Ampeg 810 by going slowly and using gravity as my helper. I get the cab aligned sideways with the open hatch of my Explorer, give the top a nice shove and as it tips in, I grab the bottom and (lifting with my knees) lift it right in.

Pulling it out is basically the same in reverse - slide it out until gravity takes over, gently ease it to the ground, Done. Tilt back, grab towel bar, roll in. If there're any stairs or a big lift to the stage, I recruit a quickie roadie.

Easy does it, move slowly and carefully, always life with your knees - not your back, use wrist reinforcement, keep your eyes open and you head in what you are doing. Never hesitate to ask for help with the heavy stuff - and be ready to help others with their heavy stuff. Moving gear is best done in groups.

 

I took the casters off of my Big Ben. I usually get the drummer to help me with it.

 

All of the above are on target. Just because you CAN lift something by yourself absolutely does not mean that you should.

Here's what I have learned with my 58-year-old back:

• Hand trucks can be your friend - use them
• If it's over 50 pounds, get someone else to lift the other side
• ALWAYS lift correctly; if you don't know the correct technique, research it on the web
• Wear hearing protection; your ears ain't bulletproof either

 

Speaking of hand trucks: I have a collapsible luggage carrier. Works wonders and it claims to handle 250 pounds.

These are generally available for about US$30-40.

 

I guess I was just thinking short term, I have had a sore back at more than a few shows before I started asking my band mates for help carrying my gear.

Sure they make fun of me and call me a baby but at least I wont be using a walker when Im 80.

 

Better still, lift with somebody else's knees.

 

Let em call you a baby......as they're grabbing the other side for you. We tease each other too, but this is as we're helping!

Two wheelers are great. If going over rough ground, secure the equipment to the cart (ratchet straps are cheap enough, bungee cords stretch too much). Equipment bounces......

 

I bought a 6U rack on wheels specifically for this reason. Of course, that doesn't help with lifting into cars or going up and down stairs. (why are practice spaces always in the basement?) I'm only using an Avatar 210 cab at the moment, it's not too bad but I'm going to start using a collapsible hand cart as well.

 

Also to remember is that in today's market you get really good gear that is lightweight (MarkBass, Schroeder et rest.). So you could think of downsizing the gear and save the back, this way. Correct carrying and carts still apply, no need to do heavy work if you have tools. --Kent

 

I wouldn't vouch for the collapsible style of hand truck pictured above. I had one that made it thru 3 gigs before my SWR WM 15 proved too much for the plastic bit that stops the folding hinge from flapping uselessly.

Now I have casters...

 

OfficeMax sells a sturdy one, cheap, too (around $30.). --Kent

 

Regarding the hand truck idea, does anyone know of anything like this that'll help with moving things up and down stairs? I personally live in an upstairs flat so every gig I have to haul the 4x10 up and down on my own - not something I enjoy.

Jim

 

Hand truck/cart. The best $30-$40 you can spend. It has been for me. I try to spend as little time actually carrying the gear as possible, and carts are great for that. Aside from that, think of one or two 2*10 bass cabs with Neo drivers, if possible.

 

Google for "hand truck" + stair. You're looking for a dolly w/ skids or tracks.

The downside of these is they take a bit of space to stow (at your rehearsal space, in your gig vehicle, at the venue).

 

I just got an idea - to remove the casters from the bottom of my 410 cab, buy a hand truck like the one shown in Rick's post with a telescope handle, take it apart, screw the wheels and handles onto the back of the cab. Voila! I could then put my 210 cab on top of it to transport both at the same time. Only bad thing is that it would be slightly more difficult to fit the package into my car...