gotchas for transporting a Sensor Touring rack on its “back”?

It’s been a while since I had to move any Sensor touring racks. Can I reasonably lay one on it’s back (the cable side, not the dimmer side) for transport?

htroberts said:

It’s been a while since I had to move any Sensor touring racks. Can I reasonably lay one on it’s back (the cable side, not the dimmer side) for transport?

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are we talking the full 96 channel rack or a small 12-24 channel?

If the full 96 channel rack (why would you do this to your loaders), I don't see any reason why it would cause any damage.
the smaller 12-24 no worries at all.

while it might not necessarily damage the rack, it’s worth noting the chassis and specifically the front and rear cover panels for the 48/96are not intended to transport in that manner. I’ve received them shipped that way. It might not break the panels, but it is more likely they will shift in a way that can jam and damage the retaining mechanisms.

If the concern is it moving around on its wheels it’s easy enough to make caster cups (square of 3/4 or 1/2” ply with a second with round cutout on top) the rack can be lifted into with a decent pallet jack to keep it from rolling. Or just pack it and secure your load appropriately.

DuckJordan said:

are we talking the full 96 channel rack or a small 12-24 channel?

If the full 96 channel rack (why would you do this to your loaders), I don't see any reason why it would cause any damage.
the smaller 12-24 no worries at all.

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it’s a “large”—24 slots / 96 2.4K dimmers.

I don’t really want to, but it’s going on an open trailer and I don’t want it to tip over.

I‘m pretty sure I remember nothing protrudes beyond the chassis, but not positive.

jglodeklights said:

while it might not necessarily damage the rack, it’s worth noting the chassis and specifically the front and rear cover panels for the 48/96are not intended to transport in that manner. I’ve received them shipped that way. It might not break the panels, but it is more likely they will shift in a way that can jam and damage the retaining mechanisms.

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Thanks. If we have to lay it down I‘ll probably pull the transport covers off.

htroberts said:

it’s a “large”—24 slots / 96 2.4K dimmers.

I don’t really want to, but it’s going on an open trailer and I don’t want it to tip over.

I‘m pretty sure I remember nothing protrudes beyond the chassis, but not positive.

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These units aren’t very tippy. With the modules loaded the weight is still biased toward the base. I can’t recall exactly if the weight balance is fore, back, or neutral so I can’t recall if removing top rows of modules would balance it further or not.

jglodeklights said:

These units aren’t very tippy. With the modules loaded the weight is still biased toward the base. I can’t recall exactly if the weight balance is fore, back, or neutral so I can’t recall if removing top rows of modules would balance it further or not.

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We’ll see how it goes. If we can secure it upright then there will be no reason to lay it down, but I want to know whether it’s an option.

Due that thing weighs 800#.

htroberts said:

it’s a “large”—24 slots / 96 2.4K dimmers.

I don’t really want to, but it’s going on an open trailer and I don’t want it to tip over.

I‘m pretty sure I remember nothing protrudes beyond the chassis, but not positive.

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Does the trailer have walls/stakebed? How far are you transporting it and over what terrain? The rack weighs 800#. I'd do everything possible to not flip it.

As an IATSE stagehand/truck loader, I can say that if this was to be done manually, you'll be doing it by yourself. Seriously. Read @Footer comment about weight.

TimMc said:

As an IATSE stagehand/truck loader, I can say that if this was to be done manually, you'll be doing it by yourself. Seriously. Read @Footer comment about weight.

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Yup. Thats my thought too. There isn't even a way to fork it at that angle without getting sketchy.

htroberts said:

it’s a “large”—24 slots / 96 2.4K dimmers.

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If it's a 24 slot, it's a 48x2.4kw. "Large" would be a 48-slot, 96-way. There's not that much size difference between the 48 and 96. The 96 is a little wider, duh, because it has an extra row of dimmers. Neither is going to tip over without a great deal of external force. You could put it in the middle of an empty trailer if you could convince it not to roll. But it IS a "rolling rack, so just ratchet strap it to a front or side railing.

Rent a truck with a lift gate. But, be sure to check the door clearance versus the height of the rack.

FMEng said:

Rent a truck with a lift gate. But, be sure to check the door clearance versus the height of the rack.

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I'm unaware of any rolling rack taller than a rental truck door, but good advice to remember. Maybe an issue with a uhaul trailer-- I think we've all been in the " shut door to unstack" world at least once

Bring some D rings with plates and a few screws and screw the D rings to the deck and ratchet the rack to the floor. Putting it on its back is going to be difficult to do safely, getting it back up is going to be worse.

Put it in the truck first, strap it to the wall, and sandbag the wheels.

aeh20s said:

Put it in the truck first, strap it to the wall, and sandbag the wheels.

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its an open bed trailer...

DuckJordan said:

its an open bed trailer...

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I've been going for the better part of 30 hours I think I interpreted "open trailer" as "empty truck." Advice rescinded.

DuckJordan said:

its an open bed trailer...

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Block the wheels and get the 2 biggest straps you can find.
Maybe even put it up on dunnage if you have a fork or pallet jack.

Thanks, everyone. Moved successfully and without laying it down. Not something I particularly wanted to do, but the crew I hired to help load wanted me to agree ahead of time that we would if they thought it needed to. Once they saw it they realized it was unnecessary.

I haven’t messed with one of these in a while. I’ll probably post several questions over the next few weeks.

FMEng said:

Rent a truck with a lift gate. But, be sure to check the door clearance versus the height of the rack.

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Agreed that would have been a more desirable approach, but also cost prohibitive because of the mileage fees the rentals I priced wanted. The trailer ended up working fine.