transporting chandeliers

[len]

We have a growing inventory of chandeliers, mostly crystal (cheap, but still). Many of them are 20" - 30" in diameter. Any suggestions on transporting them from warehouse to event and back? Each unit is under $100 to replace, and they only weigh 10 - 20# so I'm thinking just cardboard boxes and foam/peanuts, etc. I can't see road cases (built, purchased, etc.) as I have 20 of these on some jobs. Any other suggestions????

 

[NickVon]

Road Cases seem like the obvious choice? I feel like there are a number or stock or custom items availible. that said spending +200$ on a case for Sub 100$ product seems like bad business. Plastic Bins from Target or Costco?

 

[BernsBright]

I used to share gigs with a decorator who had wooden skeleton crates, no sides. The chandeliers hung from the top of the case and were secured at the bottom to prevent swinging. And he always carried spare facets anyways cause you never know what might happen.

 

[JohnD]

How about plastic garbage cans for the smaller ones. Instead of using packing peanuts, hit the thrift stores for foam rubber mattresses and cut them up, or perhaps those closed cell foam "logs" from the toy department of the big box store. For larger diameter ones maybe something using sonotubes with a plywood top and bottom.
http://sonotube.com/

 

[ship]

Cardboard and peanuts would be a bad way to go.
Even just hanging them off load braces in the truck would be better. Imagine the top supported light resting on its arms and base getting a ride like the last seat in a roller coaster. The peanuts would do nothing to prevent damage to structure or bent/broken clips; even broken dangles amongst other things like broken lamps. The peanuts would just hide missing parts if not sharp broken objects and do nothing to support the structure. Unless you could some how pressure fix the light inside peanuts inside a box for each location, you will loose many of them and each venture your would get less and less support from an un-thankful crew to find such packaging that will get everywhere less and less packaging or care in re-packaging . If traveling lamps with a fixture... never do packing peanuts anyway or risk finger injuries. All damage by this shipping method would take time to repair and replace at best when it gets to the job site if not get you a bad smiley face from the client and crew.
I can understand the expense of separate cases for each, and difficulty to design something that’s also easy to open and rig.
BernsBright has an important concept - especially the bottom support.
In bottom rigging leave just a little slack or better yet, do a medium bungee cord so this support can move a bit within design tolerances without stressing the lights frame, but also keeping it from rocking too much in banging into stuff for more damage during transport. Stress to the frame of the light will already be happening in transport but manageable dependable on tour length and a spare or two available with access to getting more as needed over time. Spare fixture or two per show in 20%.
Even if only going on individual jobs as indicated, if frequently traveling they should be balanced with how many shows to replace (with labor to replace) will be needed, verses buying or making cases for each and considering the same. In essence even if it comes back to the shop between shows.... it’s still better to consider it as if on tour.
Consider perhaps a rock and roll lamp bar cart.
They have six PAR cans per lamp bar and six to nine bars per cart... Such a open frame cart could transport the chandeliers. Have made for you carts that can support say six to up to 24 of them at a time in top and bottom rigging and open frame just like a lamp bar cart. Depends on truck you use and if truck ramp as to design spec of chandelier cart width and how many per cart one can store.. Don’t want to bottom out on the frame if too long a chandelier cart if not added more casters smaller in size etc in design concepts. Also don’t want to be too tippy in frame by way of design but in leaving space for the bottom attachment.
Carts will out-last the chandeliers used but would extend any balance of service life of the fixture, if designed for 30" you can certainly mount 24" ones on it for a show mix. Will save time on site in rigging and probably not needing any fixing on-site if designed right.

 

[BernsBright]

Not my concept. Just a case I pushed.

 

[JD]

I used to share gigs with a decorator who had wooden skeleton crates, no sides. The chandeliers hung from the top of the case and were secured at the bottom to prevent swinging. And he always carried spare facets anyways cause you never know what might happen.

This idea is also what I would suggest too. Hard to justify a road case that cost several times what it's carrying. Cardboard and foam peanuts might get a little labor intense, especially chasing after the foam peanuts during unpacking.

 

[derekleffew]

Hard to justify a road case that cost several times what it's carrying.

Not necessarily. The VALUE of the contents is often considerably more than replacement COST. Previously, cases for CRTs, and nowadays flat screens, always cost more than the contents; likewise mirror ball s. If the contract calls for 20 chandeliers and the vendor arrives with 19 plus one broken and unusable, and nowhere to source another in Hicksville (might have one in Pixley, sixty miles away), the bridezilla's gonna be unhappy.
As said above, some 1x3 and 1/4" ply can go a long way in protecting delicate items.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I've build and used several skeletal chandelier cases out of 2x2 and 1/4" ply wood. Add some decent casters, a few handles, and some eye bolts to tie off stabilizing lines, and they can really do a nice job.

 

[JD]

Not necessarily. The VALUE of the contents is often considerably more than replacement COST. Previously, cases for CRTs, and nowadays flat screens, always cost more than the contents; likewise mirror ball s. If the contract calls for 20 chandeliers and the vendor arrives with 19 plus one broken and unusable, and nowhere to source another in Hicksville (might have one in Pixley, sixty miles away), the bridezilla's gonna be unhappy.
As said above, some 1x3 and 1/4" ply can go a long way in protecting delicate items.

Keep in mind, the OP indicated the cost of them is under $100 each. A true case would be about $350 to $450 each.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I would think a rolling case/rack - three or four in a row and two tiers at least - might just use a couple of packing quilts as sides - with chandeliers hung and guyed - maybe bungees - would be best. At some point the time from shipping container to being ready to hang has to cost something and I think planning to make packing and unpacking fast is worth a lot.

 

[ElGusto]

I would think a rolling case/rack - three or four in a row and two tiers at least - might just use a couple of packing quilts as sides - with chandeliers hung and guyed - maybe bungees - would be best. At some point the time from shipping container to being ready to hang has to cost something and I think planning to make packing and unpacking fast is worth a lot.

I have used wardrobe racks in a similar manner. Very cheap to buy or build and you can probably modify it easily to accommodate more than one at a time.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Wardrobe racks are great for in-house moves, and in fact I did just that last week. However I wouldn't want to put a chandelier hanging on one on a truck.

 

[soundlight]

I just did a gig where the event company had the chandeliers in cases made out of 3/8" ply and 2x3ish (not exactly sure what the framing was). They had a piece of unistrut that sat across the top to suspend the chandelier and there was a big soft blanket in the bottom and up the sides.