The good news is the new storage space, at the school I teach at, doesn't leak like the old storage. The bad news is it is on the other side of campus, 0.25 miles away. Without using a motorized vehicle, does anyone have a recommendation on how high school students could easily transport 4x8 platforms and flats this far? The flat platform hand trucks I have seen so far are too small.
Transporting platforms/Flats
- Thread startermrb604
- Start date
@mrb604 Try Googling "Scenery dollies"; optimistically you'll find either a manufactured dolly or plans for fabrication. The design I'm envisioning is about 6' long with a STURDILY constructed vertical support leaning slightly back from vertical. Typically you load flats and / or platforms on the dolly on edge length wise and lean them back against the STURDILY constructed and braced vertical support. A small strip is normally glued and screwed along the length of the side opposite the near vertical support to keep flats or platforms from slipping off the edge of the dolly. Equip the dolly with four of the best casters you can afford that matcht the terrain you're expecting the dolly to traverse. We built one back in 1973 for rolling flats from our truck height loading dock to our stage. It was often pressed into service to roll items for at least a 1/4 mile to another venue in need of a few masking flats and / or platforms.
Up here in Canada, that poor dolly was pushed through snow and rain and the puddles of spring transporting flats wrapped in plastic or tarp's and were commonly pushed by IA apprentices being whipped (motivationally inspired) by a much more senior IA member.
If you own a copy of "The Backstage Handbook" (or find one in your local library), you'll likely find info' on scenery dollies. [B]@Van[/B] or @bobgaggle Have you any photos, plans or sketches you'd care to pass along to @mrb604 ?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
@DrewE and @mrb604 One major advantage of transporting flats and / or platforms stood vertically on edge with their long dimension down and their width standing up IS they're narrower to roll along roads, sidewalks, through corridors and down hallways; even stood vertically on edge, they ought to clear easily through most 6' 8" exterior doorways.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Jay Ashworth
Well-Known Member
The school's risk exposure is going to go *sky* high with the storage that far away; hopefully you can find a way to put that thought in their head as motivation to find a closer spot, or fix the one you had.
Jay Ashworth
Well-Known Member
techieman33
Well-Known Member
What's the path look like? Is it flat? Hilly? All nice wide side walks? How wide are the doors you need to go through?
Here are a bunch of carts that you could get multiple platforms on and wheel them around.
https://handtrucks2go.com/Panel-Carts/
Another option if you have doors wide enough to get your bigger platforms lying down on is to just buy some big pneumatic casters to put on the bottom of one or more of them. Then stack and maybe strap everything else on top of it. Here's an example
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-pneumatic-heavy-duty-swivel-caster-63799.html
Here are a bunch of carts that you could get multiple platforms on and wheel them around.
https://handtrucks2go.com/Panel-Carts/
Another option if you have doors wide enough to get your bigger platforms lying down on is to just buy some big pneumatic casters to put on the bottom of one or more of them. Then stack and maybe strap everything else on top of it. Here's an example
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-pneumatic-heavy-duty-swivel-caster-63799.html
@mrb604 and @DrewE The majority of commercially available panel dollies are not generally built to be up to the task for a couple of decades or more; we had one in one of our theatres and the IA lads beat it into submission in less than two years using it inside the venue whereas the good ol' scenery cart we built in our basement shop was still performing yeomen duty at least a decade and a half later.
Of the models illustrated on @techieman33 's link, the cart for transporting granite slabs illustrated on page two comes closest to what I'm envisioning.
@derekleffew @Van @bobgaggle Have you any comments, photos, drawings. plans. etcetera you could / would pass along to @mrb604 ???
@BillConnerFASTC Have you any comments you'd care to contribute????
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Since this comes down to underfunding your department, I would have your administrator arrange a few times a year for you to use whatever truck, van, utility vehicle the Athletic department owns/uses. I’m sure there are at least a couple to choose from.
As an alternative, a lot of schools in my area started renting trucks for occasional moves - cheaper than the cost of running a truck full time, and it can be built into the department budget at $15 per hour or daily charge.
As an alternative, a lot of schools in my area started renting trucks for occasional moves - cheaper than the cost of running a truck full time, and it can be built into the department budget at $15 per hour or daily charge.
Id get a couple panel carts.
@mrb604 and @Van
"Built out of wood" AND quite likely cheaper than any of the manufactured carts; at lest cheaper than any of the manufactured carts worth buying.
Build; screw and glue, include 4 of the best casters you can afford; buy casters best suited your terrain (s).
Possibly post back regarding the variety of surfaces you'll be encountering / traversing and I'm sure you'll receive a variety of posts and opinions.
Conceivably you'll need to roll over carpet, ceramic and / or linoleum tiles, over exterior door thresholds, over concrete and / or asphalt sidewalks and campus internal roads. Post back, I'm sure you'll receive more comments and queries.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
BillConnerFASTC
Well-Known Member
@BillConnerFASTC and @mrb604 Slopes and wind; both GOOD points: Again @mrb604 Please tell us about your terrain: Surfaces, grades, rain, sleet, snow, ice, hurricanes, tornadoes and gusting winds. Is only transporting between locations on clear, warm, sunny days a possibility, is your environment likely to incur the wrath of Mother Nature? Up here, a common saying is: "Load-outs cause storms."
Aside from wind turning 4' or 6' x 16' flats into sails and / kites, LONG flats are a pain when it comes to dealing with hills and negotiating turns within close quarters.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
It’s coastal California, so even though it has been an unusually wet this year, the only weather problems we usually have would be an occasional stiff ocean wind. The terrain is wide concrete pathways and asphalt with some nasty seams in-between. It’s mostly flat, with one 50ft section of about a 5% grade.
@mrb604 If / when @Van posts plans for a typical flat cart / dolly, you can always toss the business end of a butch ratchet strap under the cart and the free over your load, then take out the twists and snug it up; this way your load and cart at least stay together / loaded when it blows over or off into the sunset depending upon the severity and direction(s) of Mother Nature's whims.
Again: Know when you're being teased mercilessly.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Lynnchesque
Well-Known Member
@Lynnchesque and @mrb604 Up here, north of Donald's walls, we have a saying:
"Phuque 'em all but six and save them for pallbearers!!!"
Six, arranged as three on each side brought our phrase to mind.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
