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i have a bad back and excellent health care both alternative and traditional(i'm not seeking health advice). it was suggested that i use the hard cases for my horns. This has helped a lot.
my issue is the lift of the tuba+hard case into the car. does anyone know a ramp or some other device to help with this big lift?
thank you
arnie waters

It may also help if we know what type of car (2 or 4 door, hatchback or trunk). There may be some lift and slide tricks that could be used to get the horn in.

I have two teenage sons who play in my band...seriously though, your best bet may be just to ask for help from your colleagues.

Another thing to consider is a vehicle with a hatch and a lower ground clearance instead of a "traditional" sedan-style trunk or a "conventional" SUV. I don't have a bad back, per se, but I do have the lowest two vertebra congenitally fused. So I have to be careful going in. With my Chevy Aveo hatch back, I can literally fold the seats down and then tip them forward to the back of the front seats, then roll bass guitar cabinets up to the hatch and literally just tip them in when I have to. Same for a souzy case. I don't have a hard case for either of my tubas, but if I did, they would tip in as well. This is noot the situation for my wife's Ford Escape, however. Even though the Escape is a great smaller FWD SUV, it still has a higher bumper. Therefore, I still have to lift to get items loaded in it.

The 'pet ramp' is a good idea, I used to have one for my St. Bernard that could jump up in the my high-off the ground Jeep.

I also had a 4 x 8 ramp that probably weighed as much as the tuba does, so that isn't convenient.

Another option, depending on your vehicle, is a cargo rack that is flat and plugs into the trailer hitch on your vehicle. I wouldn't leave it on that, but you could probably prop one end of the case on there, then tilt it into the back of your vehicle.

-jjw

You might look into hoists, which work in both passenger cars with trunks, or in minivans and SUVs.

Here a two photos. The hoist photo gives an idea of what to look for. The wheelchair car is a fantasy, but a tuba case could be rolled in--make that pulled in from behind, with a stretch version.

thanks!!! for all the great ideas. for now i've decided to use the pet ramp. thanks again!
arnie waters