Tuba carts?

[Tubajug]

I was thinking about adding wheels to my hard case, but then I got to thinking that a) it's a pretty cruddy old case and probably isn't worth the time/effort and b) I don't have the time to add another project to my list anyway. So then I remembered that in 5th grade I used to walk to school with my baritone strapped to a golf bag cart!

Do you any of you fine folks use some sort of dolly/cart to haul your hard case? I would like something folding/collapsible for ease of storage. What do you have that works and where did you get it? Thanks!

[Dan Schultz]

I have flight cases with 5" wheels under them but they are really heavy for daily use. I sometimes use a gig bag in a folding grocery cart to haul the horn, music stand, etc.

Another fellow in our community band uses a folding laundry cart.

I've seen others use bungie cords to strap a case or bag to a folding luggage cart.

[arminhachmer]

Do you any of you fine folks use some sort of dolly/cart to haul your hard case? I would like something folding/collapsible for ease of storage. What do you have that works and where did you get it? Thanks!

Yes indeed. Altieri gig bag, open top, bell up, and a golf bag cart. Works great. Lift it in and out of the Ford Escape
wagon all in one. There is room underneath to pack other stuff, suitcase etc.

[Ben]

I have a folding hand cart I purchased at an office supply store. They came in several grades and wheel size. Bigger wheels are better.

It looks a lot like this (could even be the same one):

I also have one of these, I strapp the tuba on with a couple (4) bungie cords, and I am good to go. One tuba on the cart, one on my back, and into the fray of NYC mass transit.

[Biggs]

Quite a few of my former university battery mates used ones like Curmudgeon showed, particularly to facilitate hauling two tubas to different buildings on campus. It didn't snow there though, so I remain skeptical about their winter efficacy.

[rodgeman]

I used this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RED-FOLDING-BEA ... 7575354%26

I just strapped my Mirafone in a gig bag onto it with bungee cords. The air filled tires made going across parking lots, grass, gravel much easier.

[Rick F]

I have a "Magna Cart" which is real sturdy. Holds up to 150#. It folds up for storage nicely too. You would need to add some
bungee cords to secure the horn.



They're sold at Amazon, Sams, Lowes, Staples and many other plays for around $30.

[ghmerrill]

Those folding hand trucks are neat, but there is something to be wary of ...

I used to use one of these in my lab/office area for carting things in from the truck or car. What I discovered pretty quickly was that the wheels had a tendency to "pidgeon toe" in because the folding mechanism loosened up in that area. Then the hand truck wouldn't track well and got somewhat difficult to pull. So if you get one, check it out thoroughly for this propensity.

I carry my stuff now since I've given up on carts. I've found ones that work okay if you're dealing with pavement, concrete, blacktop, or even smooth hard gravel. But if you're going cross-country at all (like across a yard or field to set up for an outdoor concert), they're a bust. If I decided to use one again, I would probably go with a genuine hand truck and then do some mods to it (like putting on a larger/longer base plate), and almost certainly retrofit large and wider wheels to it. The sorts of wheels they're putting on baby strollers nowadays would be great. Hmmmm, .... I've got an extra pair of those sitting around ... The wheels need to be large enough to handle rough ground, and they need to be wide enough (and maybe soft enough) to handle loose gravel, dirt, and sand.

[Untersatz]

I just got one of these Magna Carts like Rick suggested from my local Costco for $19.99
It works great with a gig bag too (bell down) but only do it that way if your bag has a
pretty thick & heavy bell end or a bell protector. But I would be even more careful
about the bottom bow end as most gig bags DO NOT have much protection there.

Magna Cart.jpg

[tuba72]

I have a "Magna Cart" which is real sturdy. Holds up to 150#. It folds up for storage nicely too. You would need to add some
bungee cords to secure the horn.



They're sold at Amazon, Sams, Lowes, Staples and many other plays for around $30.

I thought of something like an appliance dolly for the straps. Fastened on one end, wrap it around the horn and fasten back the other side. Should nopt pop loose like bungee cords?

[PMeuph]

Even though this isn't exactly what the op wanted, I used a solid metal hand cart (good for up to 300lbs) for the past year. I carried trombones, tubas, and euphoniums, for distances of up to two miles (no car) with it. It worked well. It looked like this:



I had planned on getting a fold-able one, but the local office supply store had none and this one (purchased at a Canadian Tire hardware store) was prefect.

[Tubaryan12]

I have a folding hand cart....

This and a couple of bungee cords is all you need. I poked holes in my bag and run them through the back. Works perfectly.

[windshieldbug]

I use one of these:



They're made for surf fishing, but they hold a HUGE amount (as many cases, stands, etc as you can bungee on),
have BIG pneumatic wheels (good for going up/down steps), a big pocket in the back for storing things like bungee cords, etc and have the added bonus as being a nice audience chair w/shade for outdoor concerts...

[ghmerrill]

I LOVE it!! Both for tuba transportation and surf fishing.

Do you have a link to where it can be procured?

[Untersatz]

http://www.discountramps.com/folding-beach-chair.htm" target="_blank

[Dan Schultz]

http://www.discountramps.com/folding-beach-chair.htm" target="_blank

+1. Not a bad price!

[Mark]

http://www.discountramps.com/folding-beach-chair.htm" target="_blank

There is a 50 lb. limit on cargo.

[ghmerrill]

There is a 50 lb. limit on cargo.

Difficult to know what that really means -- especially since the "seated capacity" is 250 lbs. A little reinforcement never hurts . Besides, I don't think my collective tuba junk exceeds 50 lbs (or not by much) unless I add a chair, in which case I could probably carry something else. Might be worth a call. But from looking at the instructions, it appears that the 50 lb capacity pertains only to its use in a particular "cart" orientation. Maybe the constraint means that the axle won't support more than 50 lbs when you're using it as a cart and pulling it, but the chair will suport 250 lbs when some hulk is seated in it. And that doesn't make a lot of sense because it would appear to put 125 lbs on the axle. Puzzling.

But I think I'll probably get one anyway for use at the beach and possibly other venues. I guess I would have preferred the blue. But I don't think I want to wait until "spring of 2014" to see if I can get one.

I notice that the accessories seem to include a boat hook and bilge pump. Probably that would be going too far (and I have those anyway).

[Untersatz]

I notice that the accessories seem to include a boat hook and bilge pump. Probably that would be going too far (and I have those anyway).

The accessories that I saw were:

1. cup holder
2. fishing rod holder
3. headrest pillow
4. cargo tie-down net

[Art Hovey]

If you have enough space the beach cart is the best of all the suggestions above. I lash my tuba and music stand on with a bungee cord and drag it up and down curbs, over rough ground, and anywhere. The fat pneumatic tires are really rugged. But they smell like a tire store even after a year of use. It also makes a pretty comfortable lawn chair if you need to kill some time out on the grass before a concert, although it's too low to use while playing a tuba.