Tuba caddies for heavy horns

[barry grrr-ero]

With the leather gig bag, my Neptune is super heavy. I found a used golf bag caddy for less than $10. I cut down the middle part that attaches to the upper part of the golf bag, so that the bell is able to rest against the long upper neck (with the handle on top). I increased the width of the base by attaching a 2x4 that's 14" long. This is still much narrower than the actual wheel base. I have to use a long bungee chord just below the bell. While this isn't ideal, it's a good compromise. When I'm not rolling the tuba, the caddy keeps the tuba at an angle that's very stable. I don't have to worry about it falling over at all. It has decent size wheels, so it rolls quite nicely - even up and down steps and curbs. The nice thing about the caddy is that it folds up to a small dimension and is real easy to operate. You can push or pull the caddy, which makes it usable on inclines.

For longer rolling jobs (I've gone through the Tenderloin of S.F. twice!), I have a three wheel baby jogger that has a small base near the front wheel. This makes for a very smooth ride, but it's more awkward for getting in and out of the car. The wheels need to be removed, then reattached. It eats up a bit more space at rehearsal, so I've sometimes parked it in a seldom used hallway. No bungee chord is necessary with this 'baby'.

I WAS using a portable Milwaukee hand truck. It worked fine but I couldn't leave the tuba upright without leaning it against a wall or some other hard surface. I don't have to worry at all with the golf bag caddy.

FYI. Thanks for reading.

[bisontuba]

At ITEC, there is suppose to be a introduction of new carbon fiber tuba cas s that you can carry on your back or wheel it...saw it on Facebook. Their website does not list them yet.
http://wisemancases.com" target="_blank

Mark

[Tubaryan12]

I use this with a leather gig bag and fold up even smaller than a golf bag cart:

http://www.amazon.com/Sparco-Compact-Lu ... B004E3LHR4" target="_blank

[barry grrr-ero]

That looks great. I like that it has angled side extensions at the base. Does it stay upright OK?

[grammit]

I've actually been using an older Sun Mountain golf cart to wheel my horn around. Gets me on the train, up and down escalators and the 4 blocks to school. Had to add some extra foam to the bottom of my bag, but it sits nicely. A couple bungee cords just in case, but like you were saying it's surprisingly stable.

[Lars Trawen]

Hello,
I want to show you my invention according to the thread.
In general the caddies do have too small wheels and are difficult to use on stoney streets.
My tuba is a huge kaiser and weighs about 60 lbs together with the hard case.
http://www.trawenhaga.se/Tuba_barrow1.jpg" target="_blank
http://www.trawenhaga.se/Tuba_barrow2.jpg" target="_blank
On the case there is a handle however not viewable on the picture.
The wheels are about 10" in diameter.
It's not for sale.

[windshieldbug]

I use one of these...
It's made for surf fishing, the wheels are big enough for stairs and it unfold to a shaded chair if you need it...
Found out about it on TubeNet!

[barry grrr-ero]

Mr. Trawen, that's a serious cart, complete with tie-down straps!

Windshieldbug, does the arm extend higher than what it shows in the photo? I certainly like the large truck on that. Did you cut those side flaps off?

Grammit, I looked at the Sun Valley golf caddy. Did you cut off the arm thingees that attach to the golf bag? They don't look like they have much of a base, so did you widen them in any way? Is yours a three wheel model?

[Mark]

Call me silly, but I just use a tuba hard case with wheels.

[barry grrr-ero]

It's not silly at all. I don't have a hard case for the Neptune. The problem is that it would be very large, very heavy and difficult to get in and out of my Kia Soul. It's awkward enough with just the leather gig bag!!! The Neptune is a beast.

[Lars Trawen]

Call me silly, but I just use a tuba hard case with wheels.

These wheels are in general very small, only 2 or 3 inches in diameter.
It's almost impossibly to transport a hard case on stoney streets more than a short way.
They are most suitable inhouse on a smooth floor.
For longer distances outdoors you need a bigger diameter on the wheels.
That's why I invented this caddy with big wheels.
It works very nice also for longer transports.
The disadvantage could be the bulky size when it's not used.
However the wheels are snap-on and off, very handy.

[Mark]

It's almost impossibly to transport a hard case on stoney streets more than a short way.
They are most suitable inhouse on a smooth floor.
For longer distances outdoors you need a bigger diameter on the wheels.

If I have an outdoor gig in a bad location or one that requires two tubas, then I use https://rocknrollercart.com/collections ... multi-cart.

[Lars Trawen]

Hello Mark,
What car do you have that can accomodate two tubas and this cart?
However, it seems to be very useful in many aspects, not only for tuba transports.
Lars

[windshieldbug]

does the arm extend higher than what it shows in the photo? I certainly like the large truck on that. Did you cut those side flaps

The part that works as a sun shade CAN extend all the way up, but the joint is floppy so you can only pull the cart with it and not push.
It would be easy enough to modify, though if you needed to.
I left the side flaps on. I use the bottom bow side of a gigbag or case, so there's no need. It's wide enough to haul a cooler. Hold one, too if you're not playing...

[Mark]

What car do you have that can accomodate two tubas and this cart?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72564&p=589384&#p589384

When folded, the Rock n Roller cart is not that big.

[grammit]

Grammit, I looked at the Sun Valley golf caddy. Did you cut off the arm thingees that attach to the golf bag? They don't look like they have much of a base, so did you widen them in any way? Is yours a three wheel model?

Nope, the arm cradles actually give some more stability around the bell - the width can be widened a little. And I should've said it's a 4 wheel. Definitely wouldn't fit a much bigger bag, but as long as I set it right the wheels don't rub.

[Roger Lewis]

Here's the one I would get:

http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/produc ... 1457906519" target="_blank" target="_blank


It climbs stairs.

Roger

[Steve Marcus]

Roger, that's brilliant! My wife has one similar to that in her car. I'll "borrow" it for the next 2-tuba gig.