case wheel design ideas

[adam0408]

I just was thinking about how much I dislike most of the case wheels that I come in contact with and was thinking how I could change them. Here are some ideas.



The quality of the diagram isnt great, but I think you get the idea of what I am trying to do. There has got to be a way to make cases less tippy and easier to roll. Possibly adding a second set of wheels at the back of the case would help as well, and adding a retracting luggage type handle for pushing or pulling it around.

What do you guys think?

[mTaUrBkA]

I had a case for my mirafone 186 at one point that had a great wheel design. The wheels were at least 6 inches in diameter and an inch wide. And they were on brackets so that the wheels were off to the side a little bit. It rolled over everything and didn't tip. The guy who had the case before me may have put the wheels on himself, I don't really know. But I sold the case on ebay about a year and a half ago and got another one. That one was a wooden case with just some fuzz and no padding on the inside, so I sold it and bought another one. I think there could be a possibillity that someone on this forum bought the case. I remember my dad saying somethign abotu a tuba forum right after we sold it. haha if someone has it, I hope it's doing its job!

[tubeast]

Hi there.
Shoot. wanted to be the first one to respond. So what.

This is fun. Why not use some creativity techniques to come up with a new design ?
Maybe it´s a good idea to collect many tubists experiences first. What do you like/dislike about tuba-hauling-devices ?
Try not to preconceive (Good word ? I mean formulating a point that will strongly hint at the way one would solve it) solutions.
Lemme start:

Most wheeled tuba cases (as well as luggage) I know work OK walking down a hall with smooth floor.
Don´t try to pull them on the sidewalk or on a parking lot, though:

1 Any obstacle (seam in pavement, carpets, …) will make you fear for the wheels and their casings. They just might break judging from the sound and feel when you pass them.
2 These cases tend to be tippy and will roll from side to side, resting on just one of the two wheels.
This is even caused by side-by-side movements of the user, depending on their walking style (smooth or sailor-style).
3 The noise of the wheels is enhanced by the case and tends to get real loud, depending on the ground you walk on.
4 For any larger obstacle, (curbs, stairs, …) you have to set the case down, switch handles, and lift it up.
Then resume the original position, and proceed to the next obstacle. Time consuming!!

5,6,7… fill in your observations.

Next step would be to condense these observations to a set of items that we want improved.
After that one could come up with all kinds of solutions to individual items.
Then one might consider consequences (possible new problems that may come up with a given solution)
In the end, one has a chance to really evaluate different solutions and to choose the best one.

[Tubaman485]

you know I was thinking the same idea just recently when I just rolled my case down a hallway on one wheel since the other one is lopsided and the thought I had was one big roller built into the case. It could be made of whatever rollerblade wheels are made of and rely on ball bearings to roll, for a smooth silent ride that wont tip so much. Just a thought.


JB

[Lars Trawen]

Hello everybody,
Check out the pics on my site. The idea works wonderfully. The tuba is a MW200, a huge kaiser. Together with the case, it weighs well over 60 lbs. You don't carry it more than 50 yards. The wheels is just under the center of gravity, which means very small forces on the steering handle. The wheels are roller beared and removable. You can easily walk through the town without getting tired. However, some minor details could be improved, of course. This is the first attempt only.
http://web.telia.com/~u41505947/Tubapics.htm
The best,
Lars

[adam0408]

I like that cart.... Perhaps you could modify it with a swivelly third wheel in front like shopping carts have.... those can be a pain too though because they sometimes go every which way and cause problems.

What I would want ideally is a solution that was built right into the case and allowed it to open quickly and easily.

Thinking about the neotech case I had in high school, that thing was huge, heavy, and rolled extremely well probably because of a combination of the width of the wheels (3-4 in) and the placement in relation to the hinge of the case. I think the up and down orientation of cases limits the effectiveness of wheels because they are completely limited in width and diameter due to the fact that they must accomodate a hinge in between the wheels and be semi low profile. However, if you orient the case so the tuba rolls on its side, the problem of how to get through doors arises....

Balance, as it has been said, is a huge problem in relation to wheels as well. All tuba cases I have had where the tuba rolls traditionally are tippy. So why not add a wheel or two in the middle to opposite end of the case to stabalize things? Those wheels could possibly be smaller than the primary wheels because of their function of stabalization.

perhaps I have found my calling..... making custom instrument cases!! Anybody want one?

J.B. Adams Custom Cases..... sounds professional.

[tubeast]

There are these heavy-load carts used by delivery services that feature two sets of three wheels mounted on triangular wheel holders.
These triangles are attached to the axle of the cart using ball bearings, so they rotate easily.
When in use, two of the three wheels constantly touch the ground.
These carts will work better on stairs than the common two-wheeled ones. They are quiet and durable, the light ones being designed to carry more than 200 pounds.
I´m sure one could modify any hardcase attaching straps or some mechanical device for quick connection / disconnection of cart and case.
Some of these carts even are foldable.

I´ve seen those used successfully by harp players.

[AndyL]

I went to the local home improvement mega-store (Menard's is a local example), and for $20 purchased an appliance moving cart. All 4 wheels will "rotate(swivel)" 180 degrees in the horizontal plane, which makes it impossible to steer.....especially on a hillside with a tuba case aboard. HOWEVER, if you put screws in the "back" two wheel-gimbals to keep them straight (as I did) and put a couple of screw-eyes and a pulling rope at the other end (sort of like a kid's sled) the cart with case aboard ROLLS EASY AND STRAIGHT.

You could put a strap around the cart and your case, but I never found the need to. The "back" wheels of my tuba case "hook" over the "front" crossbar of the cart so the case doesn't slide off......

One of the best $20 investments I ever made (some individual cart wheels cost almost that much, and this cart was premade with hardwood deck and 4 wheels).

[Bob Mosso]

To roll better, the wheels really need to be further apart and be larger in diameter...

rcane's lawnmower wheels is a great idea. I built wheels for my son's sax case (he started in the 4th grade) from http://www.mcmaster.com/ search for "plastic wheels". I used lightweight polyproplyene 3x13/16 (page 1201), $1.17 each. There are many inexpensive choices (pages 1200 to 1208).

[Chuck(G)]

If I were to build a case with attached wheels, I'd make the axles telescope out from the case to give a wider wheelbase when rolling--but providing for the wheels to be retracted when shipping or storing.

Rather than solid plastic "lawnmower" type wheels, I'd prefer the pneumatic "bicycle wheel" type.

[Philip Jensen]

How about modifying one of these? If one were clever though, one could attach some custom brackets to the tuba case for easy attachment to the cart, thus leaving the cart unmodified. That way, the tuba playing, golf enthusiast could have a cart that does double duty. It would also give a back up excuse - "honey, I've got a gig, I'll be back after a couple holes, I mean couple of hours" Or the reverse, for that clandestine tuba playing

[Mark]

I'm in agreement that the wheels on cases can be improved. However, even with the best-rolling wheel set up the time will come when:

• 1) you will need to carry the case up a flight of stairs
  
  2) you will need to fit the case in a vehicle
  
  3) You will have to unpack and pack the case in an incredibly small closet/green room/pit

So, size and weight are still factors to be considered.

[Art Hovey]

I have used skateboard wheels on a tuba case, and also on a bass trunk. Because they are made of a soft plastic, they roll quietly on a smooth floor. They also take bumps pretty well. The problem that I ran into was in the axles. On my first trip one of them got bent. On my second trip I used stronger steel for the axles, and one of the wheels was broken off by the luggage handlers. They laid it gently on the conveyor belt, just ahead of the tuba case. I also got charged for the tuba case being overweight on that trip.
For my third trip I removed the wheels entirely, which brought the weight down. I used a small collapsable luggage dolly which folds flat and can be checked in like a baby stroller or can be carried onto an airplane and stowed under a seat. On that trip the tuba and I made it through four flights without incident and without overweight charges.

[Dan Schultz]

I once bought some case hardware from a company called Clipper Products. They have no minimum order and were very helpful.

http://www.clipperproducts.com/mobilizationhardware.htm

That being said, I think the only way to go is a folding cart that offers a wider wheel spacing that you can have on a tuba case.

I had a case for a large King bell-front that I mounted four 1 inch ball transfers on the bottom of. It would run away from me on a smooth airport floor!