Lifting heavy amps etc

On 8/19/2009 12:19 AM N_Cook spake thus:

Not sure what you mean by "trolley" (your terms are so quaint-sounding and in any case different from ours over here in the US), but I'm guessing you're talking about what we call a "dolly", a rolling platform, maybe?

I recommend what we call a "hand truck", those metal vertical thingies with two big wheels (non-pneumatic on smaller ones, pneumatic on larger ones), often incorrrectly called "dollies". Very easy to cart around all sorts of big, heavy things. (Well, maybe not pianos; that's a head-scratcher for sure.) Just get the metal bottom under what you want to move and pull back on the truck while holding the thing onto the truck. One person can easily move things like large refrigerators this way.

Do what a lot of tv repair places do (did!) get some small workbenches on wheels onto which you load the big item for repair when it arrives and it stays there until it`s fixed. Place I subbed for had several which 'docked' to the main bench where the test gear was. They were made of Dexion with a wooden top and there was a couple of 13 amp sockets which just plugged into the main benches isolated supply.

Seemples

Ron

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I made up a dolly/trolley from a piece of blockboard and 2 wheeled sledge things that go permanently under a cooker/fridge etc to move for cleaning. So very low centre of gravity.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

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I know what you mean "Hamiltons" in London Rd, Southampton , when they were around, used them.

But yesterday I was dealing with a large mixer amp, requiring working with amp propped up slightly one way and the mixer propped another way (if regular appearance I would make up extender ribbons). Then a 5 foot long Yamaha piano full of key weights etc, the two main sections are very difficult to separate and reassemble safely both for keyboard and repairer.

I'm thinking of ceiling mounted sliding pulleys-block with a bungee section to take most of the dead weight , say 75 percent, so the slack makes its possible to fairly easily move the orientation of the amp on the bench without having to use the pulleys. I find back strain is not a broblem lifting from floor to bench or reverse, but moving the lump on the bench. A universal clamp/hook is the next poser.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

Automotive type manual operated Cherry Picker.

I use the Rubbermaid cart whenever possible. Thats assuming you have the unit that high. Thats the 17 inch wide one. I have a larger Harbor Freight model, and its too big. The little one holds 300 pounds.

Workbench on wheels, and all the parts stay with the unit, and it moves out of the way, etc.

I had to lift a 60 pound Peavey amp not long after I had my shoulder rebuilt. Its currently sitting on the floor. I hope I don't have to move it soon.

greg

On 8/19/2009 2:27 AM N_Cook spake thus:

Get ahold of a real hand truck (dunno what they're called in the UK--anyone know?)--a good sturdy one. You'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to move things. You'll feel like Archimedes himself.

Screwfix do some very nice dollies.

Ron

On 8/19/2009 11:00 AM Ron spake thus:

So you call them "dollies"? Over here that's a misnomer; a dolly is what N_Cook called a "trolley", a platform with wheels. (I.e., what piano movers use.)

Trolleys in colloquial usage are mostly railborn vehicles as a trolley car or streetcar/tram or as used in a shipyard with an overhead crane. Dollies in the US of A are traditionally items with wheels and a cart, platform or carriage designed to carry heavy loads or things like a motion picture camera.

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Even a fixed block and tackle at the work area with waist level carts for the equipment that can be wheeled to a corner. Used to do engine blocks that way. All parts would stay on that cart until the customer had his wallet out.

Now doing repeater cabinets on small flat boards on wheels for extended projects. Hand truck for quick jobs (contract customers).

Well actually, in my trade we call them wheelboards. thick plywood with four heavy duty castors, for moving large loudspeakers etc. about. In some theatres they call them trucks when they have scenery on board.

Ron

On 8/19/2009 12:25 PM Ron spake thus:

No, no, no: I'm asking what you call what we call a hand truck. Like this:

That`s a sack truck

If only the thread could go to where I find most problem. Not the lifting to bench height but turning stuff around and orienting at awkward angles while on the bench. Instewad of item being close in to your body , you end up lifting most but not all its weight perhaps 15 inches away from your body. So far I've seen nothing to beat pulley block/ ceiling roller track / heavy duty bungee/ softened-faces G-cramp as hook and a strop of some sort for other situations. How many peole work at a bench with all round 360 degree access ? eg like photocopier repair where you have to have 360 degree access.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

That`s why having the stuff on a separate trolley/bench is useful, you can spin the whole bench in necessary. Have a collection of various blocks of wood for supporting the item at funny angles, and some bits of dowel (cut down drumsticks are useful) for holding top panels of mixer amps open whist still connected.

Gawd, I`m quite glad I don`t do that sort of repair anymore.

Ron

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With an island work position , especially if on wheels , you then have the trailling leads problem and also an inherently unstable bench. Perhaps engineer a floor-fixed lock-down point, for the table/trolley , so it cannot tip over so halves that problem (you can still pull stuff off the nebch), plus associated island power sockets, but it still leaves trailling power and probe leads to scopes etc.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

There`s no satistfying you is there! ;)

Ron