amps with wheels

hi guys,
i have an amp that weighs a bit but it has big rubber wheels. it´s a tubeamp. what do you think: is rolling an amp around killing the tubes? our rehearsal-place is at the and of a really long industrial building and it would be impossible to carry the amp on one handle. the "gangway" in that building is rather smoothish, with tiles (i guess that is the right word) and when the floor gets rough, i can lift the amp a bit. any experience you like to share?
eddie

My amps have wheels too but like you I don't like using them on rough surfaces so I got a trolley with inflateable tyres, much better.

I used to have a Mesa MK IV that weighed a ton and a half... it had wheels. I used them from time to time, but was always nervous about it... Boy, when you hit a big divot and the amp jumped around... I would just cringe!

My guess it would probably do more harm when the amp just got done playing and was still hot... but that's an uneducated guess.

Instead I bought a lighter amp! LOL Now I feel better... so does my back!

Casters don't do your tubes much good. I never move an amp until it is completely cooled down again.

My Twin was cutting out at a gig once awhile back...took it to my tech and every last screw, nut and bolt on the chassis had worked loose, including the xformer bolts which supply a few of the grounds for the amp!

I understand what you mean..and what you are dealing with.

What about a case with cushion on the bottom ..and then of course the case with rollers? all in all, I still dont take it down gravel roads just becuae it has wheels....i still avoid bumps and yada yada yada.

Eddie - wheels on the amp are good for moving it around on stage, but not for long distances down bumpy alleys and hallways. I had a home-built Vox-type amp with wheels and I rolled it everywhere. One day I looked in the back and saw that the power transformer had broken loose from all of its mounting points and was hanging by the wires.

Get yourself a hand-truck with larger wheels (inflatable is best if you can find one) - it's a much smoother ride for your amp, and you can use it for moving lots of other things, too.

when i had a Twin (my back hurts just thinking about it!), i'd hand-carry it over bumpy parking lots, then roll it to the stage once i got on the floor of the club. even though Fenders are sturdy, it pays to be gentle if you want them to last a while.

i hear you all. so i got to get a foldable equipment wagon one fine day, to be more exact: the day i get my new amp back from the tech.

My vibroking is heavy, but i like it on the floor i get more umph that way

My vibroking is heavy, but i like it on the floor i get more umph that way

Definitely casters on the floor ! :rolleyes:

Eddie, I wouldn't get one of those foldable 4-wheel equipment rollers (as sold by Thomann and others) - way overpriced, and the wheels on those look much too small to provide serious cushioning - I'd rather go for the handtruck (or "Sackkarre" in German) with the biggest inflatable wheels ("Luftreifen" you can find, something like this:

http://www.umzugsshops.de/images/sackkarre.jpg

Compare this with the cheesy, tiny hard plastic wheels on this equipment roller:

http://images4.thomann.de/pics/prod/115861.jpg

And while the latter costs way above 100 Euros, you can easily find the first kind for half the price at "Obi" or other harware stores....

I go with the amp in a padded roadcase for moving the beasts around.
Never had a failure to date, and the amps look as new as when I bought them.

I used to sit on top of mine and ride it down the driveway coming back from gigs and rehearsals.
Never had a problem with it.

I used to sit on top of mine and ride it down the driveway coming back from gigs and rehearsals.
Never had a problem with it.

61 tremolux, Ampeg B15, 65 Showman, Farfisa Combo Compact... We would stack as much as we could on top for that long push from the parking lot. :smile: The gear held up just fine.

Big wheels are better. If you get the big air tires, you can jump curbs.

well if you ride on top...and get that new wireless power supply...you can play surf music real good...

People laugh at me carrying my Bassman with both arms wrapped around it and not using the castors that the previous owner installed. But I've always had a fear of tubes being damaged or falling out if I rolled it over an uneven surface.

My Bassman baby only uses its castors on nice flat surfaces and I put up with having to lift it if it means that it stays in good health!

Having said that, I once dropped a Marshall combo down an entire flight of stairs when the handle came away in my hand and it played perfectly well for another couple of years before I traded it in!

So maybe I'm just a bit precious about things these days but it's better to be safe than sorry (and out of pocket on repairs!).

I toured Canada for a year in a band. My amp got thrown in the back of a bus after every gig. It bounced around in the back of that bus for a year. Everything from -50 weather to driving through Construction sites & off road. Tubes held out fine.

I'm now paranoid about any bumps or weather changes. (But the amp is getting mighty old now)

I use one of these and it works great. Folds up flat, and you can take it up and down stairs, across bumpy parking lots and grass. I can move my amp, mic stand, PA head and gig bag in one trip. Strap the amp on securely.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=171232-26675-H003A

you can take it up and down stairs, across bumpy parking lots and grass. I can move my amp, mic stand, PA head and gig bag in one trip. Strap the amp on securely.

looks like the sackkarre is the way to go.