Winch + ramp: load gear into hatchback?

[billy logan]

searched TDPRI for "too heavy" and "winch" - still nervous I'm duplicating an existing thread, anyway:

Couldn't we bad-back people w/a 2x12 amp w/massive spkrs, or heavier gear, and a minivan, hatchback or truck, install a winch and pull the dang amp up a ramp, under the lift-back, and into the vehicle?

Now I'm just going random and asking for input from y'all>

I'm picturing a winch bolted just behind the driver's console in the center of a small car.

Folks be asking "What's the eyebolt on the side of your amp for?" ;-). or better: eyebolt on the always-there dolly, a dolly/amp-case wheeled-bottom with little walls to keep the amp from diving off the ramp.

Human-powered or 12v? Typical winches and cables you see advertised for trucks have WAY-excess power and strength.

TV commercial for GM * trucks shows a fellow rolling a motorbike up a built-in ramp of sorts. The ramp looks like it's way over on the left side. (see how I deleted a confusing * homonym there?)

Moderators - I won't be miffed if you move or delete this thread ... much

 

[telemnemonics]

Winch it onto the stage too?
Or wait for all the winches to arrive for the show and ask them to help you with your load?

Sorry!
Trying not to notice reality for a minute!

 

[getbent]

I'd mount it using your front seat mounting bolts. Get a winch for a snowmobile. use two good cables to mount it so it is 'portable-ish' and get ramps from harbor freight for 50.00... I think the ramps will be enough though and it will frustrate you how slow winches pull.. slow as heck! you could also try a boat hand operated hand winch, faster and pretty easy and cheap.

 

[drumtime]

Sounds too complicated, and would require a significant anchor for the winch, which would mean drilling holes into your car somewhere.

A snowmobile/motorcycle lift would do the job more easily, IMO.
Or a lighter amp...

 

[billy logan]

getbent - very good!

the boat hand-operated cranks turn at 90 degrees from the line of the cable - while with most other types of hand-cranked winches your hand pushes the crank around a circle in line with the cable - so you can choose whichever to fit whatever space you have to work with (I searched images online)

Since you're not pulling like 1,000 lbs, up the ramp (I hope) there's probably an electric winch out there for some purpose already that's designed to lift less weight, maybe 350 lbs, but faster? (haven't tried searching yet)

telemnemonics - reality doesn't all the time reward being noticed btw do these hypothetical winches also help out back at the house after the gig?

 

[telemnemonics]

If you have the ramp, and the problem is a bad back, you can simply hook a single pulley onto anything in the front of the cabin, and pull it up with a rope through the pulley to the amp.

How can you do that without straining your bad back?
Support your chest against the side of the back door opening, and pull with your arms.
Arms can be used to perform many strength tasks in ways that don't compress the spine.
Lifting stuff UP via a single pulley actually UNloads the spine.
If you have a place to hook the pullet to that's above the weight, and generally stuff that has to be lifted UP, is going up to a place that has a roof and door frame to hang a pulley on.

If you are only pulling up an incline as opposed to dead lifting, the force required is divided down to a much smaller number than the weight of the object going up the incline.

Similarly if you need to deadlift a heavy object, the old fasioned multi pulled hoist does the same geometry thing as an incline.

Getting a refrigerator up basement stairs is hard because it need to go OUT to a place where thereis no roof structure to hook the pulley to. And a pulley or winch mounted low like in the van floor loses some mechanical advantage.

But the disability is only lift and spinal compression based, not a no strength at all situation.
If you also have little upper body strength, you may need an electric winch.
But really, the forces involved in dragging a Twin up an incline are a lot smaller than dragging a jeep out of a ravine.

Geometry!

 

[mfguitar]

Putting equipment into the car is really the easiest part, carrying upstairs , through doorways, and on the stage is a lot harder.

 

[Dismalhead]

What you need to do is act like you're in tons of pain and get your band buddies to do it for you.

Seriously though, I've "lightweighted" all my stuff over the past 10 years. Neodymium speakers, built a bunch of lightweight parts guitars, sold my 80 lb 2 x 12" combo and got a 1 x 12" that weighs 45 lbs. I think the heaviest thing I have now is a Peavey 1 x 15" bass cabinet, and it's about 55 lbs. I don't even try to move it by myself.

 

[beagle]

Get some lighter easier to handle gear. Those days are long gone.

 

[Cyberi4n]

Putting equipment into the car is really the easiest part, carrying upstairs , through doorways, and on the stage is a lot harder.

We did a few upstairs gigs - eurgh! Carting a 2x12, rack, guitar case and spares flight case box up and down just sucked. U.K. doorways aren’t designed for 2x12s

our worst one ever was a venue in Manchester where the only door was at the end of a narrow alley, and immediately through the door was a dog-leg and a steeper than normal staircase up two storeys then another awkward dogleg with a spring loaded door opening outward! Did that gig to (not counting the other band, promoter and his Gf) 4 people! FML

 

[Marc Morfei]

I am thinking it would be a lot less trouble to just get a lighter amp.

 

[telemnemonics]

Sounds too complicated, and would require a significant anchor for the winch, which would mean drilling holes into your car somewhere.

A snowmobile/motorcycle lift would do the job more easily, IMO.
Or a lighter amp...

I have one of those.
Too heavy to lift into the van!

 

[CapnCrunch]

I have a friend who has one of these. They're great for getting from the car to the stage, but don't solve the into and out of the car problem.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K66MZOW/?tag=tdpri-20

 

[ce24]

M80 Multi fx into PA. Or multi of choice.....audience wont know the difference. Work smart not hard.

 

[getbent]

for many years, we had a band trailer (enclosed.) ALL of our gear we organized on to 4 trolleys that we rolled in and out (the trailer had little 'dock' that flipped down) roll into the gig, set up, play, put back on, covers and cinch it, roll it back into the trailer. We used tires that took air on the trolleys because we had lots of outdoor gigs where we couldn't park that close, those thing overlanded like crazy. I think we bought the trollies at Harbor Freight and then we retrofitted them. The drummer and I worked like a weekend figuring it all out.. then, poof. When we needed our huge PA, we got a roadie. Cheap, easy.

 

[beagle]

We did a few upstairs gigs - eurgh! Carting a 2x12, rack, guitar case and spares flight case box up and down just sucked. U.K. doorways aren’t designed for 2x12s

our worst one ever was a venue in Manchester where the only door was at the end of a narrow alley, and immediately through the door was a dog-leg and a steeper than normal staircase up two storeys then another awkward dogleg with a spring loaded door opening outward! Did that gig to (not counting the other band, promoter and his Gf) 4 people! FML

Been there, done that, 2 Marshall 4x12s for the guitarist and 1 for the bass.

 

[Cyberi4n]

Putting wheels on my cab was a breath of fresh air!! Until I encountered stairs lol

 

[swervinbob]

You don’t have any people who are in “awe” of you that you play music on stage and think they are “with the band” because they help you carry your stuff?

Sorry. I know this was no help. Hope you find a solution.

 

[String Tree]

Speaking personally, I have simply gone to lighter gear.
I understand the link with the heavier gear. It's FUN and it sounds COOL!
I get that!

If you were clever enough, you could rig a winch inside your van that would swing on a pivot to load and unload your gear.
Harbor freight and the Farm supply places have stuff like that.

 

[billy logan]

thanks for all your replies, even you, swervinbob

Posters suggesting lighter gear, I can't argue. Kind of was thinking also of a fellow (older than me who I took lessons from) complaining about the weight of his his Dumble iirc Sweet String Slinger (? something like that) in the 1980's

telemnemonic - I'm leaning towards your "acoustic" solution - No wiring to fool with and amateur wiring might cause a dead car battery. And I can picture that that arm motion with pulley/s actually being therapeutic for the spine.

Cyberi4n, post #17 - this won't help you with the "amplifier going up stairs" problem, but!:

your mention of wheels made me think of Ed Gong, who rented out pianos and would move them into the renter's place expertly handling the piano's weight with only himself and the piano-renter and a carpet-covered wooden box. He passed away in '07.

Even up stairs. To recap: one man, one piano-rental customer (no matter how big and strong or little and frail the customer), and one carpet-covered wooden box. In the hyperlink here, "7-000-pianos" DOES INDEED refer to 7,000 pianos.

Edward-Gong-who-moved-7-000-pianos-dies-2324032.php

I saw him move a Steinway upright grand into a house this way in the 1970's. ok, idk. maybe 2 carpet-covered little wooden boxes he used as piano-balancing poinits on stairs.