Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH
If you've got a lot of stuff to bring in and set up, you might consider investing in a rolling tote rack, with locking wheels. That might make life a LOT easier in terms of moving things around (particularly when moving them to put floor/robot in). More wheels = more maneuverability/easier moving, ya know. A quick look at McMaster shows items of that nature ranging from $200 to $1K or so, depending on model, construction, and how many addons you opt for. AndyMark also sells some material that can be used to build a custom unit, though that might be a bit more expensive and take some careful planning. (Trust me, that sort of stuff can hold a lot of weight. Just check the bolts once in a while.)
Food for thought, as well: How many regional champions do you see that take an hour to set up their pit/need the load-in time as setup time? |
Something we've struggled with from the start is that we've never had a trailer to bring our equipment to events. Everything we take has to fit in the back of a minivan or my 15 passenger van (with the seats out). It still takes a good amount of time to empty the van, take it to the pit, and setup since the shelving has to be broken down. Whatever few items aren't on wheels already typically fits on two dollies filled with totes or brought in by hand.
"Roll in" pits have always been out of our reach and probably will be until we can get a trailer but something we borrowed from a sponsor for Championships this year was an awesome find! You can buy it
here from Tractor Supply Co. for $149. This setup only comes with one shelf but we had two for St. Louis. We were able to fit everything for our pit on the cart for load in and it integrated very well with
our pit providing ample storage above and below plus a very sturdy work table. It breaks down into 6 easy to transport pieces and setups up in seconds. Highly recommended for pits.