Teams that have a super pit, how do you transport them to competitions? ex box truck and automatic lift, enclosed trailer and ramp, etc
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Every super pit I’ve seen (6-7 now) except one was loaded onto a dual axle enclosed trailer. Rear door folds down and you can get a bit of a running start with two people. Ratchet strap to the floor and/or walls; you can go from a pile of stuff on a curb to driving off in under 15 minutes.
The outlier was the same setup, but an unenclosed trailer.
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That’s exactly how my team does it. Gotta make sure the trailer door is tall enough (ours scrapes the top a bit on the way in/out) but it works well
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Some super pits I’ve seen have dual trailers or Uhaul trucks that deliver to competition but also consider where your stuff is being dropped off. For example, if you know your competition has a big ramp that is pretty steep, and it’s gonna be pretty hard moving a heavy tool chest up the ramp, sure it’s gonna get up with some manpower but might make it easier if you consider the vehicle you use as it would be easier to have a vehicle that can fit instead a trailer that might have a hard time fitting that trailer into a narrow alley ramp in tight streets of a big city like NYC. Yes, I realize this is a very specific situation but just something for consideration.
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Pivot, pivot, PIVOT!
plz do not attempt lift a superpit to make it slide into the trailer better
I’ve seen a few teams lower the door onto a curb to get around that, seems to be a somewhat common issue.
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7’x12’ dual axle cargo trailer. We got ours with an extra 6" of interior height and larger door opening so our pit shelves could be slightly larger and not worry about approach angles.
We installed E Track to strap the carts down. After a year our floor started to crack where the wheels sit during transport. We ripped out the floor, welded in some new supports, and added a second layer of plywood to the floor.
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So this might be a silly question, but what constitutes a super pit. I think our pit is super but I don’t know if it’s a super pit.
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For those with road case pits, have any of you weighed it fully loaded? I know at least one team has the requirement of wearing hard toe shoes when handling which I think is a good idea. What do these things weigh, and how many people do you need (and what kind of people) to get it up your trailer ramp?
I definitely think yours is super.
I rarely see teams (super pit or not) that use anything other than a trailer in Michigan. I assume there must be some who don’t have trailers around here but I don’t notice it while we are loading in. We have a 16’ enclosed trailer, that is significantly larger than needed, but allows us to move field carpet as well if needed.
For reference, in Michigan most super pits are metal frames on wheels, usually with a top section for storage that lowers onto the work top for transport. I believe some teams trailer the road case pits as well.
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Can’t speak to roadcase pits, but I expect they run heavier than our aluminum framed pit, but I can push ours up the ramp by myself if I have someone to steer. Usually have to get some momentum to get over the bump onto the ramp.
While steel toes are never a bad idea when moving heavy objects, your pit should never be at risk of falling over, so you really only need to worry about running over toes. In my experience most closed toe shoes will stop the wheel causing the pit to stop before doing any damage, unless you are running with the pit. If you are running with the pit or in a position where the pit might fall over, you are asking for problems no shoe will prevent. Go slow, be careful, and you should be fine without having to buy steel toes.
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