Cart advice?

F

firehawk

Veteran
This gets asked from time to time so there may be new ideas now. I'm looking for a relatively light rolling cart that could be used to transport gear. Hard plastic or aluminum would be good. Or a folding metal design. Not sure. Just looking for ideas.
 
Thank you very much. I'm also looking for something to stack and roll my weights around (exercise weights used for jib counterweight). I've seen them in the past but don't know what they are called. It's like a two wheel dolly thing and the weights stack up on each other so it's not very large.
 
firehawk said:
Thank you very much. I'm also looking for something to stack and roll my weights around (exercise weights used for jib counterweight). I've seen them in the past but don't know what they are called. It's like a two wheel dolly thing and the weights stack up on each other so it's not very large.
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Are you thinking of a muscle cart used to move sand bags?
 
craigS said:
Are you thinking of a muscle cart used to move sand bags?
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Not quite. In the past it seems I saw a small cart with a rod sticking up and you could stack a few weights one on top of another. It had a small footprint but was rather tallish, with a handle to pull it along. I have no idea what it is called nor can I seem to find it again.
 
I carry my barbell weights side by side in milk crates. I don't really have the extra footprint available in my van for a dedicated weight cart. My primary cart is a Filmtools converted junior cart. I also have space on my van for a milk crate truck cart.
 
I've got the rock n roller multicart. At least with mine, I'm heavily reliant on the top shelf for rigidity. If I remove it and load it up with any decent weight the vertical bars bend down to the folded position.

I agree with Run & Gun, it is great value for money. In a setting going from your car to an office to set up an interview etc. it's fantastic but there's not much place for it in a larger production environment - it's not durable enough.

I'm going to try to convert the rock n roller to a dedicated c stand mover... stay tuned.
 
i dont know about that...just about everyone i know in the houston production scene uses the rocknrollers, including myself, on all types of productions.
 
If I get a chance I will post a few comparison pictures between my rocknroller cart and my Filmtools converted junior cart. There really is a huge difference between the two.
 
Well yes of course. Those are basically magliners, aren't they? I would love one of those, but I have a few issues with them (don't even mean price. . .one of those SHOULD be a one-time buy, ever): they're heavy as hell to handle by yourself, and they don't compact as well as the Rocknrollers. Also the junior sized filmtools/magliners just don't extend as far as the rocknrollers do. I really wish someone made a hybrid/compromise between the two in terms of build quality (sturdier than a rocknroller, not as heavy as a magliner) that also extended as far as the rocknrollers do (the Senior filmtools/magliner cars are as long as an extended rocknroller but are monsterous). No question the tires on the filmtools are superior. . .even when weighed down, in my experience, they almost roll themselves. Not so with a rocknroller. No flat wheels, pneumatic, doesn't matter. When weighed down they're pretty tough to push.

If you can find one of the older/90s rocknrollers used, those are actually built better than the new ones. At some point the company changed hands and build quality as well, in most folks' opinion, QC/CA from cart to cart went down. The old ones have much nicer pneumatic tires and are sturdier. Good luck finding one.
 
Rock n roller has some newer heavier duty carts that have bigger frames and "Low profile" wheels, but still fold-up into a fairly compact form just like the others, which is one of the biggest selling points. I bought a new one(R16 maybe?), but unfortunately the frame is so much bigger that I can't use the deck extender or the shelves with it and they have not, and make no indication that they will, make versions of these accessories for the heavy duty models. I guess I'll have to find someone to build me custom versions or modify the stock ones.

As as far as the older models with pneumatic tires, I was constantly breaking the front casters and having a rear wheel go down. The first gen of no-flat wheels were not great, lots of rolling resistance, but the newer stuff is good. I do agree, their QC is an absolute joke, but one of the best things they ever did was introduce the no-flat wheels and heavy duty casters to the front in the R12, which used to be their big dog cart.
 
Josh Bass said:
Well yes of course. Those are basically magliners, aren't they? I would love one of those, but I have a few issues with them (don't even mean price. . .one of those SHOULD be a one-time buy, ever): they're heavy as hell to handle by yourself, and they don't compact as well as the Rocknrollers. Also the junior sized filmtools/magliners just don't extend as far as the rocknrollers do. I really wish someone made a hybrid/compromise between the two in terms of build quality (sturdier than a rocknroller, not as heavy as a magliner) that also extended as far as the rocknrollers do (the Senior filmtools/magliner cars are as long as an extended rocknroller but are monsterous). No question the tires on the filmtools are superior. . .even when weighed down, in my experience, they almost roll themselves. Not so with a rocknroller. No flat wheels, pneumatic, doesn't matter. When weighed down they're pretty tough to push.

If you can find one of the older/90s rocknrollers used, those are actually built better than the new ones. At some point the company changed hands and build quality as well, in most folks' opinion, QC/CA from cart to cart went down. The old ones have much nicer pneumatic tires and are sturdier. Good luck finding one.
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Well the RocknRoller cart is a great one man band cart, that will be a compact fit in your car style cart when broken down. They are relatively light weight, with an R12T being just 36 pounds. Of course their weight increases when you add lower and upper shelves to 56 pounds. The R12T can also be extended to 50" with the shelves attached. But their width is limited to 16". My personal experience with the RocknRoller carts goes way back. I still have an original that I have put through the wringer over the years. While the RocknRoller cart does extend to say 52" in length, I hardly ever use it in that capacity as I don't trust it fully extended. I also don't trust it's stability with carrying wider items, as the frame bed is only 13 1/2 inches wide. The maximum weight capacity of the RocknRoller cart is right around 500 pounds, depending on the model. I may be wrong, but aside from their size and construction I think the wheel design is their limiting factor. And speaking of wheels, mine loose air all the time. At some point I would like to replace them with non-flat wheels, but every time I try to purchase them for my cart they are out of stock.

Here is a RocknRoller comparison page for those interested...... https://rocknrollercart.com/pages/compare-rocknroller-multi-cart-models

My Filmtools converted Junior cart is basically a supped up Magliner cart. The Junior is a fixed size 24" x 36" with double shelves. It can be broken down just like the RocknRoller, but does not get as compact. So it may be a bad choice for smaller vehicles like a compact car. It also weighs more than the RocknRoller cart, coming in at a 130 pound shipping weight compared to the 56 pound shipping weight of the RocknRoller. Now you may be thinking the Junior cart might be a bad choice for a one man band type shoot. And it very well could be, depending on the situation. In my case, I find it the perfect fit without spending big bucks on something like the Inovativ carts which really get up there in price. The big difference between the RocknRoller and the Filmtools converted junior cart aside from price, is the amount of gear one can safely move from point A to point B in a single move. The RocknRoller has a max weight limit of 500 pounds, while the Filmtools cart can tote 1290 pounds. A junior cart can also fit perfectly in elevators, where the RocknRoller might have issues when fully extended in some elevators. Which means multiple trips of loading and unloading with the RocknRoller cart. In my particular situation, I am blessed to own a Mercedes Sprinter van to haul my gear in. As the economy has changed, I have had to do more and more one man band type shoots. In a situation like this, I typically configure my cart before the shoot and roll the cart onto the van fully loaded, rather than breaking down the cart for transport. This is a huge time saver when on location, not having to put the cart together and then having to load it up. I simply roll the cart out of my van and onto set.

Here is a link to a Filmtools junior cart for reference..... http://www.filmtools.com/filmtools-converted-junior-cart.html

Aside from their price and weight load capacity differences, In my opinion the weak point of the RocknRoller carts are the wheels.
While the strong point of the Filmtools converted junior carts are also their wheels.

Either cart would be a good addition to your kit. Just do your research.

All the best!

Dave
 
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Run&Gun said:
Rock n roller has some newer heavier duty carts that have bigger frames and "Low profile" wheels, but still fold-up into a fairly compact form just like the others, which is one of the biggest selling points. I bought a new one(R16 maybe?), but unfortunately the frame is so much bigger that I can't use the deck extender or the shelves with it and they have not, and make no indication that they will, make versions of these accessories for the heavy duty models. I guess I'll have to find someone to build me custom versions or modify the stock ones.
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Some people have built their own shelf mods for RnRr carts. Seems like you can make a better shelf...and one that will fit on the R16 and similar beefier RnRr carts. One guy on Amazon, J Copeland, posted a comment with details and pix of his mod. The most-clever bit:

If I could weld I would not need their shelf kit at all, but I can't. I was able to use their support bars and by turning them 90 degrees and adding a horizontal support between each handle (12" threaded rod with a piece of copper pipe I had to cover the threads) I made a quick on, quick off top shelf... held totally in place by gravity. Having the shelf setup also really makes the cart feel and respond better as it eliminates the slack in the handles, and holds them solidly.

A detail picture:
j_copelands_shelf.jpg

Link to his comment (and followups from others with useful info):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-...viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003AYLJXU#R3175IQOF0YBV

And this guy has a couple more ideas for more-elaborate mods:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Hj0VLENtc


Copeland's shelf doesn't have a lip/rim, and that's a bummer. Of course you can build one, but it's a bit more work. Perhaps a nice shelf from filmtools or backstage could be used?

About wheels: I've seen RnRr carts with their newer Ground Glider casters (standard on the R16 and R18 carts, optional on some others). They're better, imo, than the current standard RnRr wheels.
R5X2CSTR_REV_large.JPG

And of course I like Magliner carts (don't own, but use regularly). But I'm thinking of getting an RnRr (or similar) for small jobs where what I need will fit into our small car (ie- not the van); those carts pack up fairly small.

If anyone else knows of good mods (and preferably has made some good mods) to lower-cost carts, please post!
 
Magliner Jr. w/shelf and tripod caddy.

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Only reason I took the picture years ago was it looked so ridiculous. Note make up person's "luggage" and producer's stool & huge laptop bag on handlebars. Also, note rock n roller on other side of window with add'l gear.
 

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I have been on many shoots where the RnR is fully extended and weighed down to boot. You do want to keep your load as "slim" (i.e hugging the long axis of the cart) as possible but if everything tied down when the stack gets high you should be fine.

Agree about the wheels being weak. Unless the "new gen" of no flats is like a year ago I'm afraid I have to disagree that theyre any better. Mine still runs really rough when weighed down. a lot of resistance and this rubbery grinding sound. And this is SECOND R12 Ive bought since 2012 (first had so many problems rolling I figured maybe the frame was slightly misshapen. This one is only somewhat better. An RnR with magliner type wheels would be tizzight.
 
Jim Feeley said:
Some people have built their own shelf mods for RnRr carts. Seems like you can make a better shelf...and one that will fit on the R16 and similar beefier RnRr carts...
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Thanks for sharing this - may try out something similar on my RnR cart. Have never liked having to put top shelf on by screwing in threaded bolts.
I have the (I believe) original model R12 - with inflatable tires. And have never had issues with them... but then I mostly use this cart for one man band shoots for load in / load out, not full production moves. Maglinger is a good one for that.
 
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