Hauling Equipment

To many ads? Support ODJT and see no ads!
D

DJ J Mac

Bork Bork Bork!
Mar 24, 2008
3,875
1,228
West Lafayette, IN
So, here's the deal. It's time for Ducky and I to do some serious upgrading in how we haul our equipment. We have three different options before us and were looking for some input on this (specifically your experiences with them, appearance for a DJ, etc). All three vehicle types will be used (due to the price). Thanks all.


Option 1: Full Sized SUV
Option 2: Mini-van
Option 3: Panel Van
 
I drive an Escalade and all my equipment fits nicely inside with the back seats folded down. I haul my Dynacord D-Lite 3012 system, my lighting tripods and trusses and all other equipment with no trouble. The only complaint I have with hauling my gear this way is that it sits so high that you can't really lean in to get things from the back, you actually have to crawl inside, and lifting the only heavy speaker I have (the powersub 315) is hard on my back placing it in the back of my vehicle. The upside to the Escalade is that it looks very nice and professional, and also the 4-wheel drive comes in very handy here in South Dakota! Never know what the weather will be from day to day! Hope my insight helps some!
 
I lease a full size cargo from Enterprise on a per need basis. Very Cut and Dried come tax time!

You might want to look into that if you'd don't want to assume the expense of vehicle purchase.

When I was in Lafayette I used Budget and with a Company Account with them should be able to get a pretty good deal.
 
I have to agree with Doug.
I currently use a Montero Limited to haul my stuff. The gear can and will wreck the interior of a nice car. If I have to do it all over again, I would purchase a panel van if buisness is really good. If I did 4 gigs a month or less I would opt for the rental of a Cargo van from Enterprise. When I have to bring the Plasma and extra lighting I rent the cargo van for about 50.00 per day.
 
We have a Chevy Suburban. We pull out the 3rd row seat, fold down the middle two and fill it from the back of the front seats all the way to the back door. It has never let us down yet. Just beware of getting a trailer. We were going to do that but some venues are not trailer friendly...nowhere to park them.
 
Get a Custom Van

I use a custom van. When I haul gear I remove the two middle captain chairs and fold down the sofa. I also have a hitch on the back if I need to pull a trailer. You can get a good used custom van cheap now.
 

Attachments

  • SIDEV.JPG
    SIDEV.JPG
    16 KB · Views: 0
  • FRONTV.JPG
    FRONTV.JPG
    16 KB · Views: 2
I use when needed depending on the size of the show I will be carrying:

Full Sized GMC 3/4 ton van: I am able to get a pair of 215's, two pair of 115's, six 118 subs along with all the amps needed to run it and full lighting package with proper packing. But it is packed tight!

Chevy Astro mini van: a pair of 118 subs a pair of full sized 115's, amp boxes and assorted other items needed to run a show along with a few lights!

Honda Pilot: easily holds, single 118 sub, four of 10" or a pair of 12" mains, Amp box, Player system or Karaoke system plus a few lights and speaker/mic stands.

Honda Element: everything the Pilot can carry plus some, loading and unloading seems to be easier in the Element!

Cadillac Escalade: everything the Element can carry, but uses more gas!

Cadilac Deville: we don't use this to carry gear to shows but if push came to shove the trunk could carry a small show system to include a pair of 10" mains and a pair of 112" sub cabs.

If the need arrises (school shows, large outdoor events we have an 6x8 trailer that pulls behind the full sized van.
 
My vehicle of choice is a 2003 Dodge Caravan minivan.

3.3 L V-6 engine
Air conditioning
Power steering/Power Brakes
Automatic Transmission
rear fogger/rear window wiper
carpeted interior
basic radio (no CD player)
roll-up windows & push-button locks.
no remote rear hatch opener
(basically your stripped down minivan, for lowest price and lightest weight---I paid $17,000 out the door for a $25,000 sticker van, thru my COSTCO auto buying program for costco members.)

I get between 21-23 mpg on most trips, because its ONLY used for the DJ service, its all highway mileage.
Very economical for an American made product.

It stays "parked in the Batcave (our underground garage) fully loaded with my 2 systems for ceremony & reception, ready for every Saturday as needed (no loading or unloading every week for gigs).


For larger rigs, I recommend the "Dodge Sprinter" (Full-Size Cargo Van): Its mfg'd by Mercedes-Benz, has a 3.5L V-6 Turbo-Diesel engine and gets 25 mpg (highway).
 
DJMC said:
It stays "parked in the Batcave (our underground garage) fully loaded with my 2 systems for ceremony & reception, ready for every Saturday as needed (no loading or unloading every week for gigs).
Click to expand...

Matt,

That is what I do all of the vehicles stay loaded for shows then if something needs to be twiked for a gig that is what I do. I can on a moments notice have a gig or two covered on any given day without having to work too hard to get preped.
 
DJMC said:
For larger rigs, I recommend the "Dodge Sprinter" (Full-Size Cargo Van): Its mfg'd by Mercedes-Benz, has a 3.5L V-6 Turbo-Diesel engine and gets 25 mpg (highway).
Click to expand...

Actually the turbo diesel is the 3.0 V6 and the optional engine is the gas 3.5 V6. The sprinter is a good choice and if you haul around a lot of heavy stuff the diesel is your best bet with more torque.
 
Why have a vehicle to store your equipment in? Seems kind of expensive if your vehicle just sits there until the next gig. Ever consider a trailer? They are (in most cases) the perfect transport/storage option for DJs. One unload, one load per event. I store my gear in my trailer all year around. No vehicle devoted to just DJ'ing required. Seems like the cheaper option as long as you've got something to pull it with.
 
Wes,

My vehicles all go out multiple times each week, many are smaller shows that simply wouldn't require a trailer. The trailer would also have to be parked and there are many venues where this becomes a real hassle. While I can put all my vehicles in my driveway without a problem the trailer always seemed to be in the way no matter what I was doing so it is stored at $20 a month in a self storage yard.

I am not sure if Mac and Ducky are considering expanding or not but doing so requires multiple vehicles.
 
Thunder said:
Wes,

My vehicles all go out multiple times each week, many are smaller shows that simply wouldn't require a trailer. The trailer would also have to be parked and there are many venues where this becomes a real hassle. While I can put all my vehicles in my driveway without a problem the trailer always seemed to be in the way no matter what I was doing so it is stored at $20 a month in a self storage yard.

I am not sure if Mac and Ducky are considering expanding or not but doing so requires multiple vehicles.
Click to expand...

As of right now, I think we're looking to replace equipment, especially speakers, and use the older ones as backup. I am kicking around the idea of going full-time with a multi-op, but for now, all that's needed is something for all of the equipment. :)
 
What you need really depends on what you're hauling (equipment wise).

We started with a mini van and even after removing all the seats we outgrew it in less than a year.

We bought a 6 x 10 trailer filled it up and we can still pretty much fill up the van also. Can you say we need to carry less? :D
 
One other thing to consider.

IF you buy a vehicle big enough to haul around the equipment and then also drive it as a personal/family vehicle think of how much is going out in fuel versus what you'd be paying by having a compact fuel efficient car for daily use.
 
Look Jmac and Ducky it doesnt matter what you haul it to the venue in as long as when you get there you use a dolly...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back