What do you use for gear movers? Does anyone use dedicated always loaded vehicles or trailers?

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Dj Nightmare

DJ Extraordinaire
Sep 3, 2014
321
578
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Just curious. I have had a dedicated vehicle for about 8 years of my 10 year Dj career. It makes life so much easier. Current Rig is 2015 Ram 2500 HD with the diesel engine. 8.5x24 trailer loaded with 12 subs and 16 mains amps, power distros, stands, mic stands, speaker, power, xlr cables. I take this to every gig believe it or not lol Good thing I live in wide open Arkansas lol. Truck and trailer right at 60 foot long. Truck holds 3 4 space amp racks, 48 ADj Mega Hex Par pars, 6 Wash FX 2, 2 ADJ Dotz Tpar systems, My pair of Rane 12s, Rane 72, some cables, Rock n Roller r2 micro (only RnR worth having), Backseat area holds 20 mics 8 wireless and 12 wired, instrument mics, drum kit mics, fan, backup laptops and headphones, couple of small mixers 6 and 8 channels, and a bunch of stuff I am sure I am forgetting to mention lol. Also pictured is the evolution of my truck and trailer combos. Started with a Silverado I had in High school with a 5x10, then moved with the same Silverado to 7x16 trailer, then to Ram I have now I bought new in 2015. then finally to the trailer I have now. truck and trailer combo gets about 8-10 mpg.
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Nice rig @Dj Nightmare. Very professional, well organized, and BIG!!![emoji1] Glad it’s yours and not mine. I have nowhere to park a trailer or a big truck like yours. I have a minivan...9d72f13e178adcb9c49609f8c92afef4.jpg
It is a dedicated vehicle for my business. At first (almost 5 years ago), I bought my wife an SUV, which I thought could be used part-time for the business. It didn’t work out. The lift height was too high and the tailgate opening not tall enough for my very heavy 12U rolling rack. I owned a pickup truck at the time, and it would have pulled trailer, but I would have been required to park it off site, in the garage, or in the back yard (neighborhood code). The garage and back yard would not be possible, and off site was undesirable, so I traded my beloved pickup for a minivan.

At first, the minivan was a tight fit for all my speakers and subs and backup gear, but I have downsized a lot since then. Using only RCF EXOX8’s now, and splitting my rolling rack into two smaller stackable racks, I’ve got enough space for everything, plus a little to spare. I would LOVE to have a cargo van I could walk into like this one...
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... but it ain’t happening.[emoji1] Too much money and no ROI.

I DO keep my minivan loaded... mostly. I generally have one of my two rack systems setup in my office so I can practice and keep the computers updated.
 
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love your organizational skillz Nightmare....

Bought this a few months ago and love it... the high ceiling added tons more packing space over my Buick Enclave.

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cant find my pictures...this is the same model...just not my exact van
 
love your organizational skillz Nightmare....

Bought this a few months ago and love it... the high ceiling added tons more packing space over my Buick Enclave.

View attachment 37595

cant find my pictures...this is the same model...just not my exact van

That looks like exactly what I've been looking at.
 
I don't do it enough to justify another vehicle, so I pack and unpack my Explorer as needed.
 
My dedicated vehicle is a Chevy 2500 extended. My core system stays in the vehicle along with equipment to do outdoor movies, video dance parties, karaoke & DJ. Since when go out I don’t return home between events. Some equipment has always not been stored in a van. The current is the third Dedicated van. I stop unloading/loading way back in 1990. So much easier and a time saver. I have a couple of different systems so Depending on the event I may have to swap some stuff out. But basically I designed the sound, video & lighting to fit in the van not the reverse saving me tons of money in tolls, gas & time. That why I don’t use any truss there just isn’t any room for it. When we added the Martin intel lighting in the 90’s I put together a K&M system of stands to hold the fixtures. Originally in the 80s I was looking at getting one of those diesel trucks with an 18 foot box but audio systems become much more compact. So with my current van even with the 6L engine I can get 15 to 16 MpG fully loaded more likely if I slowed down. Now i so beat/tired after events I can barely get the laptop bag out, so know I made the right choice. Each year I check out the new vehicles with the Raised roof, they’re very nice but won’t fit into where I garage the the van without major modifications to the garage door. I also picked up a Toyota Highlander which has a ton of room with the all the seats down or carry 7 people. So if I am doing a event I can bring the whole family and still carry equipment. But between all the family use, hitch for the bikes and my rep work i am putting way too many miles on it.
 
I've pared down significantly and wisely purchased powerful, awesome sounding gear that doesn't take much space. My 2002 Durango/5'x8' trailer combo is up for sale and I too have a 2018 Ford Transit Connect XLT LWB and, like Chris, LOVE IT even though it does have a couple of design flaws.

I load and unload to my temperature-controlled garage year-round.

The seats fold quickly and neatly. If I decide to putz around doing Uber and/or Lyft, this is a perfect vehicle to qualify for the upper scale.

2018FordConnectXLTLWB.jpg
 
I've pared down significantly and wisely purchased powerful, awesome sounding gear that doesn't take much space. My 2002 Durango/5'x8' trailer combo is up for sale and I too have a 2018 Ford Transit Connect XLT LWB and, like Chris, LOVE IT even though it does have a couple of design flaws.

I load and unload to my temperature-controlled garage year-round.

The seats fold quickly and neatly. If I decide to putz around doing Uber and/or Lyft, this is a perfect vehicle to qualify for the upper scale.

View attachment 37599
i debated about getting the "seated" package... but we already had a nice big family car and i really just wanted a hauler ...funny enough i choose it over our Enclave 9 times out of 10 for running errands and stuff...

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I started out with a Nissan King Cab pick-up with Cap. Used it for about three years. Replaced it with Toyota Highlander. Put a trailer hitch on it and then purchased a 5x8 Trailer with side door, indoor lighting, and rear loading ramp door. When I purchased my Yorkville system: NX 750 P (2) and 18" LS 801 P subwoofer, it became necessary to roll it in and out of the trailer. I took it everywhere unless I used the smaller system RCF ART 200P 12" (2) and ART 800 P 15" subwoofers. Now, I use the Trailer for storage and no longer take it on DJ gigs; use the Toyota Highlander to transport my RCF Evox 8 system, along with my Rock-n-Roller.
 
I've pared down significantly and wisely purchased powerful, awesome sounding gear that doesn't take much space.
Wait ... You switched from the Bose ... ba dum dum tsshh :)
 
The Ford Transit is a great DJ vehicle. I believe Dodge and Nissan have almost identical offerings.

Right now, I use a Honda Element, and it's awesome with the high roof. It's amazing how much I can in that thing, but if I ever upgrade, the small cargo vans mentioned above is an obvious choice.

I hate trailers, used it with my buddy from college and it was awful every time. Will never go down that road again when there are so many nice options now.
 
I hate trailers, used it with my buddy from college and it was awful every time. Will never go down that road again when there are so many nice options now.

feel the same way...i realize its a much more inexpensive choice... but such a pain to haul..park...etc....plus i needed a runaround vehicle to replace my wifes old beater... so the van was the perfect "kill 2 birds" option

The height is its greatest feature....easily an added two feet of space over a normal medium sized suv...

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