Hi Rachel
You have gotten some excellent advice so far. When using casters, it is important to have enough casters to support the load (and that means concentrating more casters under the heavy parts of the rolling unit), choose the right kind of casters, and pushing on the wagon the right way.
George was spot on with his description of "drift", which is also know as "throw". Casters have a hard time coming to rest from a westward move, only to be moved due east from their resting position. The wagon must be pushed north or south to get the casters to "throw" together or casters end up sliding along the floor. . .which causes friction and makes it hard to push. NOTE: This is also the reason to never ever ever ever use swivels casters under a turntable - use rigid casters only! The triple swivel casters are also know in the industry as "zero-throw" casters. Their primary purpose is to allow the wagon to move westward, and then directly back to the east with having to swing the wagon north or south. They made an early appearance in shows with automated scenery that had to be loaded onto a track in the wing and then move back and forth on an automated track system - swivel casters would cause the track to be ripped to shreds. Please note that using the zero throw casters does not mean that the total number of support points under the wagon can be significantly reduced . . . the wagon still needs support.
Choosing the right caster is very important. Most high schools are running on a tight budget, so they opt for cheap casters. Nay nay! Good quality casters have
ball bearings on the wheel and on the swivel. Most of the cheaper casters out there either have what is known as a "plain bearing" (which is simply a hole through the caster), or a bronze bushing. Both of these choices add a significant amount of friction to the move. For all of my scenic caster needs, I use a company called Access Casters (use the google). On their website, they have a special section for "theatre casters" where they have assembled the highest quality / lowest priced casters I have ever seen. For instance, 3P20PST is a 3" swivel caster, 240 lb load max (so use it to about 180 to get a good life out of it), ball bearing caster and ball bearing swivel for $9.62 each (or $8.65 if you buy 40 or more). These guys also have a very wide range of triple swivel casters for all load ranges and wallet sizes.
Attachment - Please ALWAYS bolt casters to the unit. Because the load is unbalanced on a caster plate, lag bolts WILL pull out eventually. Also, avoid bolting to the lid of the wagon. By attaching casters directly to the lid, the force from the loads on the wagon are actually not directed into the caster unless the load is right on the caster. The force moves from the load, along the lid, to the nearest framing member. Then is transfers to the lid closest to the caster and back up through whatever fastener was used to attach the lid down. If you have ever noticed your lids lifting off your wagons, this is why. NOTE: This is why you should never let the leg of a platform touch the lid of a platform . . . keep the force transfer in the framework! The best way to caster a wagon is to places the caster under the framing member. If you do not have the height to spare, at least put the caster on a piece of 2x6 and attach the 2x6 across the corner of the platform, securing the 2x6 into the framework. . .and not the lid.
Pushing or pulling the wagon. It doesn't really whether you push or pull, but what DOES matter is how much enery the stage hand is directing horizontally vs vertically. If a hand is bending over to push the wagon, a portion of his energy will be directed downwards. . onto the casters, effectively making the wagon heavier and harder to push. A stage hand who is pushing or pulling horizontally (as George suggested with his poles) is directing all of his energy horizontally and not hampering the move at all. A stage hand who is pulling upwards (as Susan suggested with her eye-bolt idea) is actually lifting the wagon a little as he pulls, thus making the wagon easier to move. Be aware of how your forces are being directed as you direct your crew, and the energy they expend will go a lot farther :-).
Safety! When moving large wagons, make sure that everyone is safe. A big wagon can run over a foot very quickly, and do a lot of damage. If using pull lines, make them long. If using poles, please push on them and don't pull. Nothing we do in theatre is worth an injury. Think it through and be safe :-).
Apologies for the long diatribe. I hope it was helpful!
All my best.
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Tracy Nunnally
NIU - Professor/TD/Area Head
Vertigo - Owner/System Designer
ETCP Certified Rigger/Trainer
DeKalb, Illinois
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-08-2017 09:11
From: Robert Smith
Subject: Moving LARGE wagons and sets
When I directed Noises Off, I built a set that was 36 feet long - 16 feet wide - two stories - 96 casters. It was a monster. It took 20 students to shift it. This is how we did it.
The set was spiked for two different locations. At scene change time, I had 20 students walk out and place themselves at their assigned locations. The stage manager blew a whistle and all students shoved together to rotate the set and then shove it up / down stage to the spikes. Then, they turned and walked off. We choreographed this set change by doing it repeatedly over tech week until it got to the point that it was literally rotate and shove. The rehearsal made it possible for them to hit the spikes on the shove without needing to adjust. Two actions and off. The scene change took under 20 seconds from start to finish and because we did it au vista, it got applause from the audience. :-)
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Robert Smith
VA Co-Chapter Director
James Madison High School
Vienna VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-07-2017 12:14
From: Rachel Snow
Subject: Moving LARGE wagons and sets
So I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm pretty new to teaching tech (my second year), and frankly have very little experience as a Drama teacher and actor. I'm doing my best, but I've created a problem for myself...
For our musical Kiss Me Kate we've built a 20x8 interior dressing dressing room for the leads that turns around to show the exterior hallway for other scenes. Now of course because hindsight is 20-20, I realize this really should have been made into two separate wagons that fit together. But the wagon is dutched, painted, has had base and crown molding installed - it's done, and we don't have enough time before tech week to completely start over.
So my issue is now that this thing is HEAVY and HUGE and very difficult to move even on swivel casters. It wants to drift and fight the students when it's time to move it from the wings onto its mark center stage, and is making swift scene changes nigh impossible. I hate making the audience wait a minute+ for a darn scene change. I'm trying to play a few scenes/songs on the apron with the grand drape closed to allow for more scene change time behind the curtain, but there's quite a few places where I just can't and only have about 30-60 seconds to move this beast.
The walls are also free standing with only so much jack support (the chairs on the far corners are bolted to the walls to provide support), so I'm also concerned that with all the moving back and forth and turning around that the walls may start to come loose, even though I'm asking the students to push and pull from the wagon base.
What do I do?!
Is there any way to move and control this thing more easily or am I stuck with long scene changes and the orchestra vamping forever?
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Rachel Snow
Drama and Technical Theater Teacher
Alhambra High School
Alhambra CA
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