counterweight for audio/video rack

I think you should put the fixed direction wheels on the back so you can tilt the rack backwards and wheel it like a hand cart. Then you need a swing up counterweight in the back of the rack, hinged near the base, swing it upward for the mobile condition and out horizontally for the stationary condition. the more room in the back, the longer the arm, the lighter the weight.

Hmmm, I like the idea of swapping the wheel locations. The problem with the swing arm is we won't have a lot of room off the back when it is in locations near a wall, like none. But good immediate comments thank you so much!

I'm with the wheel swap also; I think it will be easier to steer the rack into position if you can still swing the front back and forth.

Your main weight hangs 4 inches out to the front, so say 50 pounds at the rear should be adequate to counterbalance. The added weight will add hardly any load to the front wheels, so it shouldn't increase the rolling resistance too much.

If rolling on carpet, 3-inch casters might be better, unless other constraints prevent this.

I used to work in the music touring industry. Everything they use on tour is on wheels and I mean everything. To solve a problem such as yours we would use a floor lock. You can check them out here. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/caster-sockets-brackets-and-floor-locks/casters-and-wheels/material-handling/ecatalog/N-cnp?op=search&sst=subset

If that doesn't work consider two legs that fold from between the rear casters that cross and lock together with enough weight to counter balance. The longer the leg the lower the weight. If all else failed, we used sandbags...which in the world of music and television they are on every other item you see. They are there, your not supposed to see them. Hope this helps.

If in doubt I would use a restraining strap to the wall at the top of the rack that could be unclipped for removal. This would prevent it being pulled over accidentally. If you are in a earthquake zone extra precautions are necessary.

Any thoughts?

Yeah.. Whoever worked on the design was not a regular with racking systems.

Be very careful with how you proceed.

this equipment is heavy, tall, sharp, with cables. I know I'm pointing out the obvious, but there is a huge liability issue here, and this equipment will likely be handled by people who expect it to roll around as easily as a mop bucket.

This is never the case with equipment racks. It's more like a front loaded vertical coffin on casters.

I used to be an authorized Middle Atlantis rack dealer back in the day, and have worked with dozens of moving equipment racks.. At the 80" level. I know what you are dealing with.

When you move these racks, it will be as if the center of gravity is on the rooftop.

There is a lot of potential energy in movement that is now both difficult and dangerous to stop.

Think? Can you attach a central swivel wheel to the front of the rack just for storage and movement? perhaps one that would connect via rack screws or something that could be easily removed upon placement? Maybe a little scoot platform that would fit under the the front lip and then removed?

in this case, you would not need to swap the wheels, but i would still recommend some counterweight in the way of steel plates for compactness.

The counterweight will have the added benefit of lowering the center of gravity...

other thoughts? 2" wheels.. seems a little tinky.. I hope they are nice ones, and the floor is smooth hard and level.

good luck

be safe

I agree with JE; the best way to handle this is to put wheels out front. The horizontal center of mass will be closer to the center of the base, instead of cantilevered past the support points.

I would suggest a folding wheel set attached to the front, similar to appliance dolly swing wheels. If the rack's vertical center of gravity is low, the wheels can be folded in. If the installed equipment makes it top-heavy, unfold the wheel mechanism for a stable platform. The wheels and mechanism would probably add less than 5kg.