Anyone got/getting to gigs with a truck?

[Rick Ball]

Ford Ranger bought new in 1999 specifically to haul drums. Along with an ARE lift lid it's a great drum hauler. Still going strong after 20+ years. I got the lift lid instead of a full camper top for a few reasons. One is it locks very securely and has no windows, secondly I can politely refuse to haul other peoples gear because it's just large enough for my drums.
(i used to have a keyboard player that constantly needed a ride home which was far out of my way and it just got old, problem solved!)

 

[Quai34]

I used 3 times my son's truck, Tacoma V6 4 doors, I had to use it as I don't break down my keys stand, 3 tier keys stand, or 2 extra tier if you prefer, 6 keys to bring to the show...I also did the same 3 times for keys again and the front rack and 3 stands for the drums kit, travelled with them unfolded and the pole/stand on the rack staying in it. It saves a lot of time, I need 1h30 to set up the keys with all connections to the PA, I'm also the sound guy so, another 1h30 for the mixer, mics etc...But this was another Chevy from the guitarist. I had two members helping me out (Female singer and guitarist) but they where always complaining like "it's not my job" ..Next time (I'm not in this band anymore!!!) I will hire one or two sound/light guy who could do the roadies for us as well... But I will still miss the tuck bed, too much time lost inntearing down and setting up...
Ha yes, another time was with an Old Bedford, big one, with my daughter's boy friend so, yes, the truck is almost mandatory for me even if I could fit all my keys and the stand in my Chevy Cruze, I did that for 3 years once a week, E rating down and setting up to and from the practice place...I had 2 boards at that time though... I'm still thinking of something like, all musicians take care of their instruments, even knowing how to connect them to the PA and then they go help the others: If it's your truck, they assume a bit too fast that it's also your duties to install what is inside...

 

[jptrickster]

Throwing it back 4/5 decades
Had a Big Buick Hearse it was great! Band Limo

I miss my Bus, Hotel on wheels! room to spare

 

[Stretch Riedle]

When I started drumming I owned a Toyota Camry car [a hatchback]. Even though I could get all my drums in it I had to give up the front passenger seat to the bass drum...so I could never drive a passenger.
So I bought a truck because I WAS a drummer. !995 Toyota Takoma pickup. 2-door with a small back seat to take passengers when necessary. Plus it meant I had a slightly longer bed. I spent the extra $1000 and bought a camper shell for it. Great for weather and hiding contents, but unless you want to McGyver the locks it's easy to break in, so I don't leave drums in overnight unless I back it up to a wall. Then you can't open the rear window enough to gain access to large drums. Best vehicle I ever bought. Up to about 265,000 miles with very little maintenance. And LOTS of cargo room.
Stretch

 

[Stone Wilcoxon]

My 2015 F-150 4 door short bed works for me. It has the fiberglass locking bed cover, and everything goes in there, including my Rock'n'Roller cart. Nobody can see what's back there. I put down a layer of foam cushion and industrial carpet back there, so crawling around isn't hard on my knees, and napping is a possibility. Because of the height of the bed walls, I'm limited to a 16" deep bass drum. Some trucks have a shorter bed wall than that. Not an issue for me, since 16 is the biggest I would consider owning anyway. On occasion, I've allowed a keyboard or bass player to ride with me, and their gear could go in the back seat area. It's very comfortable to travel in, and since I got the little 2.7l Ecoboost engine, fuel economy isn't too bad either. The only thing I really miss about the SUVs I have used is being able to use the lift gate as shelter when loading in the rain.

 

[Malc]

I use my mpv to tow my drum trailer. The big plus for me is that at the end of the night I don't have to unpack the car in order to use it in the morning.

 

[lossforgain]

I use my mpv to tow my drum trailer. The big plus for me is that at the end of the night I don't have to unpack the car in order to use it in the morning. View attachment 481153

Wow, what size are those wheels? They look tiny!

 

[Malc]

Wow, what size are those wheels? They look tiny!

15" on the Fiat and 10" on the trailer.

 

[Elvis]

I wish there was an off-topic section I could post this in but there is not.

do you drive a truck and use the same truck to bring your drum set to gigs?

what truck do you have? And how does that work for you?

I may need to get a truck as my main and only vehicle for transportation and I was wondering how hauling drums would be in a truck. I want to see if I should consider a truck or look for a SUV.

I had two; 1989 Mazda B2200 and 1998 Ford Ranger.
Both worked just fine.
I would usually plop a canopy over the bed and keep in mind how precious my cargo was, once I hit the road.
In the old days, I used a cheap Pulse kit - 22/12/13/16/14x5 and I would just tie them together in the corner of the bed nearest the driver's door with 25' of 5/32 nylon rope.
Worked like a champ.
I didn't have a rug then, so if the stage was slick, I'd just tie all the stands and drums to my throne with the nylon rope.
Again, worked like a champ.
If you get the truck, don't forget to get a canopy. Doesn't have to be permanent. 4 C-clamps (one in each corner) do an amazing job of holding the canopy on the bed.
Helps keep the rain off and keeps the "touchy/feely people" from handling your unattended drums.
Put the canopy on for the gig. Pull it off and set it on two saw horses afterwards.

.....or you could opt for an SUV, like a Chevy Blazer.



Elvis

 

[Elvis]

Back in college, I bought one of these in the local US Mail auction for $300. Hauled the whole band’s gear to hundreds of gigs over a couple year period. Best $300 I ever spent.
View attachment 480923

I knew a guy back in the 80's that used a mail jeep for the same purpose.
He was tickled pink with it.
Cost him like a couple of hundred bucks to get, it had enough room to haul his kit and it got like 20 mpg, too.
Couldn't have been happier with it.

Elvis

 

[Jazzhead]

I think the first time I saw a pickup truck was when I went to Basic Training, 1979, in Texas. Everyone had them there. Even the girls!

They didn’t exist in NYC back then, unless it was a work truck and they were never parked in the street. Now, that’s all you see here! They have become the bane of my existence. As a car driver, they are one big pain the rear end, because you can’t see around them, over them or through them on tight corners and all I see when I look in my rear view mirror is grill and halogens bearing down on me! Forget about parking, they take up 3 precious spots and honestly they just seem a little ridiculous here. I shouldn’t talk, my son-in-law has one. It doesn’t fit in my driveway.

Sorry, I’m getting old, I realize that was quite the curmudgeonly rant...

I am not a fan of big pickup trucks either. The ones I would ever consider is the relatively smaller ones like the chevy colorado, tacoma, etc.

 

[Jazzhead]

Is that a "closed" version of the Hilux?

Unfortunately, Toyota doesn`t offer a 4x4 between the silly RAV4 and the overpriced Landcruiser in Germany anymore.

4Runner is that happy sweet medium that they offer in the US.

 

[Jazzhead]

Throwing it back 4/5 decades
Had a Big Buick Hearse it was great! Band Limo View attachment 481129

I miss my Bus, Hotel on wheels! room to spare
View attachment 481136 View attachment 481137 View attachment 481139 View attachment 481140

That VW bus is so sweet! Cool photos!

 

[Germandrummer]

4Runner is that happy sweet medium that they offer in the US.

They did here also until a few years ago. Honestly, Germany is no great market for foreign 4x4s.

 

[underratedcowbell]

Man, I’m reading this and thinking to myself: US is such a different place from EU! Here you don’t see pickup trucks that often (unless you’re a farmer) and certainly you don’t see many if any guys driving to gigs with drums on their trucks backs. I carry my drums to gigs in my VW Golf. They fit just fine!

 

[Jazzhead]

Man, I’m reading this and thinking to myself: US is such a different place from EU! Here you don’t see pickup trucks that often (unless you’re a farmer) and certainly you don’t see many if any guys driving to gigs with drums on their trucks backs. I carry my drums to gigs in my VW Golf. They fit just fine!

Oh ya, oh ya!
I got culture shocked when I moved to the US. Back in my country, only construction workers, farmers, and street fruit sellers use pickup trucks. If you show up to a wedding with a pickup truck that would look ridiculous!
here, it is a different story, pickup trucks have been popular for decades, “Real men” drove pickup trucks, and you see that in Hollywood movies too! Don’t get me wrong, I love those 50’s-70’s Ford trucks, I am just giving you the picture. I have lived in Asia, Europe and here. The US is a different world!

oh just to add, since you mentioned VW Golf and I know Golf is a best seller in Europe. Just yesterday I read that vw of America is killing regular Golf here in the US, no one is buying them. They are only keeping the GTI, and the buyers for GTI are usually foreigners.

 

[EvEnStEvEn]

Forget hauling your gear around in a pickup truck.

A mini-van with 2 rear sliding doors is the only way to go for the gigging musician.

 

[JimmySticks]

I am not a fan of big pickup trucks either. The ones I would ever consider is the relatively smaller ones like the chevy colorado, tacoma, etc.

Actually, I think any pick up truck is a pain, because whenever somebody needs a 900lb piece of furniture moved, they say, “hey call Jimmy, he’s got a pick up truck!”

 

[Elvis]

...and after a few of those calls, Jimmy's answer changes to, You can rent one from U-Haul for $20 a day....*click*......

 

[Old Drummer]

I had a small Nissan pickup (basically the Sentra in a pickup) for many years, and one of the smartest things I've ever done was to buy a cap for it immediately. With a cap, you can haul a lot of stuff without worrying about the elements. The downside is that you can't leave stuff in it overnight or anything like that. Caps are too easy to break into. But they're safe enough for short periods.