THE GOAL: Find a more cost-effective way to move tents.
THE PLAN: The maintenance staff at Farmington CC built a removable rack of welded steel so tents could be carried on a maintenance cart and moved by a single person. THE PAYOFF: The $350 for needed materials was recovered in reduced labor and overtime the first time the rack was used.
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Throughout the year, Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va., holds dozens of outdoor events that require 20’ x 20’ tents. Each time a tent needs to be constructed, moved, or deconstructed, the house maintenance staff ends up working overtime, especially on weekends, to accommodate the setups required by busy banquet schedules.
“We have a lot of weddings and functions, and most of the time, the host doesn’t want the tents to be seen, so we have to move them back and forth every few days,” says Darryl Lawson, the club’s House Maintenance Director. When Lawson realized how much the club was spending in labor bringing in extra staff to move the tents, he, with the help of his staff, decided to create a more efficient means of transporting them.
A removable rack of welded steel was constructed so the tent could be carried on a maintenance cart, allowing it to be moved by a single person. Now, the club can set up tents in an out-of-the-way location, and then have one person move them to the site of the event, without involving any extra labor.
“The rack cost $350 to build and is made from square stock,” adds Lawson. “Now that we’re using it, it saves us about that amount, if not more, in [reduced] labor and overtime each time we do. So it’s been a win-win.”
(For the equipment and steps that Lawson used to construct Farmington’s tent mover, see the box at right.)
Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif. has created a similar version of Farmington’s tent rack, using steel round and flat stock, with an expanded metal top on the frame to protect the driver, as well as tie-down rings welded to the frame. The club reports that when its frame is installed on a golf car, it can also be used to move tournament scoreboards as well as bulky, 3’ x 8’ banquet tables.
C&RB CONSTRUCTION “HOW TO” Make Your Own Tent Mover
Materials Needed Submitted by: Darryl lawson, house maintenance director, farmington country club, Charlottesville, va.
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