A Typical indoor Big Box Store display

I don't mean to pick on any particular store because this picture identifies an issue with almost every tire store I have ever been in: Inattention to detail when it comes to freestanding tire stack displays. I've changed the color to Black and White to help obscure the identity of the company involved.

Except for the sloppy installation of the merchandising disc, the one on the left is not too bad actually. The stack is straight and the labels are all lined up - but it happens to share space with the stack on the right. Notice how the labels are reversed from each other and rotated around the stack, which is not exactly true itself. Now, maybe these were just placed here temporarily, although temporary may include a couple of days since I saw them there yesterday also...

You get the idea. If these stacks were built on a TruStack Tire Dolly, and that work was done by a careful employee, maybe the one who built the stack on the left, they would be straight and true and mobile.

Snow Tire Storage / Summer Tire Storage

Don't you just hate trying to get around in your garage when there are a couple of stacks of tires in the way? For those who enjoy 4 seasons in their part of the country, off-season tires create just the kind of obstacle I'm talking about. 

Snow tires in the Summer, Summer tires in the Winter - One or two sets are always in the way, taking up space, and not very easy to move. So if you want to clean behind them, or get to an item that just rolled behind the stack, you have to physically move them out of the way.

The TruStack Tire Dolly is an excellent way to make those stacks mobile. Put your off-season tires onto a TruStack and move them at will for cleaning or just because you are in the mood to reorganize. And when it is time to load them up for a Winter or Spring changeover, just roll them out to your vehicle and load them up.

Will the TruStack Tire Dolly work for 55 gallon drums?

No. It is designed specifically for tires and includes a warning to that point.

Essentially, the load is designed to be carried in a circle directly over the casters, which of course is represented well by tires. Any loads concentrated between the casters or in the center of the dolly will cause the flexible deck to distort excessively and may cause a failure that could result in injury or worse. 55 gallon drums have a diameter much smaller than the caster ring and therefore they concentrate weight away from the casters. This resulted in some significant damage to the deck in extended testing.

So please enjoy using this product for its intended purpose. We are hearing some great stories out there from users who appreciate how easy it is to move displays around and for those who are simply using them to retrieve product from warehouses and showrooms.

Phew!

What a rush! 

Container #1 finally arrived, and with it, a flurry of activity, hence the gap in posts on this page. We received over 1000 units and as of today have completed inspecting every single one! We have fulfilled all pre-orders, and have completed shipments to potential distributors as well. Exciting times.

We were pleased with the overall quality of the shipment. With the unique caster arrangement on this product, we expected to experience a horror story of wheels bolted in the wrong positions. As it was, there were only five dollies with wheel anomalies and those were easily caught and corrected. 

Overall, a huge sigh of relief as we wait for containers number 2 through 5 to enter the queue.

We would love to hear from you if you own a TruStack Tire Dolly and can provide feedback and pictures as to how you are using them.

Container Number One is on its way!

Container Number One

And there she goes... Turn Left. LEFT!

Factory Trip Update

I am getting ready to fly back to the U.S. after another successful factory trip. As of today, we have completed the first container load of molded bases! Now they just need to be assembled...

One of my goals when I arrived here was to confirm that the casters ordered were the ones received. Check. The next factor that is critical is that the casters must be installed in the correct configuration. One of the really neat features of this tire dolly is the ease with which it can be steered. Check out the video of the 4 year old steering a load of tires around some cones and you will see what I mean. The reason that works is because two of the five casters are mounted parallel to each other and they are rigid, non-swivel. It just won't do to have those installed in the wrong positions! We have confirmed an assembly line setup that will make that as humanly fool-proof as possible. Check. The next thing I was concerned about is that proper torque is applied to the screws that hold those casters in place. HDPE material is soft and flexible. We could not have installers with heavy air tools twisting those screws right past design specs. We were able to specify tools that would limit this tendency and Quality Control procedures to check that the tools remain accurate. Check. Lastly, we needed to make sure we had the perimeter decal created out of durable material that could also be removed by the end user if desired. Those will be done today, alas, after I have gone home. Semi-Check.

All in all, a very good trip. We have been hoping for a delivery to the U.S. prior to the end of the year. We are still on track for that, but barely. I have been assured that all casters will be installed on the first 1250 units by next Saturday the 19th. They will be boxed and shipped immediately on completion, so if the boat is fast enough, and we clear customs in Oakland fast enough, we should be able to fulfill orders the first week of January as promised.

Going to catch a plane!

Production Update

Just a heads up for all of you who stepped up and pre-ordered TruStack Tire Dollies at the SEMA Show and afterwards. The factory has received its shipment of raw material and has begun molding the HDPE base units. We expect those to be completed by mid-week next week, and I intend to be there for quality control.

A couple other small details will be confirmed while there such as the decorative stripe around the dolly and we are working on sourcing some lash straps so they can be purchased here if so desired.

All in all, we appear to be right on track with what we communicated at the SEMA Show: Depending on Ocean Crossing times, we could have product in country in December with shipping to customers late December or first week of January.

Thank you for pre-ordering this Brand New Tool! You will be the FIRST people to receive and begin saving time and money with this product.

Pure Cheese. "Amateur" doesn't begin to describe this video. :)

Just for fun we took some pictures and video of the TruStack Tire Dolly Mascot as it walked around the show looking for people to be eaten... er,.. to be frightened. It seemed especially enamored with a particular booth that featured a greenish truck, as well as its own booth, the TruStack Tire Dolly Booth. Oh. And the Global Media Award displayed at the end? It's not for the video. Trust me.

Wyatt Steers a Tire Stack

This is an amateur video of my 4 year old Grandson controlling a whole stack of tires by himself using the superior steering characteristics of the TruStack Tire Dolly. He steers it around cones while looking pretty funny with his hat on backwards. Oh, well. He and his brother got milkshakes at In-n-Out, then I gave them back to their Mom on a sugar high!

In this amateur video, Wyatt, a 4 year old boy, easily controls a load of tires as he steers a TruStack Tire Dolly around cones. This demonstrates the value of our patent pending caster configuration and the stability of a load of tires lashed to the center anchor point.

Fun with T-Rex

We had a great time at the SEMA Show. A common sight at the show is the use of a variety of methods of gaining attention. Dressed up chickens, freebies, incredibly beautiful displays of Automotive Machinery. And a T-Rex.

First Customer! Thank you Andrei of All Star Tire in Long Beach California!

Our SEMA Debut was FANTASTIC! So many saw the value in this product so quickly that we were busy all week showing it off. We even forgot to eat! Many pre-ordered right at the show to take advantage of our special debut pricing, but Andrei Karapetian was First, and he'll always be Number One with us. Thank you Andrei and All Star Tire of Long Beach, CA.

Even Dogs love the TruStack Tire Dolly

Stability and Security Test. Check.

The only time she ever shows her teeth

New Photos!

And another beautiful shot of the bottom. Very strong design.

A view of the center anchor from the bottom

A view of the center anchor from the top along with the hand hole.

Psalm 104:3 molded into the base

3+2 Caster Configuration - These are the 3 swivel casters with brakes

3+2 Caster Configuration. These are the 2 rigid casters that provide directional stability.

Pre-Sales Coming Soon!

For those of you who want to get in early on this project, we will begin pre-orders as soon as a container load is ordered which should be within the next week. We returned from the factory with hand carried units from the first batches out of the mold, and we are very happy with the results. We have some tests to carry out this week and are likely to make 3 or 4 minor modifications to the mold, but after that it is full speed ahead!

We are testing the screws that hold the casters on, and we will test to see just how much abuse these things can take. We might not be able to break them because the are very strong. I might need to get help from my grandsons because they can break almost anything!

Backside of the molded base. These units are being paired up to hand carry out of the country

Another Tooling Update

The central core of the tool, machined and ready to go. Tooling is on schedule to be completed by the middle of this month. "First shots" to follow, then we will have the "real thing" in our hands and can begin final tests.

Tooling Update!

Here we go! At long last it appears that the production of the tooling required to mold the TruStack Tire Dolly base is proceeding smoothly. There have been several hiccups (normal) along the way as the CAD files were refined and re-refined to ensure that the finished product will be strong and correct. Here are a couple of pictures of the machining involved in creating this tool