How to best transport folding chairs
A question we get asked a lot is how to best transport and store our folding chairs. New party rental companies and event venues constantly battle with how to move around hundreds of chairs for an event. They then battle with storing those chairs in between events.
Fortunately, here at EventStable.com we have several options for you to choose from. Generally speaking, folding chairs stack more or less the same way - horizontally on top of one another. For the purposes of this article, we’ll assume that you are using either wood or resin folding chairs that stack 25 chairs high, or our plastic folding chairs that stack about 50 chairs high.
One thing to mention is that either of those styles of chairs can be stacked higher for storage purposes, but we’ve found that 25 and 50 are good numbers both for ease of transport and counting.
We’ll touch on a few of the different ways our chairs can be easily transported and stored, as well as give some pros and cons from our experience in the party rental business.
Folding Chair Carts
Our folding chair carts are perhaps the most basic way to get into chair transport. They work with plastic, wood and resin folding chairs. The cart features 4 small, flat-free casters under a tray for the chairs, with a handle to push them around. We recommend the use of an endless loop strap to safely secure the chairs to the cart during transport.
Each cart holds 1 stack of chairs - about 25 wood folding chairs or 50 plastic folding chairs. The chairs are loaded by hand onto the cart, and then can be secured with a strap. Some of our customers will keep enough carts on hand to handle all of their chairs - in other words 1 cart for every 25 or 50 chairs. This makes it easy to transport all the chairs quickly, but also takes up a little bit more space.
- Cost-effective solution when using only a few carts
- Keeping all chairs on carts allows for quick and easy movement
- Good solution for hotels or indoor event venues
- Can move chairs with one hand without falling over
- Wheels don’t work well on gravel or grass
- Can be expensive to buy carts for all your chairs
- Difficult to get on a truck - not appropriate for party rental companies
“Multi-Mover” or similar large cart
An interesting transportation solution is the use of one of our Mulit-Mover carts. These beasts can move a stack of with little effort over just about any surface, so they’re perfect for rough terrain and getting your wedding chairs out to the ceremony site. Because of the heavy-duty design, they’re also great for moving other bulky objects like folding tables, racks of dishes and glassware, or tent tops. The 4 wheel design when rocked back means stability and makes these carts great for moving heavy equipment over a long distance.
Folding chairs can be stacked on the platform individually and then moved, or an entire stack can be strapped together and rocked onto the cart platform. That makes these carts great for party rental companies who might have to deliver chairs a long way from where the truck can get in, or for event venues who have a picturesque event site that is a hike from where they store the chairs.
- Best option for moving chairs a long distance over uneven or difficult terrain
- Great for heavy loads, like a stack of 50 plastic folding chairs which weigh upwards of 400 lbs
- Cart can also be used for other heavy loads - not just chairs - so it will be useful all over the place
- Wheels spaced for easy movement up the ramp of a truck
- Might be bulky if chairs aren’t being moved very far
- Expensive
- Chairs have to be individually loaded onto the platform, taking time
- Difficult to use with a lift-gate
“Mantis” or similar chair dolly
A cool new development in the world of chair dollies has come with the Mantis chair mover. Similar to the Multi-Mover because of the second set of wheels the dolly rocks back on, the Mantis cart differs with a set of two “forks” to scoop up a stack of chairs. Chairs do need to be outfitted either with special plastic pallets, or wood pallets can be fabricated inexpensively. The chairs are stacked on top of a pallet, strapped with an endless loop strap, and scooped up quickly by the Mantis cart and hauled away. When all the chairs are on pallets there is no quicker method to move a large amount of chairs with just one cart. The Mantis is also great for uneven terrain like grass or gravel, and can even be maneuvered to go up or down stairs.
About the chair pallet: a pallet needs to be used under the chairs to allow the metal prongs to slide underneath. Some of our customers have made their own pallets. We also offer a metal pallet with casters for the best of both worlds in equipment transport - easy to move a stack of chairs indoors and when it comes time to go outside, break out the Mantis!
- Ease and convenience of moving chairs quickly
- Long distances and uneven terrain are no problem
- Use with a pallet for other bulky equipment as well to spread out the cost
- Couple with the Mantis Chair Pallet for the ultimate indoor/outdoor chair transportation solution
- Wheels spaced to use with most truck ramps
- Easy to use if your truck has a lift-gate
- Significant upfront cost
- Requires a pallet for proper use
Overall, here are the most important elements to consider:
- Are you moving your chairs indoors only, inside to outside, or on a truck?
- How much is time a factor?
- What kind of surface will you typically be moving over?
We hope this will help when choosing how to best move your folding chairs around. If you’re still in doubt, give us a call to help with your specific situation.
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