Moving single bosses?

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
We have a strong trolley for moving bosses several at a time. It is heavy, and for late comers setting out one extra boss, it can be hard work for the older members.
We did use a sack truck at one time, but its small wheels made it difficult to keep moving over soft or lumpy ground and the handles were short making them difficult to get a good grip on when pushing or pulling.
I was wondering if any clubs had come up with a better idea than that.
Cheers
 

Berk

New member
Our bosses are all on their own set of wheels, so no help from here, at my last club I think it was just a heavy duty sack truck.
 

Berk

New member
They aren't. On the field we use foam bosses built on to a metal trolley base with a wooden frame and wooden struts.

These aren't the best pics to show the frames as they weren't the focus of the shots, but they might give you an idea of our set-up.




The little caster sometimes gets clogged if the grass has recently been cut and it's wet, but they can be lifted by the handle and moved that way.
 

Berk

New member
No worries. They are big heavy beasts, but they move well and are handleable by most of the club. They were made up by club members, most have some lorry tarp that gets thrown over the target so target faces can be left on and stay dry, and they all have some old conveyor belt as a skirt to catch arrows that go low and protect them from the metal trolley. There are two designated as longbow bosses (first picture, lots of damage to the wooden frame), these don't have a metal bar between the wheels to reduce the amount of metal you can hit with wooden arrows.

Of course, occasionally the wheel gets in the way of the green...



The field captain wasn't best pleased when I showed him this image, as that was the replacement wheel for one I broke (mostly through old age) a few weeks before. :D

Indoors we have straw bosses and a mix of A-frames and three legged stands that get manhandled inside from the storage container.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Cheers again. Big wheels do help.
In the " good old days" two of us would assemble a boss on a tripod stand and carry it to the shooting line. That is out of the question for me now and most of the rest of the club where I shoot. New straw bosses seem much heavier than the old ones I carried that way. Perhaps the solid foam type bosses would be useful for late comers to put out after the trolley has served its proper purpose.
 

Corax67

Well-known member
It's the big trolley for us too - I've given it a fair bit of thought but I cannot see a way around it. Our straw bosses could be set up single-handed but there is a lot of opportunity for possible injury. No way our foam bosses are going anywhere single handed :(



Karl
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi Karl, Thanks for that. Our big trolley fills the spare floor space in our shed. If a couple want to set up they have to draw it out before they can do anything else and it has to be put away afterwards.
The foam bosses I am considering are the single block types not the layers with wooden frames. The blocks can have a lead attached and kids can be dragged round on them to help swell club funds.Toddlers even, so long as they wear safety gear.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi Karl, Thanks for that. Our big trolley fills the spare floor space in our shed. If a couple want to set up they have to draw it out before they can do anything else and it has to be put away afterwards.
The foam bosses I am considering are the single block types not the layers with wooden frames. The blocks can have a lead attached and kids can be dragged round on them to help swell club funds.Toddlers even, so long as they wear safety gear.
 

Corax67

Well-known member
Your shed sounds identical to ours :)

Our foamies are the 9 block variety in a 4-legged top hinged wooden frame - rope handles on the frame sides make them manageable but not easy by any stretch. Luckily we only have two due to very low numbers of compound archers, although our numbers quadrupled this year : from one to four :)

Like the idea of big bouncy wheels - something else to shoot at really - but our shooting line is a fair distance from our storage units so we load the trolley to the gunwales and haul away like crazed pack mules. Good aerobic exercise at least.




Karl
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi Karl. WE have a couple of bosses for indoors that are the Danage type. Not easy to carry in a wind and too big really for the archers I am thinking of.
We have a block for compounds that is smaller and easy to carry. Now have to try to explain how a compound boss might help recurve archers who arrive late; or just a small group not needing or wanting to lug the trolley.
 

chrisgas

Supporter
Supporter
Wouldn't it be nice if you could have the majority of bosses permanently in place? Or is setting up the best part of the bonding element? haha.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Permanently set up would be great! Not possible on our shared field.
There is a lot to be said in favour of getting a team to get lots of bosses out as a team building exercise. I feel all members should feel useful to the club in some way or other. I don't mean " used " by the club... but useful and valued. I think that can give all members a chance to feel wanted when they are having a struggle with their shooting. Not all archers are driven to shoot; and those who turn up on a less regular basis often need more than just an opportunity to shoot.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Permanently set up would be great! Not possible on our shared field.
There is a lot to be said in favour of getting a team to get lots of bosses out as a team building exercise. I feel all members should feel useful to the club in some way or other. I don't mean " used " by the club... but useful and valued. I think that can give all members a chance to feel wanted when they are having a struggle with their shooting. Not all archers are driven to shoot; and those who turn up on a less regular basis often need more than just an opportunity to shoot.
 

Berk

New member
You'd still need to move the bosses up and down the field, most rounds are shot over two distances with some being shot over three or four.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
That is true, but by the time the bosses need to be moved, there are usually enough people around to share the work. Also carrying a boss that is already on its stand is much easier than setting it up on its stand after a long haul from the shed.
 

Berk

New member
I guess a shared field with a shed for your equipment would make our solution unviable for you. It works for us as the bosses get taken to the edge of the field when not being used, with a cover to protect them from the worst of the elements.

The only thing I can really think of is to get someone handy with tools to convert a standard sack truck with some bigger pneumatic tyres and longer handles to cope with the field, or if you have anyone with a metalwork shop see if they would make a custom sack truck if materials were provided.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Cheers,Berk.
I had thought something along those lines, but wondered if someone might have such a modded vehicle to help with a conversion design.
I have imagined bigger wider wheel and longer handles. That might work, but in practice I wonder what the downsides are. Bigger wheels need to be spaced so the boss doesn't rub on them, for example. Also storage needs considering.
Hey ho!
 
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