At a recent contest, we witnessed a program with a trailer that had no ramp or lift system at all, and students and parents were expected to hoist EVERY piece of equipment (speaker carts, sound cart, marimbas, etc.) several feet off the ground into the back of the trailer. We have seen that horror story of the freshman percussionist accidentally rolling a timpani off the back of a box truck, and heard the awful, gut-wrenching, ruin-your-day sound of the crash. The potential for injury as well as potential for damage to the equipment hardly seems worth the risk when there are reasonably-priced options available.   

Ramps come in a variety of configurations, but there are three important considerations: Weight, capacity and ease of use. Ramps that are too heavy or awkward are a strain on your students and parents. Ramps that are too steep create their own set of challenges: They are too hard to push equipment up them or they drag the foot pedals and resonators. Ramps that cannot accommodate the capacity flex like crazy when something heavy is speeding downhill. Undersized or inappropriately-sized ramps have to be spread apart to accommodate a marimba or pieces of a prop frame, creating a step hazard between two side-by-side ramps, leading to skinned shins and twisted ankles.