I've been contemplating buying one of those Topside creepers advertised in Micromark. Anybody own one? If so what do you think pro's and con's. I've seen them advertised in the 4x4 and mechanic's tools sites advertised as truck creepers. Some are way cheaper then Micormark but after looking into them there is a good reason why, made in China says it all.
Allegheny2-6-6-6 I've been contemplating buying one of those Topside creepers advertised in Micromark. Anybody own one? If so what do you think pro's and con's. I've seen them advertised in the 4x4 and mechanic's tools sites advertised as truck creepers. Some are way cheaper then Micormark but after looking into them there is a good reason why, made in China says it all.
The NWR has one, it's a nice thing to have picnch hit, but there are flaws
It doesn't fold up real tight real clearly. If ypur good with the Transformers toys, you can get it flat. then all you have is a wheeled monstrosity taking up a wide footpint, like a carpet.
One problem we ran into, is that there's not a lot of room betwwn the top and our lighting valence, which we didn't think was all that low. If your lights are low, or you have a light block, watch your back.
ALso, there is a bar for support, that sits right near one of the steps. I;ve almost shot the thing out from under me once, cause I was on a slick metal bar and not the traction step. Though that was more user error. Still though, watch ypur step.
So really, the only issue is clearence. if you have room under your layout for it to fold under, and a need, I highly reccomend investing in one.
-Morgan
Allegheny2-6-6-6 Some are way cheaper then Micormark but after looking into them there is a good reason why, made in China says it all.
...And where is MicroMark's made?
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Do a Google search for Topside Creeper. You will get a lot of hits.
I will not post the results here.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
In Van Buren, AR. USA http://www.relstapleton.com/ I verified it with both Micromark and REL Stapleton but unfortunately they do not sell retail.
I swear by mine. I originally bought it for a section of my layout that was very hard to get to, and I needed to re-scenic. I can't tell you how many times I've used it since.
Sturdier than all get-out (and I'm not a lightweight!). Okay, it's not THAT collapsable, and it does take up a fairly good footprint in my garage (but not as big as I was afraid it would), but I can't tell you how many times I UN-collapse it to use it for working on the layout.
Not only that, but I've become a pretty popular neighbor by loaning it out to people who use it to get into their truck and SUV engines. So between myhard-to-reach tall mountains and their hard-to-reach big auto engines, it's seen a lot of use.
And no, it's not made in China. It's good old USofA sturdy. Mine went together in about twenty minutes, and we're talking Mechanically Challenged here, folks.
Love it. Worth every single penny I payed to Micromark for it.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Have had one for a couple of years, and while they can be a pain to stow, mine does go under a section of my layout very nicely. I have a couple of areas on the top deck in the Oklahoma City area that can be hard to reach, the topside gives me access. The acid test was last summer when a racoon got in the basement and knocked some stuff around that was hard to reach. The topside made it much easier, (after the coon was trapped and hauled off).
Bob
I do not own one but have from time to time used one that a friend bought. It works as advertised in that it does indeed give you considerable access to portions of the layout that would otherwise be impossible or difficult to reach. Whether you should even have such portions of a layout is the bigger issue. In this case the "fault" was partly that of an over enthused custom layout builder following the instructions of a somewhat impractical owner. Nobody asked the guys who actually ran the trains and cleaned the track.
Speaking personally, I found it intensely uncomfortable to lie (lay?) flat on my chest for long periods. I felt like it was getting increasingly difficult to breath. Now I am thin and do not have the kind of "padding" on the ribcage that some guys have (although heavens knows I'm working on it! just a few more of these jelly donuts ....) so maybe this is not a shared problem. In addition after a long period it seemed almost like it would be better if my knees bent frontwords, like an ostrich.
Dave Nelson
I built one similar to the MIcroMark unit, but using 1x3 oak and plywood for gussets. I built mine with padding on top and the front where I rest my chest. I also made it adjustable for two heights, although I only use the fully extended version. I find it very helpful to work on areas that can't be reached otherwise. It is a storage problem and I am thinking of cutting the unit in half and hinging it so it will fit under the layout. I spent about $50 to build mine; a well worth investment.
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Greetings,
I have one too. my wife bought it for me. :-) I have liked using it but as my train room is 10x 16 it gets tight in there when I have it out. When it is stored away It fits fully under a town sectio of the layout.
The biggest draw back i have found is that if I spend too much time laying on the pad my chest starts to hurt. So, I just limit my time on it. My son like to sit on the pad so he can watch me as I work on the layout.
Christopher
Thanks for the responses, I discovered the need for it after an engineering revelation came to light that none of my so call model railroading expert friends of mine knew. Before I built the new layout all I got was flack form all the guys how my bench work was too low and how the maximum width should be no more then 26" bla bla bla. Well i have a few sections that exceed 30" but the track work is closer to the outer edge so I figured no biggie. Well non of the rocket scientist bothered to mention that the higher up you go with the bench work the shorter your reach becomes..........lol duh. So this painting step ladder we have just ain't cutting it. It leave dent in my shins for days after leaning on the thing when working on deeper sections. I visited a railroad that had a step up section around the entire layout that folded up when not needed or in use.When the owner/layout builder showed me how an operator gets an entirely clearer perspective when standing a foot or so up off the floor.
So I can see the extra value it has when you say about using it for an operating session. I think there will be one residing here in the train room very soon.
would you mind sending up a picture of yours that you built? Thanks.
The St. Francis Consolidated Railroad of the Colorado Rockies
Denver, Colorado