The Drum Major - A Better Drum Trolley

This happened to Ron Mileham of Pack King (part of King Group). His original invention the Multi Purpose Drum Trolley had been selling in the same format for years. Then it was sold off along with one of his businesses – King Materials Handling.

After some time, the company that bought King Materials Handling moved on to other opportunities, so enquiries about the Multi Purpose Drum Trolley came back to Pack King. Ron found out that the MPDT was no longer being manufactured, and there were enquiries about it, so what to do?

Well, Ron decided that it was the perfect opportunity to take another look at the MPDT, to see if the original could be improved upon. The inspection showed that the following changes would be beneficial.

1. Change the main wheels for more modern, better fitting wheels. Ron found that wheels with great market appeal were few and far between, so he scoured the internet until he found cast aluminium wheels with hard rubber tyres and precision bearings, and they were available in the 200mm and 250mm sizes that the trolley needed.
2. Change the brake pin system. The new wheels meant that less work was required to enable the brake pin to lock. Just a change to the size of the brake pin holder was all that was required.
3. Take a look at the brake lever on the handle. Originally fabricated from various parts welded together then zinc plated. There had to be a better looking product around. This led to bicycle gear changers, but they were exactly what they looked like, and Ron was looking to upgrade this trolley, so he designed a plastic housing, with friction plate and lever that closed around the cross handle. The new design enabled the product name, company web address and other details to be embedded in the fascia, and due to the small number required, lent itself to 3D printing.
4. Move the smaller inboard wheels that enable a drum to rotate when horizontal (the drum stand product decanting position) higher to prevent drums with rim clamps from fouling the frame. A rare instance, but when you get the chance to improve something, you might as well do it.

Everything else was able to be kept as was, as they weren't broken. It's important to note that King have never had a claim against the frame for the past twenty years. It is overbuilt, but obviously worth it. The MPDT has been shipped to many countries  – even China.

Along with the changes came a new name. The Multi Purpose Drum Trolley is certainly descriptive, and most purchasers knew exactly what it did to earn its name, but now it is being re-launched with a new name – The DRUM MAJOR.

All previous re-sellers are invited to make contact with Pack King if they wish to sell the Drum Major. Pack King will continue to sell the trolley only at the rrp, and one major Distributor - Cooldrive has already signed on, ordering 10 units from the first batch and another 10 units in November.

The same build quality will be offered, along with the same zinc plated finish and black / silver colour scheme. Each trolley is numbered for tracing and warranty purposes. Warranty is one year except for wear parts.