Transporting a Dumont RA-113

[IsthmusTV]

Hi all,

I have agreed to buy a nice Dumont RA-113 "Burlingame" which is located about 100 miles away. I was hoping that I could lay the set face down with its doors shut on a heavy blanket without removing any of the innards. But I just read Phil Nelson's excellent article on his RA-113 and now I'm not so sure. Could I remove just the chassis and leave the CRT and yoke/focus assembly installed? I'm transporting in a Subaru Outback wagon so there isn't a lot of space.

Also, anyone know about how much these things weigh? The seller thinks about 150 lbs. I'm starting to wonder what I got myself into...

Thanks,

Clark

[Kevin Kuehn]

Hi Clark,

I picked up one of these back in October of 2011. Was a freebee, but missing one of the front doors. CRT is shot, generally has seen a hard life. 150lbs sounds about correct. I'd think hauling on it's face would be fine once you verify everything is securely mounted to the cabinet. The CRT fits in a bezel to the front of the cabinet, so it should not be able to move much once the set is on its face. Pulling the chassis is fairly simple, if only to lighten the load. The chassis is mounted to a piece of plywood that slides vertically into a track in the cabinet.

[Phil Nelson]

The chassis is mounted on a sturdy board that slides into slot in the cabinet wall. I wouldn't be too worried about the chassis flopping around or causing havoc while the set lies on its face. It's worth reaching in to make sure the tubes are securely seated.

The bell of the CRT is its heaviest part; that would be lying against the curved bezel on the front of the cabinet. Not the worst way for that piece to travel.

The yoke is suspended from the top of the cabinet with a bracket. If the set is on its face, that somewhat heavy piece will be hanging in a direction they never intended. If it was loose for some reason, there might be some danger of it working sideways and putting force on the fragile CRT neck. Before I moved the set face down, I'd at least reach up and feel that thing to make sure it's securely mounted without a lot of wiggle room.

I'd remove the knobs if you transport it face down. No reason not to.

My biggest concern would be the combined weight of everything mashing down on the front of the cabinet, which wasn't intended to support the TV's full weight. I have transported heavy TVs face down without problems. Each one's a little different. I would definitely remove the two knobs from the front doors before trying this.

An Outback wagon seems like a tight fit. I don't think I could get one in and out of an Outback without two helpers: one guy in the back and one on each side in the front (reaching through the back doors) to provide lift on the corners while you slide it in.

I doubt it weighs more than 150 pounds. We just moved my CT-100, which the manufacturer gives as 175 pounds. That TV feels quite a bit heavier than the RA-113.

One option would be to remove the CRT and yoke and put them in the front seat. But the whole thing might ride OK face down if everything's secure and you avoid potholes.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[old_coot88]

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

...One option would be to remove the CRT and yoke and put them in the front seat.

Just want to be xtra careful going thru intersections. Don't wanta get T-boned with that CRT next to you.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Yeah, any CRT transported lose should be restrained and wrapped in a heavy blanket to help contain glass shards.

[IsthmusTV]

Thanks everyone for the excellent input. I think a tight fit may be an understatement. I'm going to measure to make sure that I have adequate width in the cargo area to accommodate the cabinet laying face down. The Riders lists the width at 26 and 3/4" so I think I should be OK. Does that sound accurate? And of course I'll have the rear seats folded down to accommodate the height of the cabinet.

Removing the CRT makes me nervous, so unless there's a sign of something loose, I'm going to leave it in.

Thanks again,

Clark

[ggregg]

I think I'd be more afraid of scratching up the doors more than anything else. It's really easy to slide the chassis out so might as well do that.

[Username1]

I moved several console tv's in my pickup, face down on a single mattress, not the box spring. It allows lots of spring, none of the harsh ride makes it to the tube. You could put it in your car, then double up a couple of lawn chair mats so you have a few inches of fluffy-ness under the ends of the cabinet, no force on the tube or glass face. I think you'll be ok.

The only trouble you would ever have is if there is some loose item inside the crt, then it messes up yer phosphorous if its riding face down.... B&W sets only.

[IsthmusTV]

More good suggestions. I don't have a mattress that I could use, but I do have lawn chair mats and some dense foam kneeling pads that I can use. I will definitely remove the chassis to lighten the load. I'll probably make the run this weekend. I'll report on how things go.

[IsthmusTV]

After a 240 mile round trip to Kenosha, the RA-113 is safely home. Everything worked out smoothly with the transport. As planned, I pulled the chassis and put in on the front seat and lay the rest face down on blankets and other padding in the cargo area. Here a are few photos. I paid $55.

[IsthmusTV]

I was surprised to see that it has a 17AP4 and not a 17BP4 since it has a later serial number. The base of the CRT is broken and loose. I feared the worse, but it woke right up at 6V after 15 minutes! It's got great cutoff control and a good life test, too! The back has no dimple since none is needed for the shorter tube. The chassis looks pretty unmolested. I'll need to find a new base for the CRT.

[IsthmusTV]

Finally, here are a couple of shots after I did some initial cleaning and put it back together. The knobs are all there and cleaned up nicely. The decals are in good shape, too.

I'll start a new thread when I start restoring this set. It probably won't be until fall sometime. I'm psyched to have my first DuMont!

Thanks again for the advice,

Clark

[zenith2134]

Lookin' very good! Best of luck with the resto

[kvflyer]

That's very nice looking, clean and all there. Not hacked up by some butcher in the past. For the broken Bakelite base on the picture tube, you could possibly get one from another dud tube or maybe from an old picture brightener, swap it over. Just a thought. Hope you continue with the restoration...

[holmesuser01]

I have that same set in mahogany. I'm barely underway with my restoration. There's plenty of room to work in there.