For the last two years, we have been developing our new monster heavy duty stage, Topdeck Premier. In April we were proud to launch the pre-production prototype at The PLASA Focus tradeshow in Leeds.
Topdeck Premier is the latest step along the route to our strategy to manufacture a complete range of stages that link into virtually any requirement. We do not want to try and sell you a stage that will nearly do, for the simple reason it is the only one we make. We want to be able to support your performance with a platform that is closely matched to your needs.
However, enough of the sales speak, now for the tech speak. An 8ft x 4ft Topdeck Premier derives it’s strength because every structural element combines to create a homogeneous whole. There is a 21mm thick birch faced plywood top chemically bonded to the heavy duty 125mm extruded aluminium side beams. The bonding process ensures that both components act together in terms of contributing to the overall strength, and not apart, as is the case for tops that are simply fixed into place with wood screws. Then there is the sub structure, which is the most substantial Topdeck have ever manufactured. This adds up to a deck that will safely support in excess of two tons (7.5Kilo Newtons per square metre), and yet weighs less than 55Kg, allowing it to be handled by just two technicians.
What else does Topdeck Premier offer?
Firstly, the leg-lock system that enables a section of Topdeck Cameo to be quickly and easily installed in just a few seconds, has been upgraded to be suitable for Premier and allow our new stage to benefit from the same system.
Secondly, the custom keyway, developed for Topdeck back in 1992, that accepts the head of a 10mm hexagon bolt and makes it possible to fix all sorts of accessories to the perimeter of the current Cameo decks has not only been replicated in the Premier extrusion, but duplicated with a further keyway on the base of the main beam, to supply many further opportunities for bracing, fascias, extra strong guard rails and anything else yet to be imagined.
What is this going to cost?
An 8ft x 4ft Premier with a natural plywood top will have a list price of just £369.00. Because an 8ft x 4ft stage covers 2.97 square metres, the cost of Premier is less than £124.00 per square metre, which if you pause to think about it, is a price that competes even with stages that have much less load capacity.
What will Premier be useful for?
Clearly with a size of 8ftx4ft and a weight of 55Kgs Premier is not a stage for everybody. However, here a few examples where the extreme strength of Premier may come in useful. If you are trying to support a full sized concert three legged grand piano at 590Kg, where the pressure on each castor can be around 200Kg into quite a small area, the 21mm plywood top of the Premier deck is certainly to be considered.
If you are a student Union, wanting to stage bands complete with heavy ground support systems that may be holding up tons of trussing, Premier is a solution that does not have the health and safety complications that are part and parcel of handling steel stages.
If you are spanning wide spaces, such as an orchestra pit, take a look at Premier, it may hold the key to the challenge.
In short, Premier is a valuable addition to the Topdeck range. It extends our offering into the territory of Ultra heavy duty staging. We now span from our lightweight Debut platforms, through the medium to heavy duty Cameo decks to the ultimate – Premier. And rest assured, there will be more! So onwards and upwards…