I have the powered forklift. I have the regular Escalera lift plate, as well as the pin plate sold by Flip n'out. I use both plates but the regular plate is more for non pin related uses or when I lift the pin from the side to install/remove legs. The pin plate is great but keep in mind for newer/heavier widebody games (Wms Superpins, JJP) it doesn't reach quite far enough under to make the pin feel "secure" when you lift it. I popped the speaker plate on the bottom cabinet by lifting my STTNG with the pin plate. Puts a LOT of pressure on the cab bottom (bend). I now use a 1X3 piece of wood at the end of the plate to put the pressure points on the cab sides instead of the bottom. STTNG and Woz still want to tip back so you need to push down on the lock bar to keep them stable. The whole lift wants to tip forward too. With the head folded down it's a bit better.

Nothing bad will happen as long as you are aware of the weight distribution and compensate accordingly.

Biggest issue with the powered version is disconnecting the power before separating the lift from the dolly. Also kind of a PITA.

Yes. It's a PITA for me but totally worth it. So I use the forklift to unload the game. Separate the forklift. Haul the game inside and into the basement with just the dolly part. Bring the dolly back upstairs and into the garage to re-attach the forklift. Go back downstairs with the forklift in order to lift the game and set it up.

The forklift and dolly weigh about 200lbs together. The dolly is light (aluminum). The forklift is all steel, super heavy, and not really moveable if it's not attached to the dolly. While you can use the stair climbing function with the forklift attached it does create an issue for tight corners, but more importantly you have all that extra weight in addition to the game that's trying to pull the dolly forward and down the stairs (and you with it).

Yeah I should have specified you can sort of roll it short distances but it's inconvenient compared to when attached to the dolly. Let's just say I wouldn't move the forklift by itself on a nice floor.

Mine is only a year old so no battery issue yet but I may look into going with lipo batteries next. Already have all the special charging equipment from my RC days.... Lighter, more storage capacity... just needs a proper cutoff which would be the disadvantage. Full power until it stops completely, wherever that is lol..

Escalera does sell brakes that will stop the dolly at the right spot while preventing it from going over the edge. The kit is expensive. They call it the "Step Edge Detection System". Part# SED-1. It's 360$.

I considered ordering it but after some experience with it I'm not really worried anymore. The only time I missed a step was the first time I used it. The last 2 steps went by themselves with the dolly just bouncing of the steps. Thank goodness it didn't happen at the top cause there was no way I could stop it I was barely hanging on for the ride.. Not a pleasant experience. I was tilting the dolly too far back and that's why that happened. It was my NIB JPLE..

As has been mentioned above the biggest "challenge" is the weight shift. Regular weighted pinballs aren't much of a problem. Because it's crazy heavy, I did find WOZ challenging and had a spotter there to help with the weight shift. Otherwise I move my machines alone up and down the stairs.

I never move anything without it. The installed plate is just too small. For me.

Keep in mind those batteries (sealed lead acid) do NOT take kindly to getting completely drained. Same as a car battery. Once you overdrain it it'll never fully take a charge or last as long. You've definitely shortened the life of it but just make sure you charge it every time you use it.

If anything like dirt bikes, they stretch over time, hence the need to replace once in a while.

TBH even without the wood crossings it's not really effective because of the size of the pallet. The forks aren't long enough and the pallet will want to tip. I always take off the pallet to move the boxes and I use the lift plate (not the pinball plate - just the regular escalera lift plate).

Escalera sells edge brakes which may be useful in your case. Basically the dolly can't roll off the edge. Expensive though. look at their website for more info. I'm sure wherever you get your dolly from can order the brakes for you.

http://www.staircat.com/prices/index.htm

It's called Step Edge Detection system. SED-1.

I don’t think you understand how it works. Those little feet are what gets you up and down the steps and can’t be used as brakes at that particular time.

Yes they will.

I am saying you can't use them as brakes when you are going up or down stairs. It's the lifters that make it happen. They cycle round and round. Come over to my house and I'll show you!

If you go with the removable forklift version it's only available in 66". I've used the forklift way more than the stair climbing capability.

180deg turn may be complicated depending if you have enough room to pivot the machine/dolly. The dolly is no bigger than a regular one so if you can make the turn with a regular dolly you will be ok with the escalera.

Pin_Fandango

If you're curious about the attachments I have most and you can come over to see/try. Electric forklift, big wheels, big toe plate, lift plate, and pinball plate.

Reminds me of my first time down the stairs. Had a still in the box NIB on the dolly. Last 3 steps were out-of-control just bouncing down. Scary and glad it was only 3 steps. I didn't get airborne though as once the box hit the floor things just stopped. No damage but made me be more vigilant with how much slant I have on the dolly in the stairs. I had it leaned back a lot to prevent the weight shift forward. Unfortunately I had it back too much which is why the wheels just skipped down the stairs.

I am about to order the edge brakes. Had another issue this week where they would have been extremely useful.

First things first. Your battery is dead. I don't think you have the current smart charger that comes with the escalera now, which can sometimes save over discharged batteries. However at 9.5v it's too late.

You need to replace the battery (and make sure your charger is OK). With a fully charged battery you can then proceed to sort out other issues.

Just remember these lead-acid (gel) batteries need to be charged every time you use the dolly. They do not do well if they get over discharged or are left sitting at a lower voltage than fully charged.

The charger is pretty good I've used it to "rescue" other batteries. It certainly doesn't have to be this specific one.

When I shopped for a 2022 Tucson in June I brought the measuring tape since I know the model changed this year. Wanted to make sure it could fit a folded pin. Fits no problem according to my measurements. However getting the car is a whole other problem. At first they said "it's on the ship you'll have it in Aug". Then of course a few weeks ago they went "Oh no it's not built yet. You SHOULD get it in Nov". Uggh.

Best investment ever for me.

It’s all on their website. Flipnoutpinball.com

I’ve lifted my WOZ with the plate. About same weight. If the head is up then the machine will want to tip back so be prepared.

I put a solid wood board at the tip of the plate so it doesn’t put all the pressure on the bottom of the cab near the speaker. With the board it lifts from the bottom of the sides.

On my STTNG it popped the cabinet speaker spacer. This is why I spread the load on the cab sides now.

The Wesco may be twice the $$$$ but it’s also almost just half the capacity. How is this sturdier??.

FWIW I have gone up and down curved stairs with an Escalera. Helped my buddy move a washer dryer in/out of his house.

I was getting both feet to grab. Obviously one was close to the edge but still solid. Have you actually tried it(with something lighter than a pin for testing)?

Oh and yes it needs to be almost vertical. A buddy on the low side to support really helps.

Both. Front is on plywood, back rests on bottom. I use a piece if 1x3 at the end of the plate (once slid under) to distribute the weight on the plywood sides. I did pop a cab speaker mounting plate off the board once due to the pressure applied on the bottom. Used 1x3 since then. It was a STTNG.

I have the one with the removeable lift attachment so mine is 66”.

I have pretty much all the attachments including the electric forklift. I’d say the order of usefulness is as follows (for me anyway):
Additional retractable Straps (2)
Forklift
Big Wheel
Step edge detection
Pinball plate (for forklift)
Large toeplate
Regular lift plate(forklift)

I have had a few incidents where the dolly bounced through a few steps out of control. The step edge brake is so awesome but so stupidly expensive. However in the end I decided a few hundred for that was better than thousands in damage to either the house/stairs/game if I lose control on the steps.

I am amazed how well it works TBH.

What beelzeboob said ^^^^^^^^

I still get an occasional 1-step slippage but it's rare. I move all my games in/out by myself with no spotter. I will get a spotter for my P3 when it arrives however since it's well over 400lbs.

I did splurge on the "Step-edge-detection" (SED) system. My back is problematic, and it just gives me that extra safety factor when moving the games.

I have the removable forklift version and although more expensive, I've used the forklift feature almost as much as the stair climbing feature. I use the forklift to set up/break down my games (getting the legs on), moving them in/out of their spot with the pinball plate, as well as lifting my ATV, lawn mower, snow blower, etc, up to eye height to work on them (Forks can lift 1200 lbs).

Yes and I love it on mine. Also helps with avoiding slippage back down on the way up the stairs.

Big wheels are awesome. I use them all the time to jump door sills but also just moving the machine around. It makes the dolly sit at 45 degrees and no weight to carry at all while moving games.

You can’t use the stair climbing function with the big wheels. You should be able to just tilt back into the house with the weight on the big wheels.

Could you live without it? Sure. I've had a few instances where without it I had 1-2 step skip/bounce. Happens when you land too close to the edge and the dolly drops to the next step down. It can start a chain reaction where you would bounce every step down until you hit the floor. Not a fun feeling as your are in for the ride. This is a risk every time you move something excessively heavy (think JJP, P3, etc) as you lean the dolly slightly further back to avoid getting pulled over on the way down. The increased angle puts the wheels really close to the edge as you do down.

Luckily in my case it was always at the bottom of the stairs. With the SED system this skipping has never happened. It's just a level of added safety especially if you always move your games alone like I do.

I recommend it if the price is acceptable to you.

It makes the frame as wide as the toe plate. The top of both sides has a metal toggle that you pull back with your foot to engage the system.

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It is not hard at all I did it a few years ago.

Been thinking about it. You'd likely need a high discharge rate battery/batteries. You'd also need a voltage based cut-off circuit. LIPOs tend to explode/catch fire when over-discharged.

Meh. It’s only $1kUSD for a 12V battery…

It doesn’t really matter. The battery is lead acid. This means you MUST charge it every time you use it otherwise it’ll die very quickly and not hold a charge anymore.

Also, by being lead acid, if you drain it fully you basically kill the battery. It’ll never hold a full charge.