How is taking the legs off going to make it fit through narrow doors?

If the legs won't fit then the head DEFINITELY won't fit.

Signed: guy with narrow basement doors.

How wide is your doorway? If it's 30" you're probably okay.

Are your other 3 pins in the basement? How did you get them there?

Personally, I wouldn't expect the delivery guys to wait around, nor even to help me move a game into a basement period. If you have pins and a basement, buy your own appliance dolly. You can get a decent one with stair treads for about $100. Do you have friends or neighbors that you could ask for help?

Do u have a power drill? I can take legs off a machine in minutes.

I have this same issue. Typically, I have found moving with legs on is easier (without legs, it becomes much harder to take a break and rest). Also, I have 30 inch doors, but remove the doors every time for moving (popping the pins out of the hinges works best for me).

Just had my house custom built. Really kicking myself for the 30 inch doors and curved basement staircase.

I think that could be kind of easily done.

1. Fold the head down secure it to the cab with a strap, take legs off, lay on a blanket.
2. Drag to top of the stairs with the head pointing towards the stairs. Seeing how the stairs are carpeted with someone at the bottom of the pin, should be able to drag it so gravity will carry the wait of the head and angle it down the stairs.
3. Control its descent down the stairs. Get it to the bottom, stand it on its end, rotate and slide dolly underneath it wheel into position. Put the legs back on, you're in business.

This is of course if there's enough clearance at the bottom of the stairs to stand it upright. I would most definetly not try to move it with the legs on.

This is exaclty how I move my pins to the basement. I had to take the door off the hindges for my T2, but that takes all of 5 seconds to do with a hammer and small screwdriver.

I have it harder than that. I have a full turn landing and the top doorway butts up to a hallway wall. I have to take legs and heads off all my games to get them down, and there is no room at the landing for a dolly to fit.

Did anyone else think the last picture kid_ego posted (post #7) was going to be something else? I slowly scrolled down and only saw the top of the picture at first. The man cave sign was kind of fitting. Man my head must be in a bad spot.

I had a similar setup,
Just remember that doors come off, hinges come off, that little strip inside the door frame also comes off without too much difficulty. If you use a paint scraper or such to carefully pry it off, you can often put it right back on later using the same nails and holes. That railing can come off, etc.

Good luck getting it down!!!

To answer your original question, no I don't think your movers are going to deal with that. Too much time, energy and risk of damage.

I have a walk-in basement with a small incline. I usually tip them $20 to set the machine close to where I want it. They seem appreciative, but it's easy and only an additional 30 feet.

It looks like the clearance to the wall at the bottom of the stairs might make it tough to turn. My setup is similar, but I have 90* turn at the top as well. I had to lift the machine over the half wall like you have to make the turn at the bottom.

I found a pretty unique solution.. I have full crank windows in my basement. I bought a high lift cart that gets to window height for about 300. I bought a convertible hand truck that I lay down outside. I crank the machine up to window height, and slide it off moving blankets and onto the hand truck. I can actually do it by myself, and it's a lot safer than trying to navigate stairs. Moving is still tedious, but not anywhere near as bad as before. I can try to get some pictures to better illustrate what I'm talking about the next time I move..

Ya pretty much agree.

Take your door off the hinges.

I would bring the machine back end first, so you could tip it right up on its "butt" end at the end of the stairs, twist it 90 degrees and finish bringing it down the stairs.

I have to do this at my friends house, uffda, it is tight any annoying but worth it! ONly is like 15 minutes of pita.

Take legs off and wrap cardboard all the way around it. Put a ratchet strap around the cardboard to hold it. Then you can drag it to the edge to the stairs and let it tetter over and slide it slowly down till it hits the bottom step.

Then if needed tip it on its back and pivot it around till you can bring it out the rest of the way.

That how I get all my pins in the basement myself

I do them this way as well. Works like a charm so long as you don't slip. If you do, you have a freight train on top of you....kind of like dating Rosanne Barr.........

I stand it up at the top of the stairs and my brother in law and I get on the stairs and tilt it towards us----there's a couple anxious seconds when you go past the point of no return and just hope neither one of us slips! Once the machine is on the stairs, it slides easily; kind of a controlled crash. First time we did it, I kept thinking my wife would come home to find us underneath the pinball machine....lol

Next house will have a walk out OR the pins go in the Living Room!

Wear something flirty and unbuttoned that threatens to slip off either breast at your slightest movement.

Giggle at everything they say, before they even finish their sentences.

Let them know your husband usually moves them but he won't be home from his trip until tomorrow.

That thing will be downstairs before you can blink.

I know Gorilla Biscuits doorway first hand. Yes it is narrow.

He may not be wrong. In 2017 you never know!

LMAO! This thread went sideways!

Taking the head off isn't so difficult for Sterns or really any of them. Mark connectors and take some pictures. Not that I suggest this, but I have navigated the main body myself up and down with a hand truck this way.

OP your basement door/stairs look like a dream to me! I would literally kill somebody to have that.

If you're still concerned I highly recommend you fly in Wiggy, all expenses paid, to help you out. He's like that guy from Oceans 11 that can squeeze into super small spaces.

Honestly though, just spend $100 on a dolly with the stair brace attachment and a couple straps and you'll be all set

Best of luck getting your LOTR in, that was actually one of the games Lee helped me with, it's amazing!

I've delivered pins up spiral staircases in those 60s condos.

Take head off, take playfield out, and make 5 trips all by yourself.

Sucks, but totally doable.

(Id still offer the guys $100 to carry it down the stairs for you. Have a cordless screwgun ready with the proper size nutdriver installed).

I agree with Gorilla, this is easy peasy. Take off legs, slide it down the stairs on carboard or similar.

edit: also grats on the pin!

Check this shit out! Old house, everything had to either go up stairs or down stairs. New house, 2 small steps up into a nice wide front door right into my large game room, easy dreamy :-p

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I'll tell you what, when you start buying EMs it's a very good feeling. 1 person cake walk.

I've damaged pins sliding down stairs. Plus I wouldn't f around with potentially losing control of it or put anyone in danger on the bottom side -- 250lbs falling on someone could be pretty serious. But I admit my stairs are wooden, not carpeted.

Stern head should be 28" almost exactly, slightly over. Door probably will need to come off, I take my rail off too for extra room. It's so much safer and just as easy on a dolly.. strap head to cab, strap game to dolly. 1 person on bottom controlling and 1 up top with the handle.

with a dolly, that staircase will be no problem. if the basement door doesn't open a full 180 degrees, you might have to take it off the hinges to get the game through, but other than that, it's a one-man job (although two makes it much faster and less taxing).

I have one like that. In my old house which had stairs like yours I'd use that to "slide" it down. I'd just stand in front of it and brace it as it rolled. It was kind of stupid. I don't recommend doing it alone. With 2, you'd be fine.

Get this. Way cheaper and does great taking stuff through yards.

https://m.harborfreight.com/700-lb-capacity-bigfoot-hand-truck-62900.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

Screw that noise. Get an Escalera from Larry at Flippin' Out.

Yeah this will work too but don't need stair climbers to go down the steps. Haha. But will help for going back up the steps when you move a game out. Seems like you're short on time so if you have a Home Depot or harbor freight near ya, should have plenty of options for you to see first hand.

If you're having trouble getting the pin down there, how are you going to ever get it back out?

wish I had a basement, really wish I had LOTR. good luck

Every time I see a thread like this I thank my lucky stars that I have an exposed basement. I think your best bet is the dolly technique.

I told my real estate agent not to show me any house that did not have a straight stairway to the basement; just a straight shot from the outside door, down the stairs.

No turns, no landings, no dogleg once you enter the house.....

All my EMs are upstairs. I've had to do this more than a few times.

Here's what I use. Stevens magnesium dolly. I've had mine since 1982 and have literally moved over 3000 games with it. Weighs only 43 lbs. Built like a tank. Ratcheting strap. Stair climbers. Automatic retractable strap. Trust me on this one.
Mine was half this price when I bought it but so was everything else. Might be able to find one cheaper.

https://www.newhaven-usa.com/product/11/S-MRT/STEVENS-MAGNESIUM-APPLIANCE-HAND-TRUCK

I have that dolly (actually the one that's rated for up to 600 lbs). It is worth EVERY penny, even if you're only moving ONE pin. I've moved 2 pins without a dolly, and about 5 with it. Get it, get it, get it.

The Magnesium hand truck that Dennisdodel posted is definitely way lighter (Magnesium is amazing) but it's so much more expensive I'm not sure you'll notice the difference unless you're moving thousands of games like he did

Just used me Escalera for the first time last night. Found it on Craigslist for 750 but had to put a new motor, belt , battery and charger in it. Took apart and re did gearbox and cleaned whole truck. Total of 970 with big wheel attachment

All I can say is ...... why the hell did I not get one of these sooner

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I knew it would work!!!