They rent "Stair climbing" automatic dollys. That or just a plain old Appliance dolly can also be rented, but you will need people with you to help.

GL!

Name of game ? Could be different answers.

Some the heads come off of easily, some not so easy.

My advice is strong friends and a beer and pizza afterwards.

LTG : )

Dolly / hand truck with large wheels and 2 people can get it up a flight of stairs ok. Trickier if the stairs take a turn, but still doable.

Hope it's not a wide body...lol

Friends...beer...pizza...

Yeah, appliance dolly is super easy with 2, even 1 person if the doorway is wide enough to accommodate the backbox (unlike my basement).

The same technology the aliens used to build the pyramids

If you need advice on how to get a pin out of a basement, maybe you should try video gaming, gee wiz , common sense is getting to be harder to find these days. Do you need help using the bathroom too ?

Brian
Madison hts mi

Plunger/coin door up, unless you want some expensive repairs.

You may place a moving blanket at the bottom(back) of the pin if you want to avoid scratching it up while moving.

uhaul, henjy, or any moving store. Maybe even UPS?

I have rented them from new haven moving equipment. They have locations around the US, the one I rent is an escalera, excellent invention!

Hey give me a pm with your number and i'll call you.

Put hand truck under pin, handles towards front of pin, fold down head, remove back legs and sit at foot of dolly, make sure you removed the balls and anything in the cabinet, strap to dolly so head is secure, stand up remove front legs, and then bust a nut!

Use a dolly with a strap such as a refrigorator dolly

I also recommend a huge roll of this to secure it from top to bottom. I've never seen the automatic stair dollies for rent, but the regular appliance ones work well if you have two people. One guy pulls, other guy pushes. But if the electic one is available and not too much more, it's worth it I imagine.

http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Protective-stuff/Movers-Stretch-Plastic-Wrap

egg herbor NJ? I'm not too far either....

wait you have had all those pins and none came from a basement? Wow thats pretty lucky!

Scottc, you asked the very question I wanted to ask. I figured I was going to be looking at a newbie thread and offering some kind advice about taking the legs off before you move it, etc.

I am not trying to be mean, but I see the OP has had a bunch of pins but is asking which side to put up on a dolly to move it? I don't get it.

Two guys, a hand truck and a lot of blood sweat and tears.

Three guys = less blood.

Sounds like a Charles Bronson film.

I know....guess he has had them all delivered?

Well by the time I get around the 90 degree bend and to the top of the stairs I'm ready for someone to put a bullet in my head.

Oh boy....and I get to do this this weekend.....twice!

Lots of gullible friends, maybe even relatives. I found one in a basement one time at the bottom of an insane, steep wooden staircase with no railings. We started with four people, but couldn't do it safely. We had to call two more guys, but that did the trick. It was like vertical crowdsurfing a pinball machine. I had to buy a lot of drinks that night.

It can become an adventure for sure. Be safe and take time to plan it out before you jump in.

for a second I thought you may be the Starwars kid hehe. What game is it hope its not a wide body. You must of moved pins with a dolly tho correct?

Get some young guys with strong backs and buy them a case of beer...nothing fancy, miller high life etc. In high school I would do anything for beer when I was underage

My Space Invaders had to be dollied from the side to get it in and out of my basement. Done it several times to take the game to shows. Even did it once by myself... Key word being 'ONCE'... That'll NEVER happen again!!... And yes, the game survived!

-Steve Ridge
Louisville, KY

I have moved about 50 out of basements by myself and the answer varies. Bottom line it is never easy but I prefer older machines with heads that come off easy if I am dealing with a basement. I find the easiest way on those machines is to break them down into 5 pieces and just carry each up the steps instead of using a hand truck.

Normally I pull the playfield glass, playfield & head. Then I carry body up the steps and out to my vehicle, next the playfield & put that back into the cabinet, then playfield glass, then head, and lastly legs, lock down bar & my tools. I don't know exactly why but this seems to work best on the older machines for me. EM's and earlier SS stuff.

As far as newer multi ramp & DMD machines with fold down head - normally I take help but regardless of how you do them it is living hell. Going down is easy - but up, even with an appliance dolly, is a Bear. Stair climber handtrucks are great but you better know how to use one correctly before putting an expensive machine on one. They look easy to use but until you have had some practice they are not as easy as they look.

Just my experiences. Hope it helps!

After pulling a STTNG from a basement with pie-wedge steps right at the top of the narrow staircase I swore that no price would ever make me do that again.

I ended up having to remove the door from the hinges to get it through too. What a PITA.

The bottom line? If you check out the site and it's not a straight shot, pass.

yep I passed on two cheap DMDs in a basement because of the steps. I called a young collector I knew and hooked him up. Mid 40's is a lot different then mid 20's

Everyone thumbed this down? Come on... It's a pinball machine, use common sense, obviously things like dolly, straps, hand bailing.. must come to mind. We have all been there and figured it out. That comment isn't out of line, it's not rocket science. Every basement will require different approaches. He has three already, clearly it's not a matter of what to take off and disconnect at this point.

Every sofa I have ever brought up from a basement has been harder than any pin. Meh, maybe I'm bitchy tonight, but that's a eye roller to me...

I just take them apart and remove them in pieces.

First, ask how it GOT INTO the basement. That might give you some clues

it is better to ask what may be a seemingly stupid question than to destroy a machine (best case) or suffer injury/death (worst case)...

what may be "obvious" to one person can be "completely confusing" to another...

iow, the op is right to ask the question, and you denigrating him for doing it was out of line... hence the thumbs down...

I wasn’t “denigrating” him so much as I was just stating that this other comment isn’t out of line. My wife made me watch dancing with the stars last night, so I wasn’t in a happy place when I wrote that, but I doubt we were the only two thinking it. I also have to remember that half of a Americans (maybe more) don't even have basements, so I guess that factors into it.

Still, come on........!

^^^

lol, if i had been forced to watch that, i would be cranky as well...

interested in what the day crowd has to say with this thread....

I'm with you on this, but I know plenty of people who have multiple machines but have zero idea how to even set them up. Sad but true.

Almost everyone I know has their pins in their basement and there are varying degrees of difficulty ranging from someone with a double-door basement walk-out to some with a sharp 180 degree turn in their pie-shaped staircase with barely 1/2" of gap on either side.

I've gotten used to removing the head off most games and find this the simplest and safest approach in the long run... unless you have a super simple basement to get into.
This was a huge factor when looking into buying our new house

I have heard of inexperienced people carrying pinball machines up stairs with the head up and legs on. Not sure how many people it takes to do it that way...painful to think about.

If the OP is not understanding what people are saying here, ask more specific questions. We don't want ayone to get hurt, and almost as importantly, don't want to see a pinball machine damaged.

Yes, you are completely right.

+1 I have stairs and a 90 degree turn at the bottom. I have carried them without legs and head folded with success but they are heavy. The best way is legs off, glass and playfield out and reassemble in the basement.

Escalera OR take it apart OR ask a friend for help.

My drill is the head has to come off, but the body goes out the basement window.

At least it's not a pool table lol

Video games ARE NOT easy to move.

Works every time!

My stairs has a 90 degree turn. I have always just carried my pinballs up with me and another person. I just bought a stair climber dolly. At the turn I can't twist the pinball without hitting the wall, even if you remove the dolly at the turn it will not twist around. Can you attach the dolly to the side of the pinball, of coarse with blankets to protect the side, and go to the turn, then take the dolly off and put it on the underside, like you are supposed to transport it and take it up the rest of the way. Would this damage anything in the machine?

For me a dolly is the easiest option. If no dolly bring a friend and carry it up. If you want to take a break on the way up leave the legs on.

Yank the head! I used to be paranoid about it, but not now. I pulled the head off GnR an it was super easy to move. Myself and the previous owner move it upstairs no problem on a appliance dolly. Just take some masking tape and label the wires with a sharpie.