I purchased the 500lb lift and made the hinge mod to it thanks for all the great suggestions and pictures that everyone has provided on the thread.

My question is about using the lift. To try out the lift I put if under one of my pins and picked the front feet of the pin off the floor.
I had to run for an appointment so I left the lift table raised and the front legs off the floor.
When I returned 2 hours later the table had completely lowered.
I tried the lift again and it works fine but I think that it will lower again on its own given time.
Is this normal? I checked and the tab that presses the release valve does not have any pressure on the release valve when not engaged.
Any ideas are appreciated.

I have used my hflt to setup and take down machines at shows. Literally hundreds of times. If a machine can't handle being raised by its bottom panel you will probably be able to tell just by looking at it. In these rare cases simply flip the table around and use the bottom edge of the sides to raise the game instead of the bottom panel.

First off the expensive pinball dollies - dollies made specifically to move pinballs - see image below, are designed to lift up on the bottom panel, not the sides.
Agreed the sides are stronger but unless you have a machine with a rotted bottom panel (which should be replaced anyway) you shouldn't need to worry about lifting using the bottom panel. Be more concerned with where you place the dolly so it is balanced well when it is lifted.

Having the handle is useful for moving/locating the dolly under the machine, moving/jockeying/driving the machine once it is lifted and for moving your dolly to a good storage spot. The handle is a pain for storage which is why there are so many mods to get these to fold flat when not in use. Also some of the handles need to be modded because they will not go past 90 degrees which prevents being able to move the dolly far enough under your machine to get a good balanced lifting spot.

I have seen/used handleless dollies which are pretty cool. But I still prefer the handle because its usefulness exceeds its limitations.

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I do not have the pin dollies but I have had the same oil puking issue with my HF's. They don't leak anymore but it was a mess for a while. As for the pin dollies I have used both hydraulic and non-hydraulic versions. The hydraulics require less athletics then the non-hydraulic versions, but both are easy to use once you have been instructed on the way they are designed to be operated.

I made a huge mess trying to get the rubber plug to work on my 500lb HF model. It kept flying out of the hole followed by hydraulic oil. I eventually gave up and settled for a cart that wouldn't stay pumped up. Would be interested to find if there is a bolt that I can use to fix this.

I've seen a similar issue caused by the handle not returning fully from the compressed position so the valve stays partially open. Maybe try pushing the handle in the opposite direction and see if that helps.

does the handle stand up because the Bimini's are tightened or is there something else I am missing?

Love the scooter quick releases. Great idea.

I followed the manual and experienced the flying plug a couple of times before I realized the instructions were wrong. Mine still slowly drops but it works more than well enough to get the job done. I have taken it to several festivals where it has done extensive and good service.