Get an Escalera. Seriously.
But one important thing to consider is the amount of space on the landings for dolly turn around space.

Rent one if you can.

LTG : )

Some observations:
Appliance dollies are great for going DOWN stairs, but have limited advantages going up. You still need to lift and two guys.

If you get a regular dolly, make sure it's not one of those short ones with two handles. I really like my "heavy duty" dolly from Harbor Freight (the red one with the inflatable wheels and rounded single handle). Best $30 I've spent.

Not sure how those refridgerator shoulder straps I see the delivery guys use would work. One guy had better be STRONG.

But seriously, if you're going to be moving more than a couple machines a year, or moving more than a couple times a year, the escalara is a great suggestion. Yes, they are expensive, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that has one that regrets buying it. I moved 3 machines to a buddy's place a couple weeks ago, and was VERY sore for a couple of days. I've got access to a Lectro Truck, but we couldn't get to it that day. It was a bad decision.

How old/fit are you? I'm pushing 50, and not all that active (though not a couch potato at all), and I don't look forward to hauling machines out of my basement at all anymore. Don't write off the Escalara too quickly.

Just my $.02,
Jeff

better make friends with your neighbor

in all honesty, get an escalera.... your back will thanks you later

Appliance dolly for sure.
Strap that puppy in there. If it's a newer DMD era game you're gonna pout a blanket/pillow/cardboard between the head and the game when it's folded down. You should then wrap it with some plastic so it doen't come lose.
2 people is all you need. One lifted while the other person pushes from the bottom if going up or stops it from falling going down.
If you're moving EMs the head comes off and it's much easier/lighter. 3rd floor is a tuffy though. Besides your turning radius/landing you really need to pay attention to the floor material. If it's carpet you're good, if it's wood you gotta be careful.
If it's vinyl you have to make sure you don;t damage the floor when turning a 300lbs machine with all it's pressure on one wheel. I use some thin wood sheets you can buy at any hardware store

EDIT: Just gotta do it once to get the jist of it.

Escalera.

I have 2nd floor game room. The single flight of stairs is split in the middle with a landing, on which is a step up. Kind of makes things difficult.

I used an applicance dolly and 4 men to get Twilight Zone up the stairs (my first purchase). It only took one trial to convince me there's a better way.

With an Escalera, last month, I moved a Wizard of Oz up the stairs single-handedly. Mind you, I had to behead it because of the landing. With the head on, I've got to unstrap and re-strap it twice to make the U-Turn at the landing.

Any way, they're expensive but what price can you put on greatly reducing the risk of lifelong chronic back pain? What if your helper throws out his back? How about slipping and having your machine crash down the stairs?

Which model of Escalera is the best for pins? There are several heights and weight limits... Any advice?

Thanks txx3ddq442 for the info about WoZ... I've got two levels of split flight stairs, one with a step. I'm going to have to take the head off anything I move because a person can't get around it when on the landing. Did you just move the dolly to the other side of the game twice (never rotating the game itself?)

Exactly. I wouldn’t spend the money on an escalera unless you’ve got health issues or plan on doing this 2-3 times a month.

https://www.warehouserack.com/stair-climbing-hand-truck-battery-powered-c-29_653/batterypowered-stair-climbing-hand-truck-bateria-incluida-usado-p-1873.html

Used escaleras for $1350 shipped from Texas. Be sure to inquire about the condition, if they have been refurbished, have new batteries & chargers, etc. The last time there was a discussion about this seller, they were saying different things to different people about the condition of them.

If you want a new one, flipnout1 sells them.

Another option is to remove the heads from the games. Bring the heads and bodies up separately. This will significantly reduce your load for using a light duty aluminum hand truck (way lighter than those heavy dust monsters).

Removing and replacing heads only takes 10 min on each end.

If ambidous enough remove the playfield as well and you and a buddy can just carry all three up separately.

I'm the guy that sells the Escalera. I've been selling them for some time and I've probably heard all the reasons to buy or not buy one
But here is what I hear consistently. "Best decision ever". At every show I take them to someone tells me that. It's nice to sell a product that helps this hobby and save the backs of all us old guys

[email protected]

Remove the legs, head and back glass. Remove the glass & playfield from cabinet. Now you have a much lighter cabinet to move. It will take more trips up the stairs but easy strapped to an appliance dolly.

Very timely post since I have a pin on the way that needs to go down into the basement. The stairs have a landing that gives me only 35 inches between the stair tread and the wall opposite the tread. Then I need to make a 90 degree turn to the right to descend the rest of the stairs. Is this right hand turn possible with the back box still attached with only 35 inches of clearance or do I need to take it off? If I need to take it off, how is that done? Is there a post here describing the procedure? I ask as this is my first pin, so I have no idea.

Thanks for any help,
John

Remove head, glass, playfield... Will be much easier...

OK - I am moving. My new house has step to the basement with a landing. From the landing I need to turn 90 degrees and then down two more steps. My plan right now is take the pins down the main stairs to the landing with an appliance cart. Unstrap the pin from the appliance cart and then use another dolly to take the pin down a ramp for the last two steps. To do this, I would have to lean the right hand side fo the pin agains the second dolly. Clearly having a moving blanket protecting the side art. Has anyone moved a pin using a dolly where the side of the pin is against the dolly?

It may sound more complicated than it needs to be, but I have to move multiple pins and want to do this as smoothly as possible.

I know a guy who has a bad back, so he setup a system using a winch and he built a temporary track that the pin sits on. Anytime he gets a new game or he sells one he just sets up the track and can easily get pins up and down the stairs. just food for thought.