Removal is easy. Remove connectors from head, feed the harness down into the cab.

Put PF at about a 45 degree angle, pull towards the front of the game.

Build a rotisserie. No other real easy or safe way to work on a pf out of the game.

I've recently started with my Rollergames ( http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rollergames-super-shop-project ) and have a couple comments:

1) Yes - some connectors for the harness. Should be easy to find and disconnect.
2) The hinges have a sleeve that can move out (loosen nut) to make it easier to pull the playfield out. See pic.cabinet hinge.jpg

3) I leaned mine against the wall. Have a plan for this, since it will need to be at an angle which prevents damage to items on top in the back and items on the bottom. I used a weight to keep it in place. A day or so later I built a pipe rotisserie.
pf leaning.jpg

There is no right answer, and this will vary from game to game. I've pulled several System 11 games off the bracket and slid it forward to work on something on the back of the play field.

I usually have a few small pieces of wood handy, I try and rest the front of the play field as to not put strain on anything delicate.

It's easy to do and not too big a deal. Just make sure when you go to put it back, it's in the bracket. There is some wood that should keep it from falling all the way down, but why risk it.

I am about to undertake the same thing (removal of playfield from the cab) on my Whirlwind to repair a number of popped inserts.

I figure as long as I take photos of the connectors before I start, I will be able to get things back the way they were beforehand.

Assuming you continued and still remember, were there any special tips or gotchas you encountered that will save me from misery?

The connectors are keyed and you should not have any issues plugging them back in. The wires are generally cut to length and it’s pretty hard to get things plugged into the wrong spots. If you’re really worried, you could use some painters tape and mark the location of the connectors as you remove them.

I've got a Mousin' Around that I'm contemplating removing the playfield for shopping purposes, and I can barely get it to budge from the bolts it hangs from. I assume that it's just that it's really heavy, or is there some trick to it? I tilted the pf up in the vertical position, grabbed the sides and heaved and it didn't really feel like it wanted to move much. If I just lifted up on one side, then I could get that side to lift up a little, but not both at the same time. My Black Knight's playfield feels like it'll come right out if I lift up on it, but not Mousin. Is Mousin's pf just that much heavier?

I guess maybe I need a second strong person to help heave it up? Am I just not strong enough alone?

Loosen the bolts on the inside maybe? They aren't that heavy or at least most aren't any heavier than others.

just lifts out, no tools needed. really need 2 people though. just look at those little brackets on the cabinet it sits on and guide it out

Okay, thanks for the help. Must be some combination of bolt-tightness and weight, or something. I guess I'll wait to try lifting it out until I have someone with me. In the meantime, I'll just do without removing the swoosh ramp, and clean what I can reach.

It's a lot easier to remove the playfield if you remove the legs and the game is sitting on the floor.

This is also good advice for reinstalling your new playfield, after you have spent MANY hours swapping parts! Just finishing my Diner PF swap. Diner has a bunch of parts on the back of the rear panel, so it is not a good idea to have the whole weight of the playfield on that panel. So this advice is good in the other direction too! Thanks, Bryan!

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