(Topic ID: 168482)

Stair Climbing Trolley

By Playerone

7 years ago


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    #1 7 years ago

    Has anyone come across a motorised stair climbing trolley that can handle a pinball on its legs?
    I've seen the climbers that take a machine with legs off upright on its back. There are trolley climbers that have forks on them but I can't get any info on if they'll take a machine with legs on. I'd imagine you'd have to have the backbox up to keep as much weight at the back as possible.....
    Thoughts??

    #2 7 years ago

    Not so sure on that but whilst we're asking, i'd like a Pin filled lorry carrying car that can also climb stairs. Anyone?

    #3 7 years ago

    For the life of me I can not understand why anyone moves pinball machines on their legs to begin with. It takes like 5 to 10 minutes to fold a backbox and take the legs off a pin - why move them the hard way?

    I am 62 years old and can still break down and move a dozen pins in 1/2 a day including loading them in my trailer and strapping them down. I have moved in excess of 500 pins over the past 10 years and have done ZERO damage taking the legs off to move them.

    Anyway - good luck finding something to do stairs with legs on!

    #4 7 years ago

    Moving machine up or down stairs with legs on ??? Lmfao i can not imagine! Sounds like a three stooges episode.

    #5 7 years ago

    http://www.powermate.info/

    To move a pin with the legs on requires an additional plate wide enough for the legs to sit. I've personally used the powermate dolly and it has moved pins (legs on and off), pole position cockpit and video games up and down stairs and in/out of a van. One person can operate this dolly but two people make it a breeze. When you move 10 to 20 pins at a time leaving the legs on saves lots of time, avoiding tear down and set up. I've done it many, many times and never damaged a game. Next time we move pin up/down stairs with the legs on I'll take a pic.

    #6 7 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback.
    We move a lot of machines.
    Headbox down with legs off on its back is fine if you want to damage the back and sides of the pin with straps ect...
    Currently when we go upstairs it's a four man lift depending how many stairs, 12 or so is ok with two people, any more and it four men.
    My back just can't handle it like I could 10 years ago.
    Current van requires legs off and slide in on it ass. Looking to get a high top van with tail lift, so legs can stay on reducing workload.
    If we can get a stair climber with forks and keep the legs on, the workload would be dramatically reduced and the body will get another 20 years.

    #7 7 years ago

    If you often move games up and down stairs, the powermate is worth every penny.

    #8 7 years ago
    Quoted from JBK:

    If you often move games up and down stairs, the powermate is worth every penny.

    Are you forking from the side of the machine or the back when the legs are on?
    Imagine from the side you'd need some very wide stairs?
    Do you have any pics that show the length of the forks?
    All help much apresh....

    #9 7 years ago

    From the back. There isn't a fork, just a plate like every dolly has. The front legs are unsupported. The dolly has a strap that goes around the game and holds it against the dolly.

    #10 7 years ago
    Quoted from Playerone:

    Thanks for the feedback.
    We move a lot of machines.
    Headbox down with legs off on its back is fine if you want to damage the back and sides of the pin with straps ect...

    As do I - and I've moved plenty on my escalera that climbs stairs with the legs off and I've never managed to damage the back and sides of the pin with straps.

    If care is taken, and you add a little padding, you won't have a problem. I pack them just like I do for shipping, a piece of pipe insulation slid over the front edge of the head for cushioning, head laid down on the glass, shrink wrapped.

    A roll of shrink wrap lasts a long time, and the pipe insulation is about $2 for enough to do 2 pins. I even put it under the straps when I pallet games so the straps won't dig into the cabinet.

    Sure seems a lot safer than trying to dolly a pin up a flight of stairs on its legs.

    #11 7 years ago
    Quoted from JBK:

    From the back. There isn't a fork, just a plate like every dolly has. The front legs are unsupported. The dolly has a strap that goes around the game and holds it against the dolly.

    Here's a climber I've found that has forks, it comes in manual or powered lift. We just took delivery of the Hobitt, it the straw that's broken the camels back so to speak. There's no way we're lifting that baby up flights of stairs by hand!!

    image (resized).pngimage (resized).png

    #12 7 years ago

    That's the forklift add-on for the escalera. Mine has it, but I keep it off the lift most of the time. It's very heavy, and often times, there's not a whole lot of space when turning from a hallway to go down a flight of stairs, so it makes things more difficult.

    The intended use is so you can balance loads when going up stairs - but I've used it for other things, like lifting an engine on a pallet out of a pickup truck bed.

    #13 7 years ago

    Since I'm the Escalera distributor I've watched this thread.
    Like John I've moved a lot of games with my Escalera. But never with the legs on.
    The key to using it is maintaining the balance point. Moving it from the back the game is going to stick out so far that you would have to lean the Escalera back to far I'm afraid.
    I sell a pinball plate that fits between the legs and attaches to the forks of the RLA-HC or EW. I pick up a pin from the end and can slide it into my truck or unload it easily. But I don't climb stairs that way. Its especially useful to lift the game to remove the legs easily. I also have an extended toe plate that would be wide enough to put under the legs. In fact I just did this with a Hobbit and loaded, unloaded and climbed stairs by myself. BUT NOT with the legs on. It might be doable but I wouldn't recommend it. It certainly is easy to do with the legs off by myself however.

    #14 7 years ago

    I just bought a WOZ from a pinsider where the game was on the second floor of semi-spiral staircase. He had just gotten a motorized dolley so it was the first time trying to move a pin with it. At first it was a little sketchy, But once he Got the technique down we got in a groove and it went really smooth for a first time effort. The pin survived so that's a bonus. Probably took 2 hours total which includes getting the dolly upstairs, strategizing, prepping the pin, and getting a feel for how the dolly would work. I could see it becomming easier and faster the more its used.

    #15 7 years ago

    Escalera's are awesome.. I wouldn't try moving a pin on legs with one, but moving pins in and out of my basement are easy by myself once they are wrapped up..

    Just bought a WOZ which I currently have setup in my dining room until I pickup my Escalera from Larry at Expo.. Had a escalera, but sold it since it had the forklift option I never used.. Just picking up a standard one this time!! Larry is great to deal with as well(everyone already knows that though!!).

    #16 7 years ago

    I would imagine that lifting with the legs would put stress on the back of the machine and make the center of gravity more dangerous and prone to accidents. Maybe a pic of someone doing it could prove otherwise but seems like the safest way to move them for both the pin and the people helping, is legs off and folded up.

    #17 7 years ago

    Is the powerlift doing this job with legs on a European powerlift or African powerlift.

    Outdoor stairs i guess maybe a possibility I don't think inside residential stairs would even be possible in most circumstances and I see the lockdown bar putting holes in drywall with every step it takes. Balance, turning, everything just sounds wrong!

    I can't wait to see someone post a video of this!

    #18 7 years ago

    Next time we move one down stairs with it's legs on, I'll snap a video. It hasn't hurt a game yet. Moved a bunch of high end pins this way recently, including a GBLE. No damage.

    #19 7 years ago

    Up and down the stairs at Frankie's? Stairs with the legs on I'm sure will throw the leverage all out. Come round to my place and test run my Escalera. I moved my Hobbit up 24 stairs on the weekend, on my own, in fifteen minutes. PM me for address. I'll also tell you how you can get one for less than half the price the local gouging distributor charges.

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