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Recommendations for Pinball Trolley

Biff

Site Supporter
10 Years
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
1,195
Location
Near Grantham
Hi

Just recently hollowed out the man cave, and pins will be off their **** for the first time in two years soon.

I now have space :-) but will probably make good use of a trolley to nip them around, in and out of slots etc once they are set up.

What should i be paying?
What are the ones to look for and why?
And which i should avoid?
Anyone selling any?

Cheers

JB
 
These things are surprisingly expensive. They are occasionally sold on here - but in the past year it has only been a couple. Ebay has the,

I have a 300kg clarke strongarm ....

image.jpg

Thoughts on this one are

1 it weighs about 80kg - which is more than you want to lift into a car
2 it is incredibly noisy when you move it without a machine on
3 you need a big socket set to undo the handle, so it fits in a car
4 the deck only just fits between the legs of a machine (and can scrape depending on what angle your game's legs settle at)
5 the steel brackets around the wheels make it VERY unforgiving if you want to ease it over a raised door threshold
6 it is on top of the job. It is massively strong. Your game feels safe on it

A few guys have its baby brother which lifts 150kg, which I believe is enough for all pinball machines

http://www.workshopping.co.uk/produ...ampaign=feed&gclid=CKC77Yjpj8sCFasEwwodaNMF5w

1 it weighs a much more manageable 45kg so is much easier to deal with. The main benefit
2 not as noisy as the bigger one
3 handle easier to remove
4 narrower deck means it is easier to get under games
5 wheels do not have the steel bracket wrapped around them, so easier to deal with door thresholds
6 BUT it feels a bit flimsy with a game on it

I got mine second hand from someone who preferred the 150kg one so sold me his 300kg model

On balance, i think the 150kg is the better package for occasional pinball use
 
I use the exact type pictured below, as i use it nearly ever day and often carry it in the car. I would not use any other type after trying all the others that other people use, as it the only one i have found that i can actually lift myself.

its just 44Kg so CAN be lifted into a car on your own, all the others need Jeff Capes (those who remember him?) or 2 people to be able to lift them into the boot.
its handle neatly folds down and does NOT need t be removed, as most of the others seem to if they are detachable at all

150kg capacity and more than enough for ALL pins,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mobile-Li...hash=item2c674f028b:m:mBd-lMZHoCHT-Qda3idXfEw
sure there will be other sources for this type of lifting table out there

hopr this helps you decide?

cheers
Neil

i.ebayimg.com_00_s_MTU3OFgxNjAw__T2eC16VHJGIE9nnWqryRBQIM4dD_jQ_7E_7E60_57.JPG
 
I've manhandled the heavy one in and out of a van myself but it's not easy. Wouldn't recommend it. Can manage it fairly easy with 2 people lifting. I like how solid they are though and they do come up for sale from time to time. Seen them around £100 which i think was an okay price. Not used the baby brother version of it.
Looks alot easier to me
 
Cool. Thanks all. What are he metal brackets on the back wheels on the last picture used for? Are they breaks or just there to stop the user going over a gradient and tipping what ever is on the top off?
 
Dave's reply in the first picture shows my original trolley, if i had unlimited space i'd have kept it as the extra length and width (stop that) was reassuring. i changed it for the blue one in mark9's post, as it can now fit under a game. i very rarely need to lift it into a vehicle, but if i did, i can manage that one on my own but the top red one was definitely a Jeff Capes job.

the blue one is fine, but because it is a bit shorter, you have to push down on the front to feel confident the machine isn't gonna topple off the back, esp if backbox is up.

those things on the wheels are brakes. very useful.

i do most of my moving with a simple 20 quid sack trolley, but for getting in and out of vehicles, a trolley is a huge help. do it man, you can always sell it on after.
 
I also do my moving with sack wheels. The lift was really for use in the man cave to get machines in and out more easily after they have been set-up rather than scrape them across the floor etc. lot of dosh though, so think that I will give it a miss. Its the cost of a project EM...

Thanks again everyone.

JB
 
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I also do my moving with sack wheels. The lift was really for use in the man cave to get machines in and out more easily after they have been set-up rather than scrape them across the floor etc. lot of dosh though, so think that I will give it a miss. Its the cost of a project EM...

Thanks again everyone.

JB

If you time it right you should be able to pick one up on ebay for less than £100, well worth the money if you are moving machines around (that are on their legs) fairly often.
 
This thread reminded me that I really needed to get myself a pin mover. Getting underneath them and moving them around on my back like a turtle isn't a good method or a good look.

Ordered from Rapid Electronics on Thursday and it arrived this morning.

£170 delivered and it is going to save my back no end!

image.jpg
image.jpg
 
Hah, yes i do the turtle too :-)

Is it any good? Where is he break for it? Is this the part you ordered?: 89-4515

Cheers

JB
 
Very tempted now. Today I are mostly be setting up pins!

I have a meet in a few weeks time. Laying them out in the garage as per below (a couple more in the house). Queens castle, Ski Jump and Cap Fatalistic are projects though and non-workers. So having ability to draw pin in and out without doing the back scuttle will be very handy. Leaving big gap in between for my sons train set on a table, yes it is my sons, i could never get into them :-)

Eventually will insulate walls and block off and insulate up and overs, with means to operate one of them for getting pins in and out for shows etc. Flow and return for Central heating is in the roof, just need to bring sown the wall and put a Radiator in. May even have room for a projector down the middle :-)

We can dream...

Any way will give it a few more days, if one does not come up on ebay will get the one on the link.

Right, set up time :-)



.mancave0001.jpg
 
Ok so I got one. Realised that the orientation of my pins means that I can't bloody well use it As it needs to be under the back of the pin. The backs of my pins are to the wall. School boy error!

Anyone up for making me a custom tube? Am thinking I can still use this if I can push it to the back from the front. Wouldneed a low level tube frame and an extension foot pedal.

Any thoughts?

Cheers JB
 
I use my trolley from the front all the time, put the backbox down and push down a bit on the front when moving, shouldn't be a problem.
 
I see where you are come from, but I wanted to move them with minimum of fuss, plus most of mine are EMs.
 
Ok, so i have an idea. Any metal work people want a small project?

I am thinking that i chop the 22mm external diameter tubing about 8 inches or so from the union with the the main frame. Then someone could fabricate two 6mm thick 24mm internal diameter tubes as per the bottom of the drawing, so tat one pipe will work as a bracket to allow the trolley to go underneath the pinball from the front and the other upright pipe will allow normal use as it is today.

Anyone up for this?
scan0002.jpg
Cheers

JB
 
I have a trolley like that and just apply weight to the lockdown bar to keep it balanced.

I have considered modifying it but was just going to extend the platform backwards so pins don't tip off the back! That's got to be easier then extending handles etc.
 
yes, i see - a different approach. Hadn't thought of it like that. Still a lot of weight not on the Centre of Gravity, so i think I will stick with Plan B. If I get some sorted will let you know how i get along.
 
Anyway, took matters into my own hands as it were. Got a metal work mate to make me up the brackets.

Powder coated they do the job very well, and the trolley sits underneath a pin when not in use - ideal.

I asked the guy, if anyone else was interested what would charge for a pair, he wants £45:00 plus PnP. You would need to fit them your self which will mean chopping the tube and drilling some holes. Just need to confirm the external diameter of the tube you have.P1020394.JPG P1020395.JPG P1020396.JPG
 
very nice Biff!
if you rotate those T-pieces then you could put the handle underneath as well, just a thought
 
Are these 150kg tables safe to use when moving a WOZ or Hobbit? (158kg).

I see people say they're more than enough to move any pin ... but the JJPs are even heavier than Popeye / STTNG (140+ kg), and do exceed the 150kg rating.
 
Are these 150kg tables safe to use when moving a WOZ or Hobbit? (158kg).

I see people say they're more than enough to move any pin ... but the JJPs are even heavier than Popeye / STTNG (140+ kg), and do exceed the 150kg rating.
They would of been tested well beyond the 150kg rating, but you wouldn't be able to return it under any warranty if it's been used outside it's manufacturers specification
 
They would of been tested well beyond the 150kg rating, but you wouldn't be able to return it under any warranty if it's been used outside it's manufacturers specification

Thanks. Getting a second hand WOZ, and not looking forward to manoeurvring it at all. I'd seen the 375lbs weight including pallet and packing materials, but hadn't realised it was still 351lbs (158kg) until now.

Whilst this is clearly due to being superbly built, feature loaded machines ... I imagine that enormous weight must have cost them a few sales.
 
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