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Getting a Pin through a narrow door

TonySchwager

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Jan 1, 2020
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Ip117rl
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Tony
Hi all just joined and looking out for a table. Along with all the usual nervousness of buying a table i have a getting into the room problem
The door width is only 67 cm wide - Handles / hinges removed already.
Question is is flipping it on its side and shuffling it round sideways a) easier than it sounds b) a complete no no as will cause damage no matter how carefully its done.
So the alternative seems to be a back box removal, is this a better option (or no pin and shattered dreams) .

Thanks for your help
 
Hi mate.
Head off is the easiest option. Really no big deal and many people have to do it to get their pins inside.
And don't procrastinate too long over buying something.
Just get what you like the look of. If you get bored sell it and buy another.
Good luck
 
It's going to be the same width on its side with the head down as tombstoned (on its bigger end). Tombstoning is the normal way they are transported.

You could take the hinges off and put the backbox diagonally so its no wider than the pin itself, if you're not comfortable about "shark finning" it (I've never done that and would be a bit worried about wires pinching).
 
Zero option: I had my front door and pinball room door widened from standard 29 or 30 inches or whatever it is to 34" (wich is also a standard, so easy to match doors with existing ones etc) when I moved house and had the builders in anyway. Probably doesn't help you but if you are going to be moving machines in and out on a regular basis then having wider doors really makes things easy...

Good luck anyway!
 
I've found that Shark finning works really well, but I've also taken the head off completely to get it through the same small doorway at a mates house. Head off is easier to move around than shark fin if you have a narrow hallway that you then have to twist the machine 90 degrees to get into the room (old terrace house.) If you do take the head off, like others have said, spend the time Labelling all the connectors before you take them off.
The back box on Data east must be slightly narrow than B/W because I got LW3 in his house without taking the back box off, but FT gave us grief.
 
I had 100 pins come and go the "on the side" way when l rented a terraced house where the door was on the street but only 26 inches wide. Had a special rug to slide them on.
 
Id take the backbox off in that situation. don't disconnect it just rotate it so you can get the game in.
 
Thanks for the info and advice - sounds like a have options and nothing much to worry about.
Good call on the procrastination
 
I had to remove the back box to get mine into my house and round a tight corner - it’s a learning experience worth doing I think.
Label each connector as you remove them (sharpie marker on the side - J112 etc).
Take lots of photos and enjoy putting it all back together and repairing the odd broken cable (unless you’re lucky).
1st one took me 3 hours to put back together, 2nd one took 40 mins.
Looks a bit like this:
c52f401a3b0ee5cdb59b3a7c319fd992.jpg9bb0470e4a7d2d9375a96978bd02b309.jpg
....etc
If you’re in the South East at all I’d be happy to help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I had to remove the back box to get mine into my house and round a tight corner - it’s a learning experience worth doing I think.
Label each connector as you remove them (sharpie marker on the side - J112 etc).
Take lots of photos and enjoy putting it all back together and repairing the odd broken cable (unless you’re lucky).
1st one took me 3 hours to put back together, 2nd one took 40 mins.
Looks a bit like this:
c52f401a3b0ee5cdb59b3a7c319fd992.jpg9bb0470e4a7d2d9375a96978bd02b309.jpg
....etc
If you’re in the South East at all I’d be happy to help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I had to remove the back box to get mine into my house and round a tight corner - it’s a learning experience worth doing I think.
Label each connector as you remove them (sharpie marker on the side - J112 etc).
Take lots of photos and enjoy putting it all back together and repairing the odd broken cable (unless you’re lucky).
1st one took me 3 hours to put back together, 2nd one took 40 mins.
Looks a bit like this:
c52f401a3b0ee5cdb59b3a7c319fd992.jpg9bb0470e4a7d2d9375a96978bd02b309.jpg
....etc
If you’re in the South East at all I’d be happy to help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks Andy - that's a good bit of labelling not to be messed up.
I'm in Suffolk, Felixstowe
 
When pins were in the house - to get them in I undid the bolts holding the hinges in the head at each side, then I took head and rotated slightly to get it through the door.

@TonySchwager what sort of obstacles do you have? Is the path/hallway straight? Is it just the doorway too narrow?
 
Thanks Dave hallway narrow and with a turn so looking impossible
Easy to get into the house but then its a trip across the garden to the narrow back door to get it into its final destination
 
had to shark fin mine to get it in, then i was going to unplug the head to move it upstairs, but it went up the stairs tombstoned then down the hall on its end then sharkfined again to get it through the door in the spare bedroom
 
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