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Getting a pin up flights of stairs?

Den - aka Wolfgang

Den - aka Wolfgang

Site Supporter
5Years
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
1,151
Location
London (U.K)
Hi all, finally moving in to our new flat next week* (fingers crossed- have been endlessly pi$$ed about by the development company on our new build - very stressfull few months) and so my journey for buying my first pin will kick up a gear (just need to save up the cash now!...frustrating seeing all the pins for sale here over thepast few months which I'd have jumped on -will only have space for one mind.. 😔)

Went to see the place for the first time the other week before its finished and the lift isn't very big (doubting it'd fit a pin) - is it going to be a massive ball ache getting a pin up 3 flights of stairs when I get a machine?; or are there certain techniques to navigate stairs when hauling a machine?
It's very likely I'll be buying a machine from here, as I'd like to feel confident I'm buying a machine without issues from a trustworthy source and so would if possible arrange for Martin to collect/deliver - would Martin have one of those dolly's which can traverse stairs?

It'll be a while before I can get a machine (Q1 next year), but I'm thinking ahead, planning at thr moment, which also involves making sure my other half doesn't start putting furniture in the space I've designated for a pin😀

*moving to East London -if anyone from here is based in the area give me a shout👍🏻
 
I’ve done it many times in the past and heaviest and hardest one for me was a RS which is also a widebody.
No great advice from me I’m afraid just good luck I hope you have some strong mates you can rely on.

I personally wouldn’t even attempt it myself now as the only way I can now move a pin is on a hydronic trolly or my trusty Costco sack barrow.
In fact I actually put my back out lifting it on to my peg leg to put the actual legs on.

Once again Best of luck it’s all worth it in the end.
 
Colywobbles said:
I’ve done it many times in the past and heaviest and hardest one for me was a RS which is also a widebody.
No great advice from me I’m afraid just good luck I hope you have some strong mates you can rely on.

I personally wouldn’t even attempt it myself now as the only way I can now move a pin is on a hydronic trolly or my trusty Costco sack barrow.
In fact I actually put my back out lifting it on to my peg leg to put the actual legs on.

Once again Best of luck it’s all worth it in the end.
Click to expand...
Thanks mate! I'll be measuring the lift for sure when we move in, in case there's enough space for a tombstoned pin to fit in there. Hope there is enough space, as wouldn't want to damage a machine (or myself/mates carrying up stairs...)
 
depends on your choice of pin. one with an easy removable head would fit in the lift more easily id guess. if it’s a fold down attached head then it may fit in lift if the door opening is wide enough and the lift deep enough.

Carrying a pin up 3 flights of stairs is hard work. also how wide are the door openings? ie will a pin fit through or will you need to “shark fin” a head anyway? how wide are the stairs especially the corners?

Technically all pins can be split and have their head removed, but it’s a major job on later games
 
Been there done that, had several different types of machines up and down. The best advice is to do it in 3 pieces, cabinet, playfield and head separately.
The easiest by far were Stern Spike system games as there is the fewest number of connectors to take off the boards and they weight the least, was able to do these alone. Stern SAM games were fine too although better with 2 people. Worst was 90s DMD machine because of the weight and number of connectors.
Make sure you label everything up that you disconnect and beers for anyone who helps you out!
There are certain types of sack barrow that can apparently make it easier but never got round to trying one. Honestly am glad that its not something I need to do anymore.
 
I found an old motorised stair climber on ebay after a long search. Cost quite a bit ~£700 but honestly you can't put a price on back health. It only takes a stupid decision like lifting a pin up stairs (which I've done) for your back to go pop and it affect the rest of your life.

Muscle strains get better.

Burst discs do not.

Take it seriously even if you're young, hire a mover bloke or invest in something, it's just not worth it.

Best of luck with your move in!
 
100% what he said ^^^^^^^

I have been there, done it, got the T shirt

  • Dismantling your first pin is a potential nightmare for a new owner
  • Stair climbing sack barrows are good- I have hired one before
  • Removal guys are strong, they have great spatial awareness. Two of them lifted and moved my TAF with absolute ease. Where I would have dismantled it, they got it through a very narrow doorway without damage
  • My wife twisted her back helping me move a pinball years ago, it took months to heal. She was "only" sliding the unbolted backbox through a doorway on carpet
 
My IJ came as part of the first wave when I move house. Due to the old owners not being ready, we move in via the back route and they carried on moving via the front.
13 steep steps, one heavy wide body. 2 removal men built like mountains, a lot of complaining and me nearly having a heart attack. They didn’t use a sack barrow and just man handled it. They took a 30 minute break after.
 
Thanks for all of your comments everyone- looks like if it'll be the stairs, I'm best to stay away from a widebody - will almost certainly buy a stern (Metallica high on my list), although theHoudini machines I've seen on here lately interest me too; I'll have to see what's available at the time (not sure if I should hold out for one of my dream pins; Metallica prem/Le or maybe a JJP G'n'R to pop up given the likely hassle of stairs, or get something more moderately priced)
The moving company guys we are using are pretty beefy individuals, so will have a word re; assisting with a pin when the time comes.
I'll certainly update here when the time comes and no doubt will put some wanted ads up.
 
Done it tooo many times to want to remember!! Both upstairs to an upper floor and downstairs to a basement/games room etc

My advice is get some young people to help you, or if you have some late teen/early 20 s kids then bribe them with cash!!! Thats what i do!

And if you have the time/patience/skills. removal of backbox and playfield out of cab makes things alot easier. ie becomes a move of 3 lighter items
 
PinballDaze said:
Been asked to move a JJP WOZ to a loft...
Our survey said No.
Click to expand...

Not as bad as the Hobbit, but not by far!!!

Moved a few Woz, Hobbit, Dialed in, Wonka with Mr Brimacoombe and its not fun, even with 2 of you! They all make STTNG feel light!
 
myPinballs said:
Not as bad as the Hobbit, but not by far!!!

Moved a few Woz, Hobbit, Dialed in, Wonka with Mr Brimacoombe and its not fun, even with 2 of you! They all make STTNG feel light!
Click to expand...
Are all of those JJP machines wide bodies?, or do jjp mix it up (I know g'n'r is standard). I enjoyed dialled in and Wonka and Hobbit looks fun.
 
Buddinblack said:
If your staying in a flat have you considered your neighbours beneath you for the noise? Apparently the noise travels quite badly down the way(I’ve never experienced it myself). It’s worth thinking about though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I did think about that quite a bit before the initial visit to the developers, as I'm quite a considerate neighbour.
I asked the sales person how good the sound insulation was going to be (it's a new build) as I play guitar etc and they said that the sound insulation was going to be very good (not sure how much I trust them mind).
Apparently the sound insulation isn't perfect within the flat, but between flats it's meant to be good (thick concrete).
The spot in our living room I've earmarked for a pin has the wall which has the floor's hallway on one side and the wall which will be by the backbox is an internal wall next to where I think thw boiler is stored, and so my main worry is the neighbours below.
The flooring is wooden, but I'm hoping if there's think concrete below that sound/vibration shouldn't carry down to the flat below us? I also thought if I bought a machine with a shaker motor, I'd have that deactivated or turned down fairly low.
Anyone here had any experience with owning a pin living in a flat?; I recall chatting to CJ at a tourney a while back who said his STTNG p'd his neighbours right off.
 
I had an addams family in a flat. That was a converted 19th century warehouse with brick walls and incredibly thick original wooden floors designed to support cast iron cotton looms.

I never had any problems.

However in a new build I would be cautious. I would suggest you wait and see at it is like before you commit to a game.

The aggravation of buying a game, getting it up the stairs to then feel worried about playing it....

Maybe consider a headphone adaptor or a JJP game with a factory headphone socket.
 
I guess the best thing to do is inform your neighbours in each direction of your intentions. Get the machine. Then ask for honest feedback. If it’s too noisy then it’ll have to go if not happy days 😀.
 
As suggested, what I'll do is speak to the neighbours and also get a feel for how good the sound insulation is (if I can hear neighbours walking/music that'd be a bad sign and I'd be very p'd off with the poor insulation) and get to know the neighbours a bit and discuss.
I'll bea bit heartbroken if it turns out I can't own a pin - originally suggested buying a house, but my other half didn't want to move out too far (understandable as neither of us wanted an overly long commute to work/seeing friends) and she was also really keen on buying a new build (which so far has been a massive headache).
 
Spandangler said:
If it turns out you can’t have one. Get a kick ass virtual pin.
Click to expand...
That's a good idea, but I've had a virtual pin for quite a while (all be it a fairly basic one- I've disconnected most of the parts and am getting rid; couldn't even give it away), and I kind of feel after playing real pins so much I can't go back to a virtual cab (I can sill play visual pinball/pinball fx on my TV with a controller mind).
I may do that though - I think I'd have to get one with flipper solenoids etc though (would they be a potential noise risk?) - let's see.
 
Den - aka Wolfgang said:
That's a good idea, but I've had a virtual pin for quite a while (all be it a fairly basic one- I've disconnected most of the parts and am getting rid; couldn't even give it away), and I kind of feel after playing real pins so much I can't go back to a virtual cab (I can sill play visual pinball/pinball fx on my TV with a controller mind).
I may do that though - I think I'd have to get one with flipper solenoids etc though (would they be a potential noise risk?) - let's see.
Click to expand...
You can put a ‘night mode’ switch on a vpin that turns off all the mechanical noisy parts. So you could play it with all the solenoids at times you thought a little bit of noise was acceptable and turn them off late at night. Or look into exciters instead of solenoids, then you can just turn the volume down
 
Jib said:
You can put a ‘night mode’ switch on a vpin that turns off all the mechanical noisy parts. So you could play it with all the solenoids at times you thought a little bit of noise was acceptable and turn them off late at night. Or look into exciters instead of solenoids, then you can just turn the volume down
Click to expand...
That's great advice, cheers. Hopefully I won't end up have to go back to a Vpin; I've just gone off virtual pinball a bit over thr past year (I think I now find the inout lag or whatever no matter how small really off-putting) and I really want a real machine at home to improve my playing on real machines. I have found a vpin great for learning rules etc, but as I mentioned above, I cam still play a my virtual tables without a cab.
I'm not totalling ruling out a decent vpin as a last resort though, as long as I could find one where thr seller isn't asking silly money for what is essentially a cab, 2 monitors, a pc (typically underpowered) and some speakers wired up.
 
Ah well, just be thankful, I moved a Banzai run up two flights of stairs two months ago, I swear I can still feel it on my back! That came apart into two boxes, two playfields, two glasses and the legs.... Even the back box is a monster. Then, because it's complex and finicky, you then spend ages getting it working right again!

On the noise front, both of mine are upstairs in an old house with solid wooden floors. The Mrs did complain both that BR and the Road Kings were very noisy but luckily I came up with a plan: IKEA Make a 150x80 rug which is ideal for under a pin (HELLESTED I think) and while that dampens a bit, it's not perfect. I then added some inch thick rubber gym mats, you can find them on the bay under "Big Rhino". These are designed to protect you floor from weights and they do a very good job of isolating the pin from the floor. Your mileage may vary of course but I hope that helps a little if you get complaints!
 
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