Moving Tips/Tricks

brfoss

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Just starting to acquire games and looking to buy some from sellers online, auctions, etc.

What is the best way to move games? I previously have used moving blankets and an appliance dolly. Getting them up to / down from a pickup truck is a nightmare. I have a trailer, but I can only move 2 games at 50mph so it's not practical for long distance shopping trips.

Most important question - can upright video games be placed horizontally to move? In other words, can you lie them down on their back for transport? Or will this cause damage?

Any other ideas based on everyone's experiences?
 
Welcome!

Yes lay them down! When I get a new game I check to see if everything is secure and lay it down in the back of the truck or trailer. It makes it much easier to get games out of the bed and reduces drag.

Get some good ratchet straps and a cheap drill for drilling out locks on site so you can make sure coins or dildos are not jumping around in the belly of the game.

Also tarps and plastic wrap.

Good luck!
 
Welcome!

Games can definitely be moved horizontally, either on their sides or back, but there's a caveat with that: not everything inside an arcade cabinet is bolted down like it's supposed to be, so before you tip it over it is a very wise idea to open up the cabinet and check everything.

Monitors are supposed to be bolted to the cabinet, but occasionally people will undo the bolts and forget to put them back, and as soon as you tip it over the monitor shifts and bad things happen. Also, one time I moved a game and verified the monitor was bolted in place, but the chassis (the pcb for the monitor) was loose within the monitor... it shifted when I was moving the game and I didn't notice it. When I put the game back upright and plugged it in, the chassis shorted to the monitor frame and killed the monitor.

Power supplies and transformers, usually at the bottom of the cabinet, are often very heavy and if they move around they can do a lot of damage.

PCB boards are not usually very heavy but they are fragile. I sometimes just remove them and keep them in the front seat. Option B is that they are usually attached to the side of the cabinet, and so when I tip a game on its side I try to tip it toward the pcb side, so if the boards come loose they have nowhere to fall.

Coin boxes are not usually secured at all, and depending on the design they can rattle around inside when you tip a game, and if they hit the board or the neck of the monitor, you will be unhappy. I usually remove them before moving a game.

The control panel typically opens on a hinge, and usually holds the monitor glass in place. So if the control panel is not secured, it can flop open, and may allow the glass to fall out... again you will be unhappy.

As far as getting them into a truck is concerned, if you have two people it's not too hard. Just place it 3-4 feet from the open tailgate, tip it gently back until the top is resting on the tailgate, and then get at the bottom and lift and push. A blanket or a big piece of cardboard can help the game slide in, as well as helping to protect the game (and the truck, if you're worried about that). Same technique with one person, but you have to be a bit stronger and you have to be careful that the bottom doesn't slip out as you're tipping it towards the truck... this is a bigger issue with the games that have wheels at the back.
 
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Welcome!
Yes lay them down!

Welcome!
Games can definitely be moved horizontally, either on their sides or back, ...

THANK YOU! One of the reasons it has been so challenging to get games is because I have been moving them upright. It's a bitch to strap them in place and to get them in and out of the truck while keeping them standing. I will follow your advice on checking the components first and then starting moving them efficiently.
 
As far as getting them into a truck is concerned, if you have two people it's not too hard. Just place it 3-4 feet from the open tailgate, tip it gently back until the top is resting on the tailgate, and then get at the bottom and lift and push. A blanket or a big piece of cardboard can help the game slide in, as well as helping to protect the game (and the truck, if you're worried about that). Same technique with one person, but you have to be a bit stronger and you have to be careful that the bottom doesn't slip out as you're tipping it towards the truck... this is a bigger issue with the games that have wheels at the back.

I do this too but I'm usually by myself, it's not too bad. Sometimes Ill get my wife to help but she's just there to keep it balanced while I change positions or call 911 when I get squashed.
 
THANK YOU! One of the reasons it has been so challenging to get games is because I have been moving them upright. It's a bitch to strap them in place and to get them in and out of the truck while keeping them standing. I will follow your advice on checking the components first and then starting moving them efficiently.

Yeah, even when I move them in the upright position (once or twice, when trying to cram a number of games into one truck bed) I still lay them on their back in the truck before taking them off the truck. I slide them out on their back til I can lower the bottom half to the ground, then tip it back upright. Moving them upright at all times, even while taking them off the truck, has got to be incredibly tough.

My main game mover is a Volvo station wagon. The deck is lower than a pickup, so it's fairly easy to move a game in and out. The only sorta tricky part is maneuvering the game into the right initial position so it won't hit the back door as I lower the top of the game towards the car, but will still land on the bumper so I can then lift the bottom half and shove it into the car.

I do this too but I'm usually by myself, it's not too bad. Sometimes Ill get my wife to help but she's just there to keep it balanced while I change positions or call 911 when I get squashed.

Yeah, my son helped with games quite a bit when he was small. He never lifted anything, his only job was to make sure nothing moved until I could get in a different spot. He's 17 now and it sure is nice to have an extra set of hands that can actually lift now!
 
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Welcome!

Games can definitely be moved horizontally, either on their sides or back, but there's a caveat with that: not everything inside an arcade cabinet is bolted down like it's supposed to be, so before you tip it over it is a very wise idea to open up the cabinet and check everything.

Monitors are supposed to be bolted to the cabinet, but occasionally people will undo the bolts and forget to put them back, and as soon as you tip it over the monitor shifts and bad things happen. Also, one time I moved a game and verified the monitor was bolted in place, but the chassis (the pcb for the monitor) was loose within the monitor... it shifted when I was moving the game and I didn't notice it. When I put the game back upright and plugged it in, the chassis shorted to the monitor frame and killed the monitor.

Power supplies and transformers, usually at the bottom of the cabinet, are often very heavy and if they move around they can do a lot of damage.

PCB boards are not usually very heavy but they are fragile. I sometimes just remove them and keep them in the front seat. Option B is that they are usually attached to the side of the cabinet, and so when I tip a game on its side I try to tip it toward the pcb side, so if the boards come loose they have nowhere to fall.

Coin boxes are not usually secured at all, and depending on the design they can rattle around inside when you tip a game, and if they hit the board or the neck of the monitor, you will be unhappy. I usually remove them before moving a game.

The control panel typically opens on a hinge, and usually holds the monitor glass in place. So if the control panel is not secured, it can flop open, and may allow the glass to fall out... again you will be unhappy.

As far as getting them into a truck is concerned, if you have two people it's not too hard. Just place it 3-4 feet from the open tailgate, tip it gently back until the top is resting on the tailgate, and then get at the bottom and lift and push. A blanket or a big piece of cardboard can help the game slide in, as well as helping to protect the game (and the truck, if you're worried about that). Same technique with one person, but you have to be a bit stronger and you have to be careful that the bottom doesn't slip out as you're tipping it towards the truck... this is a bigger issue with the games that have wheels at the back.

+1
Good info right here.
 
Just starting to acquire games and looking to buy some from sellers online, auctions, etc.

What is the best way to move games? I previously have used moving blankets and an appliance dolly. Getting them up to / down from a pickup truck is a nightmare. I have a trailer, but I can only move 2 games at 50mph so it's not practical for long distance shopping trips.

Most important question - can upright video games be placed horizontally to move? In other words, can you lie them down on their back for transport? Or will this cause damage?

Any other ideas based on everyone's experiences?

Only 50mph?? What are you using to haul games?

I moved 6 games in a trailer going 70mph. :eek:
 
Never strap a cabinet to the roof of a car that weighs less than the cabinet does.

(This public service announcement was sponsored by People Who Own Minis)
 
Don't forget to check if anything metal has shifted at the bottom of the game before you plug it in for the first time after moving it, quarters or loose scews on a power supply or iso transformer can ruin a working game real quick.
 
A few things I'll add to the above:

- Have moving blankets, towels, etc. available. I've seen games packed in next to each other without any sort of buffer between them abrade their sideart just from lack of cushioning and slight movement during travel.

- Remove any glass parts before transport. This typically means bezels and/or marquees. With cocktails, you're generally better off leaving the top glass in place (but with a blanket over it) in case anything falls onto it - you'll be vacuuming glass out of it, but at least it'll protect the monitor and innards.

- Pick-ups are a PITA for loading and unloading games. Station wagons are generally decent for single games, but a van (mini or full-sized) is the way to go. I'm a huge fan of the Ram Promaster and Ford Transit in this regard; low bumper height and tons of interior space with good tie-down points make them awesome for transporting games.
 
- Pick-ups are a PITA for loading and unloading games. Station wagons are generally decent for single games, but a van (mini or full-sized) is the way to go. I'm a huge fan of the Ram Promaster and Ford Transit in this regard; low bumper height and tons of interior space with good tie-down points make them awesome for transporting games.

Agreed on pickups. I rented a full sized which was nice and high off the ground, then add the extra height to a slanted driveway and that shit was no fun getting the game off. Laying it down in the bed helps a lot though. Should have went with a van.

FWIW, Enterprise is the cheapest for rentals that I've found, $45 total with insurance for a day.
 
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