Protecting your games from the elements while moving

gfschn01

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Protecting your games from the elements while moving

How do you protect your games when moving them in poor weather? Considering how popular this hobby is, has someone made a deluxe size zip lock bag to cover your game? Didn't know if there is one preferred method over another. I'll be making a run to the Chicago area for my last pickup of the winter and want to be prepared for some harsh crap. I'm basically a fair weather mover.
 
I have a big plastic bag cover thing came off a sofa that I had moved..wraps an arcade great. then i take moving blankets and wrap it with moving plastic..then put a tarp over it...its waterprrof at that point..


Goodluck with the move


its been raining here alot so it seems to work fine for me
 
I moved a game last Tuesday night on a 3+ hour drive and on the way down hit a few pockets of snow. I was worried on the drive back when I had the game. I didn't cover it up at first (mistake) but then stopped on the side of the highway to do a half a$$ attempt at covering in the dark. It started having some snowy/rainy mix depending on where you were. So then I stopped at the first gas station to tie the tarp down very tightly with bungee straps strapped on very, very tightly to keep the tarp secure. It worked well and fortunately ended up with no damage due to weather.

I just recommend if there is any chance whatsoever of weather related damage, deal with it before you leave instead of during the inclement weather.
 
I have a big plastic bag cover thing came off a sofa that I had moved..wraps an arcade great. then i take moving blankets and wrap it with moving plastic..then put a tarp over it...its waterprrof at that point..


Goodluck with the move


its been raining here alot so it seems to work fine for me

Great idea. I will try that next time. It's just a pain to do all the prep work so I guess I'm a gambler and was hoping to avoid it.
 
I have a big plastic bag cover thing came off a sofa that I had moved..wraps an arcade great. then i take moving blankets and wrap it with moving plastic..then put a tarp over it...its waterprrof at that point..


Goodluck with the move


its been raining here alot so it seems to work fine for me

Thanks! May hit up a furniture store this weekend.
 
I moved some of my games in the rain i went to the uhual store and bought the giant roll of Saran wrap. It's cheaper there then the other stores I checked like home depot and lowes. I put a moving blanket around the top letting hang over the sides then I wrapped it really good top to bottom making sure to overlap it and once I wrapped it once I went over it a 2nd time. That stuff is awesome holds up in high winds. Also you can add any padding you want the wrap will hold it in place it does not stick to the game so leaves no sticky mess on the cab.
 
I moved some of my games in the rain i went to the uhual store and bought the giant roll of Saran wrap. It's cheaper there then the other stores I checked like home depot and lowes. I put a moving blanket around the top letting hang over the sides then I wrapped it really good top to bottom making sure to overlap it and once I wrapped it once I went over it a 2nd time. That stuff is awesome holds up in high winds. Also you can add any padding you want the wrap will hold it in place it does not stick to the game so leaves no sticky mess on the cab.

One roll worked for a double wrap?
 
We covered this in Pins and Vids 2. This works really well. Get a large tarp, spend the extra money for the thicker type that are brown on one side and silver on the other. The tarp needs to be able to cover the whole game with it sitting in the middle. Pull the tarp up over the machine and use the wide stretch wrap all over it until you get to the bottom. Put many wraps around it. Use some box tape to tape up where you break the wrap so the wind doesn't blow it off. Put it on the truck and then wrap the bottom. I moved my Big Ball Bowler from MI to GA with all of the parts like this and hit some bad rain in SC. Not a drop hit the game. The guy I got the game from thought I was crazy but it was totally worth it.

I had a friend get caught in the rain with a nice Track & field game and when he pulled it off, it pulled apart because of the pressboard breaking down.
 
I am surprised I didn't think of the sofa bag thing, being as I work at a furniture store. We keep a tight leash on ours, though. Plastic sheeting used for painting and such would work also. Due to my current remodel, my games are all covered in the stuff. Making it reasonably weatherproof would not be difficult.
 
Garbage bag draped over the top, moving wrap from top to bottom, covered in a tarp, and then ratchet strapped in place if I'm expecting rain.
 
Where in Ky are you? There are a few places around town where you can pick up rolls of shrink wrap. I buy 1500 foot rolls by the case of 4.

If standing a game I wrap a general layer then start from the bottom and overlap going up so that it sheds water. Run down the leg levelers to raise the games so anything flowing through the truck bed pleats will go under it. I have also sat a game on a square of plastic tarp then wrapped the flaps of the tarp up in the shrink wrap to better protect it.

If I am going to lay a game down and am expecting rain I either wrap it or I completely tarp it and wrap it. I do like to slide a couple of 2x4s under it to keep it out of water in the bed.
 
I've moved several games, organs, and other pieces of furniture in my truck bed through pouring rain (just the other day even in Houston) and never had them get wet. I usually start with a packing blanket on the bed to give it something to slide on and provide a little cushion. I then take my 12'x24' tarp and lay it flat on the packing blanket. The game is layed on the tarp, slid into place, and the tarp wrapped up so that all flaps are pointing towards the tailgate (since it's so large you can double up the wrapping); the flaps can be duct-taped if you think they might blow open. Bungee around and over it a few times and you're good to go.

This past trip I tried a roll of shrink wrap from U-Haul and it worked great (I didn't have my tarp available). Two or three wrappings with that on all sides and no water got through at all. If you're going through serious weather, combine the shrink wrap and tarp and you should be bulletproof.

LeChuck
 
Luckily I have a truck with a shell... but shrink-wrap is the key to success when it comes to moving games exposed... a lot of it... and start at the bottom and work your way up so the seams face down.
 
I usually just let the rain wash the dirt off. Joe likes to wrap those rascals:

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We went through some heavy rains on the way back to Houston. The cabs were fine. The rain just washed the pidgen sh*t off the GnG and Ring King.

Should have left the plastic off the DK.
Before:
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After:
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The after picture looks better than it really is. I had sprayed some Lysol onto it and was letting it soak...

ken
 
Where did you find a game so dirty?
You guys make me glad I have a enclosed trailer, no need for all the shrink wrap just have to put the kids race car in the barn.
 
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