question for people who put casters on their games

I use the 2" wheels from home depot. 2 fixed in the rear and 2 swivel w/brake in the front. These wheels roll good but not as good as the ones at Lowes. I prefer the home depot versions as they roll only when I want them to, meaning The cab needs to be pushed or pulled fairly hard to get them to move. Inadvertent movement has not been an issue and my games are on smooth concrete and the brakes are never applied.

For screws, I recommend using "spax" brand self tapping screws size 10 x 3/4", 10 x 7/8" or size 12 using 3/4 or 7/8" length. Super easy to install with a portable drill. Some games (nintendo, williams, taito and stern) do not have flat bottoms, but are recessed. I've had to place wood blocks as spacers to make the bottom flush with the edges before installing wheels onto these spacers. On some cabs, I've had to remove the bottom wooden base as it was too narrow to apply the wheels. If the wheels were applied to base the cab was unstable. After removing the base, I installed (2) 4 x 4 blocks of wood painted black and added the wheels to those to achieve the correct look and height (zekes peak and qbert)

The only drawback is I no longer have use of the leg levellers, so I have to shim a wheel with cardboard to make it level on occasion. I prolly could have kept the levellers in when I applied the wheels, but didnt think about it while modding my cabs and now its too late. Still I'm extremely pleased how everything turned out. Moving games for maintenance or just to rearrange the garcade for a fresh look is such a breeze.

Tom

Doesn't this make the cab slide around while you're playing it? If it does that would drive me batty.
 
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Casters

I have thought about doing that myself, becaus they are on hardwood floors and I dont have help all the time to move them. I wonder though about them being level. I guess Im wondering If that seems to be a problem.
 
If on hard wood floors, I'd recommend the rubber wheel rather than the polycarbonate to protect your flooring. Levelling the cabs is easy. Depending how far off it is, I just cut a small piece of cardboard and stack if necessary, then use it to shim up the low spot on the floor and pull the wheel onto it and that solves the problem. I'd imagine not having to deal with this if our games were on carpet. If curious, try doing one and see how you like it. I've done this mod to 30+ games or so. Its been alot of work, but worth it. My candy cabs are on wheels, the ease of moving them was the inspiration to do the same for my arcade classics.

Tom

I have thought about doing that myself, becaus they are on hardwood floors and I dont have help all the time to move them. I wonder though about them being level. I guess Im wondering If that seems to be a problem.
 
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How much overall does this add to your cabinet height?


I use the 2" wheels from home depot. 2 fixed in the rear and 2 swivel w/brake in the front. These wheels roll good but not as good as the ones at Lowes. I prefer the home depot versions as they roll only when I want them to, meaning The cab needs to be pushed or pulled fairly hard to get them to move. Inadvertent movement has not been an issue and my games are on smooth concrete and the brakes are never applied.
 
I have hand scraped wood floors and use the teflon leg levelers on all my cabs. They work great and don't mar the floor.

If a games slides too much then you put those rubber furniture leg cups under them and they won't slide at all. Just tilt the game slightly and put those under the front 2 legs.
 
I have all of mine on the 3" wheels from Home Depot. 2 locking in the front and 2 non locking in the rear, all swivel to make it easier to turn it around in tight spots. Highly recommended so when you need to get in the back of the cab you're not damaging the cab or the floor dragging it across the floor. they will also make the game higher so you won't have to crouch to play so much either! Makes rearanging them much easier and faster too!
They don't just roll away unless your on a steep driveway or something. They do have to be given a good push or pull to get moving so playing is not a problem. Make sure you use the same exact type wheels when you mount them, There are a few different kinds and if you put 2 different ones at the front or the back it may cause the cab to rock a little because of suttle difference in wheel size. For the lighter cabs you can buy wheels that will fit in the leg leveler t nut hole. I recomend adding a fender washer and a nut on the inside of the cab for these because the wood of the cab can get stressed while moving the cab causing the nut to fall out and your wheel with it! Heavier cabs get the wheels with the flat plate top and screw them in place making sure the wheel can swivel around 360 degrees without hitting anything on the underside of the cab and place them as close to the corners as possible to keep it stable. I have had to add the 2x4's to a few games too when they have a base under the floor of the cab. Otherwise your mounting the wheels too far in to clear the sidewall and the cab will not be stable and it might even fall over if it's leaning enough.
 
I have thought about doing that myself, becaus they are on hardwood floors and I dont have help all the time to move them. I wonder though about them being level. I guess Im wondering If that seems to be a problem.

You know how if you put a table on an uneven floor, it rocks back and forth a little bit? Arcade machines do that too. If you have a carpeted gameroom it doesn't crop up, but if your games are sitting on a hard floor it becomes a real issue.
 
The closer you get to the corners of the cab when you mount the wheel the less chance it will rock. Most of mine are in the garage on concrete and they don't rock at all.
 
This is really looking like a great idea. I have one game that had casters when i bought it. It is so handy when i need to move it. That game has never worked so i don't know if it will effect game play. It should be easy to throw a couple of those cups under it though if needed.

The one thing i have noticed though, is it can make it a bit more difficult to work with on a two wheeler, though often this is a problem with games with leg levelers as well.

One other major advantage (especially for me) is it would give a couple of inches of protection for those of us who have an occasional water problem. Every once in a while after a huge flood, i get a little bit of water on the floor (though i had it mostly fixed before i moved the games to the basement) It's still a possibility that i could get a little bit there again, though even in the worst days, my basement never saw anywhere near 2" of water. This could really be a life saver for me.
 
Yes that is another benefit. your up off the floor if water comes in under the garage door during a good storm or if you spring a leak someplace I've got atleast 3" off the floor before it gets to the cab. I've even used the space underneath as storage for misc parts from time to time. If you're trying to work on a game and it's moving then lock one or both wheels and it won't move anymore.
 
The only thing I see it being awkward with are upright driving games that have pedals on the floor. Having to put your foot up in the air a bit to hit the gas might just feel wrong.
 
Yes I ran into this very issue with Pole Position. The pedal is indeed up 2" off the ground and it feels all wrong and awkward. The solution I came up with is to make a 2" tall floor board to sit in front of the game so your feet are elevated to the correct height for the game. I've been meaning to make one and paint it black and put rubber on top, but havent gotten to it yet. My lazy interim solution is a couple short 2 x 4's under the pedal, extended out far enough to also rest my heel. I've also placed a stool in front of PP to make it a sitdown driver even though its a standup. Works great. I'll post pics of this also.

regards,
Tom

The only thing I see it being awkward with are upright driving games that have pedals on the floor. Having to put your foot up in the air a bit to hit the gas might just feel wrong.
 
Casters

Thats some good info. Im thinking this might be a real good idea. I will get around to it as soon as I finish my projects.
 
I have casters on two of my games. One game has them from the factory and the other were put on prior to my buying it. In both cases the game does not budge when playing and moves pretty easily when i try to move them. Only down side is moving a game with casters standing up in a box truck. Man do they want to roll all over. Have to strap them good or else.
 
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