Stair Climbing dollys advice needed.

Malice95

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So I've been moving a bunch of machines in and out of the basement
lately. I've paid a friends kid $300 so far in the past month ($100 per)
to help move games in an out. Its a real PIA getting them up the steps.
I've thought about rigging something up like a winch or ripping the dam
stairs out and building a redneck elevator, but those ideas don't seem practical:)

So... I'm thinking about buying a stair climbing dolly. What ones do
you guys recommend? What ones should I stay away from? Is it something
I can actually operate by myself (with a game on it) safely?

What features should I be looking for? And finally... where is the best place
to buy one of these?

Thanks,
Mike
 
Let me get this straight... you paid a neighbors kid $100 PER CAB to move up/down out of your gameroom? Damn. I wish I was local. I do that for my friends for free...

Anyway... I know that QUICKSILVER here has one. I've not seen him use it but it's my understanding it can be handled single-handed...
 
Let me get this straight... you paid a neighbors kid $100 PER CAB to move up/down out of your gameroom? Damn. I wish I was local. I do that for my friends for free...

Anyway... I know that QUICKSILVER here has one. I've not seen him use it but it's my understanding it can be handled single-handed...

No not per cab... Per time helping.. we would move 2ish up and 3ish down each time.
 
No not per cab... Per time helping.. we would move 2ish up and 3ish down each time.

The End of Line arcade has a neat setup with a winch and some plywood set up. Hooks the wench to the dollie and a battery pack *the type to jump start a car* and up up and away. He will probably send you some pics if you ask.
 
Watching this thread as my only access to my game room is via stairs ... And it has always been lots if manual labor getting them in and out!
 
I set up a winch and ramp when I moved... ran it off jumpstart batteries. I posted a thread about it a few years ago (along with a bunch of other stuff I used): http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=142622 . I still have it in my shed, and I use it when I need to move a big game in or out of the basement, but luckily it's been a while since I've needed to do that. :)

DogP
 
I rented a motorized stair climbing hand truck a year or two ago from a place that rents equipment to movie and tv shows in Burbank. I think it was $70 for 24 hours. I managed to get maybe 3 machines up the stairs and 3 down the stairs. It took some getting used to but I did every one by myself except for the Battlezone. That was the first one I tried doing and I was not able to get the hang of balancing it properly and fortunately someone came along to help me with that game.

Some keys to success with this machine are to properly strap the game to the truck, and to learn to control the motor so that once you get it up a stair, you can use the lift to catch the next step and hold the game in place. You'll see what I mean if you ever try this at home...

A good motorized stair climbing truck is not cheap. However, every once in a while one comes up for sale on Ebay for a very good price. Shipping can be an issue though.

Try renting one first to see if it's for you. This was the company and the truck I rented:

http://stairtruckrental.com/
 
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I hate stairs.. If I had to deal with them very much, I would get a stair climber for sure.. NAVL had a really nice one that I saw last time the were here..
 
Let me know if you need anything moved when I stop over for the stuff I purchased. I can help you with it and it won't cost you the good neighbor rate your getting.
 
chrizg on here has one that works really well, first time I ever saw one in action. He was able to manhandle machines up and down stairs like there was no tomorrow. Even had a retractable strap like a seat belt buckle. Maybe check with him on what brand his is, and get some pointers.
 
Oohh.. $1700 shipped for the Escalera. Hmm I might just keep paying the kid.
Or find a used one.

Anyone selling there's?
 
This discussion came up on the EM pinball group I'm in and one guy made a huge point..... They may be expensive, but it's still cheaper than the back or hernia surgery.
 
for $100 a game I'll cone over and haul them up for you. I move mine up and down the stairs by myself with a regular appliance dolly. The only time I get help is with cockpits.
Man up!
 
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Going down is really easy. I've moved a ton down by myself including a super off road.
Coming up is a completely different story.
 
Up, Up and Away!

My game room is upstairs (yikes!). I bought a 1300 lb. electric hoist from Harbor Freight Tools for about $130 and mounted to the wall. I secured it to the rafters behind the wall with metal straps. I built a foldable track with padding so it doesn't scratch the hardwood stairs.

I also built a game dolly with carpeted runners and fixed wheels that roll in the track. I secure the game to the dolly with four motorcycle type straps. It works very well. I can bring the games upstairs by myself.

I learned a few thinigs when I did this. My first version was a manual mechanical winch. I found out there is a difference...a hoist is a better choice than a winch because it is desinged to lift and is more durable. Also, the mechanical winch requried hundreds of turns to move a tiny bit. The electric hoist takes all the work out of it.

My next house, I plan to have a basement with a way to lower games with a hoist straight up and down a shaft. That would sure beat stairs.
 
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