Standing up games in a pickup truck

TheDrewster

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I will be venturing off tomorrow into a 2-way hour drive with what may be a storm coming. Lucky me, I will probably drive through the epicenter of the storm. I plan to pick up an Asteroids upright and a Millipede cocktail and possibly a Bally Surf Club Bingo Pin and 2-3 trips will hurt the gas tank. I have a 1994 Mazda B4000 LE Extended cab truck (no, its not a pussy truck, thank you) and 1 game laying down takes up nearly the whole bed.

If worse comes to worse and I have to find a way to transport 2 games at the same time, what would be the absolute safest way to stand the Asteroids upright? I am already preparing for the rain with stretchwrap and tarps, but I would rather not see my newly acquired Asteroids take a tumble onto the Washoe Valley highway.

...Or should I just stop bitching about gas and time and just make 3 trips?
 
Just get a number of ratchet tie downs. Folks transport games standing up in trucks all the time. If it's gonna be raining though you might consider putting something under the games so they don't sit directly on the bed of the truck where the water might pool up. 2x4's work good. I usually push one game up against the cab and put a ratchet tie down around it pulling it toward the cab. Then I put another tie down going over the top of the game. Then I push the other game up against the first. Put another ratchet tie down pulling this game tight against the other. Again add another tie down going over the top of this game.
 
I have moved 3 at a time by tying them together and then attaching them to the truck. Did not lose any. YMMV. No fast turns. Check ur rear view.
 
we did it recently with two and it was hair raising, mainly due to our lack of experience.
 
Standing up

I do it almost every day. I have had no issues. I usually leave my Refrig dolly strapped to the one against the cab and put a strap accross it to keep it from toppling. then keep putting more up against it. No big deal. Keep it under 100 mph and you should be fine. I stand them up on my trailers also. Have not lost one yet.

Here was one last week.

Photo-0554.jpg
 
Lash 'em together pretty good if you stand them all up...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21428368@N02/3063074614/in/photostream/

One thing I've found that works good is to lay them against the side of the bed. You know, just laying back, with the base of the cab down in the bed against one side and the top of the cab up and hanging out the other side.

You can get three of them in some trucks like this. To make a fourth, you need to stand one up. (or have two hanging off the tailgate....

K
 
I have moved 3 at a time by tying them together and then attaching them to the truck. Did not lose any. YMMV. No fast turns. Check ur rear view.
Ditto on this, also watch out for that other asshole. I was hauling 3 upright when a dumbass cut in front of me so he could stop and turn and I had to lock em up. The games stayed upright and didnt recieve any damage, but the weight of the games pushing on the front of the bed bowed it in almost against the cab
 
Last story I heard about someone standing up cabs on here taught me a lesson. Take your marquees out, the wind blows them right off the cab apparently.
 
One more thing--if you are moving a game with good artwork, watch out for bugs/tar/rocks/etc. Some plastic wrap (the green stuff you can get at Uhaul stores) works wonders. If you can't cover a game up, you can face it backwards, which should provide some protection to the front and sides. I'd rather have a chunk taken out of the back door than crack a marquee.
 
Make sure the monitors are nice and tight inside the cab, I hate to see a monitor or chassis vibrate off and come crashing down. JMO. If its easy take out bezel, marquee ect if it has a chance of blowing out. I know you said you were using pallet wrap but it could crack or wiggle out just take precautions. Those are just a couple of things I have seen happen.

Good luck.


Take Pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I would think you could cary the cocktail and the pin in 1 load. So that would be 2 trips.

You could lay the asteroids across the side wall. I have done that no problem in a full size truck. Never tried it on a smaller truck.

Asteroids has a good shape for strapping it down stadning up.
 
I've carried 4 cabs in the back of my truck before with one of them being a sitdown driver. Just make sure you have plenty of straps. If you have shrink wrap, wrap them up and tarp them.
 
Just make sure it is well strapped and doesn't look dangerous. The cops around here are crazy about bad loads and will give out tickets quick. I guess there was a fatality last year involving a spilled load from a pickup.
 
If you are going to strap them all together for stability, put them back to back. And some kind of padding between them is still a good idea. As you drive, they will shift and rub holes in the side art if that is where they make contact.
 
Ratchet straps, and something between the cabs so they don't rub each other's artwork.

And since we're posting pictures:
5575_1172390342483_1009765012_30546746_6623819_n.jpg
 
If you are going to strap them all together for stability, put them back to back. And some kind of padding between them is still a good idea. As you drive, they will shift and rub holes in the side art if that is where they make contact.

+2 on Back to Back. Also don't just lash them to the truck, lash them together then they have a vested interest in staying put ("if you go I go too").

Look into renting a UHaul trailer. You can get a covered one fairly cheap since you pay by time and not miles. Then you can get everything in one trip and put the best things inside out of the weather. The cost will be offset by gas savings.

ken
 
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