Moving a machine up stairs

[Sir Headless VII]

My condo basically starts on the second floor (all there is on the first is a basement type room and a nice place to take off you jacket and shoes), and if I am to buy any more pins they would have to go on the third floor. When I bought my first pin we rented a pushcart for fridges and the like that has the little track things for going up stairs but they really didn't help much. We basically had to shove it up the stairs using pure strength and I don't really want to do it again (plus I am a physics major and doing it without any sort of clever trick bugs me). There must be a good way to get these things up stairs anyone have any hints?

[shardian]

Take the legs off, pull/push it up if you have carpeted stairs. You can always put straps on the machine so the top person has more leverage and doesn't have to bend over.

[shardian]

Personally, I think it would be sweet to rig up a battery powered winch. Attach it to a cross bar, and just cinch it up against the top landing framing around the stairs (if present).

[ChadTower]

Two guys should be able to carry a pin up stairs even if it's a DMD.  It's easier without a cart than it is with one so long as neither guy is that one who always screws up carrying heavy things on stairs.

[HaRuMaN]

physics major

unless you're a wimp

You do the math...   

[ChadTower]

The transformer takes a lot of weight out too and isn't that much effort.

I don't know about carrying a headless, glassless pin up stairs alone, just because of the bulk.  Easy with a hand truck, though.  Most of mine fit that description and I rarely have any help going in and out of the basement.  A $35 Home Depot hand truck does fine.

If you're going to buy one, though, don't get one with inflated tires.  Mine has them and it makes the thing too bouncy on stairs.

[HaRuMaN]

If you're going to buy one, though, don't get one with inflated tires.  Mine has them and it makes the thing too bouncy on stairs.

Not to mention that they always go flat... grr

[Sir Headless VII]

physics major

unless you're a wimp

You do the math...   

The implications of this post are accurate

[Jeff AMN]

I just moved a pin downstairs about 2 hours ago...

Use a hand truck. Strap it to the hand truck, count to three on each step and have the guy below push as the guy above pulls. It's easy.

[ChadTower]

Use a hand truck. Strap it to the hand truck, count to three on each step and have the guy below push as the guy above pulls. It's easy.

Heh, tried that with the last guy I moved a game with... let's just say he was impatient, didn't listen to timing instructions, and then knocked the cab off the stupid hand truck even though it was strapped down.  Some guys just aren't good at things like that.

[Pinball Wizard]

Just install a winch and ramp like I did to get up a flight and a half worth of stairs! Well maybe your condo association won't like that too much but seriously, just get a second guy (preferably strong) and carry it up. Not the easiest method but your bound to get up since you don't want to drop your treasure.

[gatordad]

http://www.teamstrap.com/?gclid=CPac0-yW9ZwCFSENDQodtWS1Pg

[ChadTower]

Without any lower back support you're looking at a major back injury if anything goes wrong or if the other guy is just bad at moving things.  Especially with a big object that prevents you from lifting with your knees.  That thing doesn't look like prevention, it looks like it will ensure an injury.

[Jeff AMN]

http://www.teamstrap.com/?gclid=CPac0-yW9ZwCFSENDQodtWS1Pg

The only problem I have with this is that if things go bad on the stairs, like if someone slips, you can't bail on the machine. With the dolly, you can always cut and run. Typically you wouldn't need to though because the stairs are bearing the majority of the weight and you can rest quite easily if someone feels like they need it.

[gatordad]

What could possibly go wrong? 

[shardian]

What could possibly go wrong? 

Ask Frizzlefried about his encounter with a simple scrape from saving a tumbling machine turning into a Staph nightmare.

[Pinball Wizard]

Don't trust appliance carts either! I had a Robotron go down an entire flight of stairs once (luckily I checked the innards for anything broken and it powered up fine). I had a come-along hooked to the appliance cart but all of the sudden the cart shifted and there went my robotron.