Tips on Lifting Arcade Into Pickup Truck?

[Charles4400]

I've never moved a full sized arcade onto a pickup and really have no idea how heavy they are.
(Built my mame cab with parts that came in the mail and put it together with wheels so never needed to lift it)

I'm thinking of going to an Arcade auction and renting a pickup to bring home the goods.

Question is:
Is it difficult to get an Arcade onto the pickup?
How many people does it usually take? Can 1 average sized guy do it?

How do you all move them?

Any tips on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
-Charles

[CheffoJeffo]

Expect a weight of 350 pounds (your average cabinet will weigh less, but 350 is a good, safe, number).

I would expect that you can find help to load at the auction, but count on wanting 2 guys to load ... and then you probably want one friend and a hand cart, or two friends without a cart, to unload,

[DashRendar]

I wouldn't attempt doing it yourself- even if you could lift that weight, it's bulky.  Two to three people should be all it takes.

Loading it on a truck isn't too bad.  You can move it standing up, or laying flat on its back (in most cases).  Normally you just lean it against the gate of the truck (assuming it can handle the weight) and start lifting.

The trick is unloading it.  An appliance dolly might be a good idea, and doesn't cost much to rent.  If you don't have that, you can try to ease it down, having two guys on the ground, and one up top to tip it back.  Might be better to unload it on the grass rather than pavement, where if it falls it won't impact it as hard.

Good luck!

[Vicious Burger]

I stood mine up with its back to the tailgate about 3 feet away from it. (assuming the back of the cabinet is flat,if not, then sideways if its flat that way) I then lowered it down so it was resting on the tailgate at an angle (with a padded moving blanket on the tailgate,and one on the ground at the bottom rear of the cabinet so the corners dont scrape on the ground)
Then once it is leaning against the tailgate,when you lift from the bottom you won't be lifting the whole weight of it, you just have to get it up and level with the bed then slide it in on the blanket. Do the reverse of this to get it off the truck.

[Dartful Dodger]

Bend your knees and keep your back straight.

[EwJ]

I've never moved a full sized arcade onto a pickup

I doubt anyone has.  There would be nothing left of the pickup.
Maybe these guys can help.

[mvsfan]

I've never moved a full sized arcade onto a pickup and really have no idea how heavy they are.
(Built my mame cab with parts that came in the mail and put it together with wheels so never needed to lift it)

I'm thinking of going to an Arcade auction and renting a pickup to bring home the goods.

Question is:
Is it difficult to get an Arcade onto the pickup?
How many people does it usually take? Can 1 average sized guy do it?

How do you all move them?

Any tips on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
-Charles

I bought one in Georgia and brought it in the back of my truck.

Main thing to do is this. Set it down as close to your tailgate as you can get it and slide it up slowly using the tailgate as a lever.

One person can do it that way, although its so much better with two.

two people can definately handle moving a cabinet.

Id always recommend two people for loading it. and god help you if you have to take it up some stairs.

thankfully, i can drive down to my basement so that was not an issue. I dont have a clue how you would do something like that. a chain hoist  and a balcony perhaps? heh.

[Vicious Burger]

I've never moved a full sized arcade onto a pickup and really have no idea how heavy they are.
(Built my mame cab with parts that came in the mail and put it together with wheels so never needed to lift it)

I'm thinking of going to an Arcade auction and renting a pickup to bring home the goods.

Question is:
Is it difficult to get an Arcade onto the pickup?
How many people does it usually take? Can 1 average sized guy do it?

How do you all move them?

Any tips on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
-Charles

Main thing to do is this. Set it down as close to your tailgate as you can get it and slide it up slowly using the tailgate as a lever.

Problem with getting it too close to the tailgate,is that when you try to lift it,the bottom will flip out towards you. Best to have it a couple feet away from it at least so that when you start to lift,it is already balanced more or less,weight-wise.

[bkenobi]

The pros would use a tailgate lift and move the cab standing up.  I've moved a total of 4 cabs in my pickup.  I laid the first 2 on their backs and used cardboard and/or plywood to keep from damaging things while loading/unloading.  The last 2 I moved at once and, if I remember correctly, I had them both standing up for the main part of the move (both cabs to my house) and laid one on it's side for the last part (second cab to my buddy's house). 

I've also moved a couple pinball machines.  The one thing I can warn about when moving a cab upright or a pinball with it's legs on (DON'T DO THIS!), is to make sure you secure your load VERY well and watch corners.  I was paranoid about rolling the truck with those cabs back there.  I nearly lost the pinball when I went over a speed bump (slowly).  When the weight is that high, a small corner can cause very large amount of roll in your suspension.

Basically...be careful.   

[tommyinajar]

It also makes a difference if it is an s10 or a 4X4 F250. The lower the tailgate is the better.

Use good tie downs (plural) with strong anchors. Secure it differently of course depending if can is standing or laying down.

Watch the cables that hold the tailgate I have had them snap not when the arcade game is on there but when I jumped up on there. Scary- Make sure they are in good shape.

If you can use a hill to lower the truck that helps. To get my super sprint I backed up on a grassy hill so the tail gate was almost level with the parking lot !!

[Vicious Burger]

Yeah for loading any big items i like to back the truck up at the bottom of the sloping driveway(if there is one!) with the wheels touching the curb so the tailgate is only like a foot off the ground.

[TOK]

How many people does it usually take? Can 1 average sized guy do it?

I usually have a helper, but have moved games by myself a couple of times. Here is what I do.
First, make sure there is nothing loose in the machine, because its easiest to move it on its back. Check the monitor, pull out the coin door, look at the bottom to make sure everything is secure.

Bring a thick blanket that you don't care about.

I put the blanket in the bed, hanging right at the edge of the open tailgate. Back the cabinet right up to the back of the machine so that its just touching the blanket.

Where you grab the cab varies due to the shape, but for a basic Dynamo, get on whatever side you favor with one hand in the open coin door and one on the side of the marquee area.

Push and pivot the machine up using the tailgate as the pivot. The blanket will let it slide easier than you think.

Since the machine is flat on its back, its much easier to unload, as you'll be sliding it out and letting it pivot right down onto the wheels/feet.

As someone else mentioned, the lower the truck the easier this process is. When I got my first cab, I had a 2wd Chevy S-10. I could have loaded and unloaded cabs alone in that truck all day. The low bed caught the cab below its center of gravity and it tips right back. The truck I have now is 4wd and much higher, so this process is now One And Done for me. Far preferable to bring a friend. 

[HaRuMaN]

Has Chad seen this?

[CrazyKongFan]

I've loaded/unloaded 2 cabs in the back of a GMC pickup (I think it's a fullsize one, not 100% sure, as it was my dad's). One was an empty cab (I bought for MAME) and one was a Midway Gaplus (complete). It took a couple of us to get the Gaplus up in the bed, but I unloaded it by myself. I think I loaded the empty cab myself, although even though it was stripped (no monitor), it was still heavy. I laid it on its back. I unloaded that one by myself too, but it was a little harder, as there's no wheels on it like on the Gaplus cab.

[ChadTower]

Has Chad seen this?

I have now.   

Check to see if the place has a loading dock.  That will save you the trouble of loading.

Offloading, get the cab on its back in the bed.  Then just lever it down off the tailgate as described above.  An average sized man in good health should be able to do that if you take your time and use caution.

[bkenobi]

Oh, one other thing that could save you a big PITA down the road.  If the marque section slopes off to the back (making a point at the top-front of the cabinet), be careful about loading it into the truck.  If you put it on it's back with the top pointing forward, the top of the cab may not have anything to rest on other than the rear window glass of the pickup.  DO NOT MOVE IT THIS WAY!  Once you tighten it down, you will just be waiting for the first bump in the road to shatter your window.  If the cab is built this way, your best options are to stand it up, put it on it's side, or, best but hardest, put the bottom of the cab facing forward.

You have been warned!

[DashRendar]

While it CAN be done with one person, it just seems extremely dangerous to do so.

[ChadTower]

That's a vending machine warning sticker.  They weigh a lot more than a vid.

[Billy_Goatfeet]

I've never moved a full sized arcade onto a pickup

I doubt anyone has.  There would be nothing left of the pickup.
Maybe these guys can help.

Hehehe, I knew someone would go here....

[DashRendar]

That's a vending machine warning sticker.  They weigh a lot more than a vid.

Yep, I was trying to be witty.    But it does help illustrate the point of the dangers of moving it yourself.

Going off on a tangent, I wonder if anyone has ever put a vending machine in their home game room, for that arcade feel?  Heh.

[Charles4400]

Hey thanks everyone, appreciate the experience of all those with their backs still intact!

I'll try to get some friends on board with me but if I can;t its good to know that it's at least possible to get it on alone...though I'm kind of steering away from that unless I have no choice. I'm an average size guy but can't lift 350 lbs...

Again thanks, all the posts gave me alot to consider!

[ChadTower]

You don't have to lift 350lb to load a game onto a truck.  The tailgate is a lever.  I'd be surprised if it requires the ability to lift half that weight.

[smalltownguy]

Yeah, I've lifted a few full cabs in and out of my truck too. It's not exactly a cream puff operation, but as long as you have proper footing and be careful, there's no reason you can't do it. Park it next to the tailgate, tip it towards the tailgate, and once it's leaning against the tailgate, just lift up on the base and slide it in. Removal is the reverse of loading: slide it out, tip it to the ground and tilt it to standing.

[DillonFoulds]

Man, people are putting waaaayyyyy to much in to this thread, just load it and go!

[tommyinajar]

 Seriously, if you have a dolly and can get the truck tailgate low enough , like 2ft, you hardly have to "lift" anything.

Instead of using the gate as a lever, dragging it up backwards, just tilt the dolly back far enough so the front of the cab catches the end of the tailgate.

Now "push" the dolly up and the cab will be 3/4th's the way on the tailgate. Push it forward the rest and then swing it around and tie her down.

That is the easiest way for one man operation , short of a lift, to get it done 

[Dartful Dodger]

That's a vending machine warning sticker.  They weigh a lot more than a vid.

Falling off the back of a pickup, the result would be equally bad.

[CheffoJeffo]

Man, people are putting waaaayyyyy to much in to this thread, just load it and go!

FWIW, I think that reading advice, particularly quality detailed advice as TOK provides, is a good thing.

I have unloaded and moved every machine that I own, by myself (including that stupid 800 lb Dynamo showcase!). It isn't a particularly wise practice, but is definitely possible and I am physically large enough to keep control of cabinets on even a crappy dolly without straps.

Sounds great, but I have killed at least one good 25" monitor (and it is still sitting on the floor in my shop awaiting attention) by following the "just load it and go" route.

ALWAYS check your cabinet for loose items and ALWAYS check for secure mounting.

 

[CrazyKongFan]

Going off on a tangent, I wonder if anyone has ever put a vending machine in their home game room, for that arcade feel?  Heh.

Yeah, people have vending machines in their home arcades. I know at least 2 people that have them in their basements

[Vicious Burger]

Yeah, I've lifted a few full cabs in and out of my truck too. It's not exactly a cream puff operation, but as long as you have proper footing and be careful, there's no reason you can't do it. Park it next to the tailgate, tip it towards the tailgate, and once it's leaning against the tailgate, just lift up on the base and slide it in. Removal is the reverse of loading: slide it out, tip it to the ground and tilt it to standing.

Exactly how i did it.

[mvsfan]

That's a vending machine warning sticker.  They weigh a lot more than a vid.

Your not kidding. My uncle bought 2 old coke machines from the 70s or so. Big monster things they were. Then the wife started poking him to get rid of them after they sat there for 2 years.

it took 3 of us to move each one. it took One very big guy that you thought could have handled it alone, and two other people to help keep the weight off of him.

[Vicious Burger]

That's a vending machine warning sticker.  They weigh a lot more than a vid.

Your not kidding. My uncle bought 2 old coke machines from the 70s or so. Big monster things they were. Then the wife started poking him to get rid of them after they sat there for 2 years.

it took 3 of us to move each one. it took One very big guy that you thought could have handled it alone, and two other people to help keep the weight off of him.

I helped a guy move a 7ft tall  vending machine a few months ago. It was in the office about 6 or 7 steps up from ground level. There was a label on the back showing the weight,basically a quarter of a ton ! We had it on an appliance dolly and it took 2 guys at each side to guide it down the stairs so that it didnt run away from us. Once we got it to the truck, 2 of us got it on by the tilt and pivot method mentioned above and slid it in on a moving blanket. First and last time i want to touch one of those beasts.