# SDTM Cary Hardy: Modifying a Lifting Cart for Pinball Machines

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2019-10-13  
**Duration:** 14m 15s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgfvFt_l5NU

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy from Straight Down the Middle demonstrates how to modify a basic Harbor Freight lifting cart for transporting pinball machines up stairs and around the home. The modification requires only primitive tools (no welding or drilling), costs approximately $200 total, and involves repositioning hinges to allow the cart's handlebar to move up and down for better maneuverability beneath machines. Hardy emphasizes accessibility for DIYers with limited tools and budgets, contrasting his approach with other YouTube mods that require more specialized equipment.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Existing YouTube videos showing lifting cart modifications require special tools like drills or welders — _Cary Hardy comparing his approach to other videos; acknowledges other mods exist but positions his as more accessible_
- [HIGH] Harbor Freight lifting cart base costs approximately $180, with total modification cost around $200 — _Hardy explicitly states pricing and recommends using Harbor Freight 20% or 25% discount codes_
- [HIGH] The primary limitation of stock Harbor Freight carts is the immovable handlebar that doesn't adjust vertically — _Hardy identifies the design flaw: 'since this damn cart comes with the handlebars completely erect and immovable we have to resort to modifications'_
- [MEDIUM] Bolt specifications on the cart are 1.25 by 16 millimeter, though size may vary based on cart age/model — _Hardy notes his cart is 2-3 years old and manufacturer may have changed specifications: 'they may have changed their size I cannot guarantee you that's the size that you will need'_
- [MEDIUM] The optimal cable tension 'sweet spot' occurs at approximately 45 degrees on the handlebar angle — _Hardy describes setup process: 'you want the cable to be at its full extent whenever the handlebars are at that I want to say 45 degree angle'_

### Notable Quotes

> "this hobby is that these machines are not exactly easy to do and there are a number of products out there that can help assist you lifting these things up and down stairs"
> — **Cary Hardy**, opening
> _Establishes the problem: pinball machines are difficult to move, motivating the need for transport solutions_

> "But I want to say this, that you haven't seen it like this...it will not require any, basically, special tools. Like, let's say, for instance, even a drill or a welder. This is going to be done with very primitive tools."
> — **Cary Hardy**, early
> _Core value proposition of the video: accessibility for DIYers without specialized equipment_

> "since this damn cart comes with the handlebars completely erect and immovable we have to resort to modifications"
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid
> _Identifies the specific design limitation driving the modification_

> "I use a lot of stuff from Harbor Freight because it's cheap and it gets the job done and that's all that matters"
> — **Cary Hardy**, early-mid
> _Reflects DIY ethos and budget-conscious philosophy central to the content_

> "So that's why I'm doing this guys. It's not just for certain individuals this is for those of us out there that are limited on cash and limited on the availability of tools."
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid
> _Explicitly states the target audience and accessibility mission_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cary Hardy | person | Host of Straight Down the Middle YouTube channel; presents DIY pinball maintenance and modification tutorials focused on accessibility and budget-friendly approaches |
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | YouTube channel hosted by Cary Hardy covering pinball machine restoration, modification, and maintenance |
| Harbor Freight | company | Tools and equipment retailer; primary source for budget lifting carts that Hardy modifies for pinball transport |
| Northern Tool | company | Alternative retailer mentioned as source for similar lifting carts to Harbor Freight |
| Pinside | organization | Referenced as existing online repository where lifting cart modifications have been documented for years |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pinball machine transport and handling, DIY modifications and accessibility, Budget-friendly tools and equipment sourcing
- **Secondary:** Mechanical adjustments and tuning, YouTube how-to content and community knowledge sharing

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Hardy is enthusiastic about his solution and encouraging toward the audience. Practical, helpful tone dominates. Mild frustration expressed toward the original cart design ('this damn cart') but positioned constructively as motivation for the modification.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Cary Hardy producing educational DIY content on pinball machine handling and modification, demonstrating ongoing community knowledge-sharing and accessibility focus in the hobbyist segment (confidence: high) — Entire video is structured as instructional content for home enthusiasts; explicitly designed to be accessible to people with limited tools and budgets
- **[market_signal]** Demand for affordable machine transport solutions among home collectors suggests pricing or availability gaps in commercial offerings (confidence: medium) — Hardy emphasizes budget constraints and accessibility multiple times; indicates multiple collectors are seeking affordable solutions to transport problems
- **[product_strategy]** Aftermarket lifting cart modification represents practical solution to gap between commercial machine handling solutions and budget-conscious home owner needs (confidence: medium) — Hardy references 'products out there' to help with lifting and transport, positioning this DIY approach as alternative for cost-conscious collectors

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## Transcript

 Thank you for watching. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 Thank you. Really? this hobby is that these machines are not exactly easy to lift and there are a number of products out there that can help assist you lifting these things up and down stairs or pin skates and a number of other products that are currently available that you can utilize to help you move these things throughout the home and obviously some of those products have their pros and their cons and I know that there are you out there that are going oh my goodness I know how to do this I've seen this mod before. It's been on Pinside for years, or I've even seen other videos on YouTube showing me how to do this. But I want to say this, that you haven't seen it like this. Yes, I have watched the other videos that I'm able to find on YouTube. And one thing that I will say that's going to be different about this build is that it will not require any, basically, special tools. Like, let's say, for instance, even a drill or a welder. This is going to be done with very primitive tools. So chances are, almost anybody out there can build this. The most money you're going to spend, obviously, is for the lifting cart itself, which is available at your local Harbor Freight store. If you don have a Harbor Freight around you then that sucks because Harbor Freight is like our prime destination for tools and other kind of products to help us when it comes to repairing or restoring pinball machines And I know there individuals out there that don go to Harbor Freight because it cheap or whatever But that it that why i go there because it cheap because a lot of the times i just need a simple tool to accomplish a simple task and if it gets the job done in the same fashion as something from lowes or home depot using your special whatever kind of brand tools i can't even think of a good brand tool at the top of my head because i just don't care uh let's just say DeWalt okay yeah you can buy your DeWalt drill or whatever but I guarantee you that my well I got a rigid drill so that's not a good comparison either anyways I use a lot of stuff from Harbor Freight because it's cheap and it gets the job done and that's all that matters so whether you get this type of lifting cart from Harbor Freight or from another local place like Northern Tool or something like that chances are this is the kind of thing that you're going to have to deal with and what you can do to modify it to do what we want it to do the thing is all this manufacturer would have to do is make it to where this hinge for the cart was able to be moved up and down and out of the way and then you'd have a pretty much perfect cart for lifting and moving pinball machines but since this damn cart comes with the handlebars completely erect and immovable we have to resort to modifications. Now of course if you're a welder out there and you're good with metalworks then by all means you can even improve this mod but what I'm trying to show is for those individuals that lack basically a lot of skill and when it comes to welding this is going to be something that anybody can do. So that's why I'm doing this guys. It's not just for certain individuals this is for those of us out there that are limited on cash and limited on the availability of tools. So the big chunk of money you're going to spend is I want to say it's around the $180 mark for this cart that's at Harbor Freight. Of course, always use your 20% discount code that's always available for a single item when you purchase this. So that's going to save you another, you know, let's just say 20 bucks, maybe get you the tax knocked off, you know, it's whatever, but it's always just buy the cart, use your 20% discount. If not wait for the 25% discount day that they usually have, then buy this cart. And along with that cart, all you're going to need is a couple of hinges that you'll see in the video, as well as some bolts to replace the ones that are going to be here and some washers. So along with the cart and the little bitty tools that you're going to need, you're looking at no more than 200 bucks. So let's get started. So removing the bar is pretty easy. It's just two bolts. You take them out and you're able to remove the bar. Next, you want to basically lift this cart up a little bit. That way you're able to keep it on its side and work on it. Now let's go over some of the mechanics of this cart. That way you have a better idea of what we're working with here. So this is basically the primary function that allows the cart to move up and down. This bolt and nut is what needs to be removed in order to disable that. so we'll take this out and that releases the cable that does the work this is another adjustment that you will need to make later on down the road once we get this all put together and this is one right here this is able to be moved up and down like so this will give you the ability to adjust the great cable then you have these hinges now these are hinges that I already used obviously because all I did was basically take my cart already apart that I had built and I putting it back together again So I chose these hinges because there's a bolt hole directly above that. A lot of hinges will basically be kind of crooked and they won't line up this way. So once again as you can see very primitive tools just to show you that you can do this as far as the size of these bolts that I use they are inmates 1.25 by 16 millimeter that is the size that this cart uses for this version now this is cart this card is at least two or three years old so they may have changed their size I cannot guarantee you that's the size that you will need but this is the size that I used all you do is just tighten these bolts up as tight as you can keeping this hinge vertical. This will be so much easier if I was using a drill but I'm using the primitive tools to prove a point. Now, it comes to part where you'll be using this bolt and a large washer. Feed it through the handlebar and then through the hinge. Now, this would also be easier if this hinge was flat as if it were new, but since like I said, I've already used it and it's taken a little bit of damage over the years. So I had to straighten this out in order to get the washer and nut on this. Rinse and repeat on the other side. Then you also want to make sure you tighten these things down very well. There you go. Now you have a handlebar that is able to be moved up and down. maneuverable cart. Now comes the time where it's going to be a lot of, you know, finessing on your end. I cannot tell you exactly how you're going to have to adjust your cart because they are all built a little bit differently and it may be not up to the specifications that you would prefer. But what I can tell you is that you would basically put the cable fed back through again and you can adjust this the cable to basically make it to where it is in the sweet spot and that sweet spot it will be up to you i removed the cable from this hole right here because over time it's basically kind of gotten in the way and caused issues so i just remove it from that particular hole so let's bring this baby down again Thank you Now when you use the handbrake it going to pull that mech right there which allows the cart to lower down. See that's me pulling on the handlebar. will need to adjust this accordingly. The sweet spot you want to find is right here at this angle to where the cable is at its tightest but does not automatically lower the cart. So if you have two people, one person to hold the cart right there and another person to keep that wire tight and then tighten it at that position then you should be good to go because when you raise the cart handlebars all the way up it will loosen the cable and when you lower it all the way down it will loosen the cable so you want the cable to be at its full extent whenever the handlebars are at that I want to say 45 degree angle. I'm just showing you how the cart works how you're able to move it up and down the way you are and then it can fold up on top and you can slide it up underneath the machine or anywhere else you want it. And there you go. If you want to move a machine out to work on it or move it around the house, this is how it works. There you go. Now as per usual guys, every time I do a how-to, there's going to be multiple ways that you can go about doing this. This is merely a blueprint for you to build one to this specification or to make improvements on it. By all means, do it. It's all a matter about what works for you. This works for me. It may not necessarily work for you. adjust accordingly to your satisfaction. I have had this cart and used it for many years now. It has helped me tremendously when it comes to working on machines, moving machines in and out of vehicles, to hold tools. I will show you clips right here of the things that you can also do utilizing this cart for projects. You can also utilize this cart to help you lift up your clear coating box along with playfields. I show you how to build that box on my channel. And And that's going to wrap up this video. If you like what you saw and maybe even learned something, be sure to give me that thumbs up to let me know. Have you also modified a lifting cart? If you have, let me know how you did it down in the comments below. And if you haven't already, guys, do not forget to hit that subscribe button down below. That way you can be notified whenever we upload something for your viewing pleasure. Until next time, peace out. Outro Music

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: efe6b170-e609-418e-b471-a36d6cf1495b*