How I Set Up My Pinball Machines - Solo!

Cary Hardy·video·6m 25s·analyzed·Mar 29, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.013

TL;DR

Solo pinball setup method using a $20 folding stool as a lifting device.

Summary

Cary Hardy demonstrates a practical solo method for setting up and disassembling pinball machines using a $20 folding stool from Walmart as a lifting device. He details the technique of lifting the cabinet onto the stool to access leg attachment points, emphasizing it works for most machines but may not be ideal for Gottlieb System 3s with flush bottoms. Hardy notes this method has been successfully used on heavy games including a Godzilla LE and Jersey Jack Guns N' Roses.

Key Claims

A $20 folding Walmart stool can safely lift pinball machines for solo setup/disassembly
high confidence · Direct demonstration with detailed explanation of technique; claimed to work on heavy machines
Jersey Jack Guns N' Roses is the heaviest game Hardy has ever lifted
high confidence · Direct personal statement with comparative experience noted
The method is not recommended for Gottlieb System 3s due to flush cabinet bottom
high confidence · Explicit safety caveat based on cabinet design differences
The method is easier with two people but can be done solo
high confidence · Personal experience; Hardy notes Guns N' Roses required assistance even with the device
Hardy successfully used this method at Pinball Expo on a Godzilla LE
high confidence · Direct reference to previous video documentation

Notable Quotes

“I showed this method to a few friends at the festival. They didn't trust it at first, but I made a believer out of them.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:29 — Demonstrates credibility of the method despite initial skepticism from experienced pinball enthusiasts
“Jersey Jack Guns N' Roses, which is by far the heaviest game that I have ever lifted up. That definitely required assistance, even using this little device”
Cary Hardy@ 1:55 — Establishes upper limits of the stool method's capacity and honest assessment of limitations
“So this little $20 stool that you can get at walmart and the paint section folds up. It's compact, cheap, and oddly enough, pretty damn sturdy.”
Cary Hardy@ 3:18 — Core product recommendation; emphasizes accessibility and practicality
“this method i also found out is not recommended for your Gottlieb system 3's at least because the lip from the cabinet is definitely a big plus on stability but the Gottlieb system 3's have a pretty flush bottom”
Cary Hardy@ 2:41 — Important safety caveat based on machine-specific design considerations

Entities

Cary Hardyperson Texas Pinball Festivalevent Pinball Expoevent Godzilla LEgameJersey Jack Guns N' RosesgameWorld Cup SoccergameGottlieb System 3game

Signals

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community_signal: Hardy was directly asked about solo setup methods at Texas Pinball Festival, indicating community interest in accessibility solutions for machine handling
high · so this method i also found out is not recommended for your Gottlieb system 3's at least because the lip from the cabinet is definitely a big plus on stability but the Gottlieb system 3's have a pretty flush bottom
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technology_signal: Development and demonstration of accessible DIY methods for solo pinball machine setup using inexpensive commodity tools
medium · So this little $20 stool that you can get at walmart and the paint section folds up. It's compact, cheap, and oddly enough, pretty damn sturdy.

Topics

Pinball machine setup and maintenance techniquesprimarySolo vs. team machine handling and safety considerationsprimaryAffordable DIY solutions for pinball enthusiastsprimaryMachine-specific design considerations affecting handlingsecondaryPinball event logistics and transportationsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Hardy is enthusiastic and encouraging about sharing a practical solution. Tone is conversational and helpful. Demonstrates confidence in the method through personal experience while being appropriately cautious about limitations.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.019

okay guys so I'm still setting up my machines from Texas pinball festival at my house I took I took a day off so I'm finally getting things into position again I figured I was gonna show you guys how to go about setting up your pinball machine or disassembling is this work both ways I showed this method to a few friends at the festival. They didn't trust it at first, but I made a believer out of them. So I'm going to show you this method, and hopefully in the future, this method can hold true for you as well. And everyone's got their way of doing things, but this is just the way that I'm going to go about doing it going forward because it's relatively simple. it's still going to require strength on your end if you're doing it by yourself but I find this method to be pretty handy because the device that you're gonna need is relatively cheap it's collapsible and oddly enough pretty sturdy first things first I've got my front legs on so these are all tightened and bolted down in position ready to go the next thing you're going to be doing is lowering the machine down to where all the weight is on the front end of the machine. Now this is probably one of my heaviest games It the tie probably between this one and World Cup Soccer I've moved them enough to know which one tends to feel like it's got more mass. And I'd say it's either this one or World Cup Soccer. The thing is, the method I'm going to be showing you, although it looks sketchy, I have used this device at Pinball Expo on a Godzilla LE, if you guys saw that video whenever I was setting that up, including a Jersey Jack Guns N' Roses, which is by far the heaviest game that I have ever lifted up. That definitely required assistance, even using this little device that held it up. It still held it up, but it definitely required more muscle to get the game off the ground. so this method is definitely easier with two people but it still can be done by yourself i'm just going to show you the method that i go about using it whenever you're alone because this actually got asked to me when i was at the show what is a good way to go about setting these things up by yourself so now this method i also found out is not recommended for your got leap system 3's at least because the lip from the cabinet is definitely a big plus on stability but the Gottlieb system 3's have a pretty flush bottom so I wouldn't trust it as much now if you have a really good non slick floor like carpet and everything you should probably be just fine but if you have a slick surface then i would definitely be a little more uh worrisome about using this method but here we go so this is all it is guys this little 20 stool that you can get at walmart and the paint section folds up. It's compact, cheap, and oddly enough, pretty damn sturdy. So I'm going to get this about right there. Now, whenever you're getting into position, I'm going to be putting a lot of the weight of the cabinet on my right upper arm portion right here, and I'm going to have my right hand underneath the cabinet. So whenever I'm going to be lifting up on this, I'm putting a lot of my weight and pushing on the back side of the cabinet. And then once I get it off the ground, I'm going to make my way up, grab this, and slide it up underneath right there on the lip. Yes, I'm a little out of breath. This is not the first machine I've done today for crying out loud. On there, good to go. And it is the great height for taking your legs, putting them on and still have room under there So even if you have taller legs or extended out legs you not gonna worry about it not being high enough It a high enough to where you can put on the front leg the back legs and then rest it back down So it's at this point right here where we're going to be attaching our back legs All right, legs are on it. So now once again, I'm going to use my right upper shoulder arm right here. Apply forceful pushing up and forward at the same time. A lot of that is on this leg right here. Take out the stool, lower it down. And the rest is pretty self-explanatory guys. You've done the lifting the head and locking the backbox and stuff like that. The hard part is over. And that my friends is my new method for solo setting up. Outro Music