decaturjack Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Hey, I'm looking at the crane in this picture below. It's a fair ways from where I live and haven't seen it in person yet. This would be my first crane and I'm trying to be an informed buyer. Can anyone tell me what brand it is just from looking at the picture? I found a few pictures of cranes that were Grayhound's that were very similar. Is this a knockoff of that and is it any good? Any idea what it's worth. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 looks like a grayhound to me, what do they want for it? see if you can get a picture of the board and post it here. anyway if it is, i would try to get it for $100-150 ...then once you've recouped your investment maybe throw in one of these boards http://www.jernie.com/ which will give you more modern options. fair warning i havent ordered one yet but i am planning to in the next week or so try to get 3 or 4 of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Hey, I'm looking at the crane in this picture below. It's a fair ways from where I live and haven't seen it in person yet. This would be my first crane and I'm trying to be an informed buyer. Can anyone tell me what brand it is just from looking at the picture? I found a few pictures of cranes that were Grayhound's that were very similar. Is this a knockoff of that and is it any good? Any idea what it's worth. Thanks. Stop by Birmingham Vending one day when you have a chance. They have a showroom full of used machines to look at. You can buy used treasure chest cranes for around 600 with a DBA. These guys work on cranes all day and have a crane route so they know what there doing. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Stop by Birmingham Vending one day when you have a chance. They have a showroom full of used machines to look at. You can buy used treasure chest cranes for around 600 with a DBA. These guys work on cranes all day and have a crane route so they know what there doing. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 600 is really high for a used treasure chest crane IMO,it would have to be in really nice shape, im about to buy 6 of them for $600 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaturjack Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Stop by Birmingham Vending one day when you have a chance. They have a showroom full of used machines to look at. You can buy used treasure chest cranes for around 600 with a DBA. These guys work on cranes all day and have a crane route so they know what there doing. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk I'll do that. Would like to see what all kind of stuff is out there. I ate dinner in Birmingham this weekend on my way home from Talladega. looks like a grayhound to me, what do they want for it? see if you can get a picture of the board and post it here. anyway if it is, i would try to get it for $100-150 ...then once you've recouped your investment maybe throw in one of these boards http://www.jernie.com/ which will give you more modern options. fair warning i havent ordered one yet but i am planning to in the next week or so try to get 3 or 4 of them. He hasn't gotten back to me with a price yet. Hopefully soon. Machine looks pretty old from some of the other pics. How old is too old or is there such a thing as long as parts are still available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 He hasn't gotten back to me with a price yet. Hopefully soon. Machine looks pretty old from some of the other pics. How old is too old or is there such a thing as long as parts are still available? yeah parts is the main issue IMO also the board wont have some of the features that the newer crane has that makes it easier to run a profitable route (auto %,prize sensor) but in many cases upgraded boards can be bought if you are willing to do a little rewiring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaturjack Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 ok. That doesn't sound too bad. How much does a crane weigh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 depends the 42"-60" ones can weigh a pretty decent amount anything smaller can be moved by 1 person, generally. most of the cranes have wheels if they dont i suggest adding castors it makes it much easier to move. the main thing is they are full of glass so you have to be careful, what i do is power up the machine, play a game while keeping my hand on the power switch, when the claw reels out, i cut the power this gives me enough slack to tie it up to the gantry with a zip tie so it doesnt swing around during moving , also u can zip tie the crane head to the side of the machine so it doesnt move around ...this will keep you from having busted glass and mirrors. the main thing isnt the weight its just a sort of akward shape getting it into a truck with a ramp can be a little challenging. especially because the clearance of the door may require you to lean it back to get it under the door. when i did this i would strap it to a dolly even if it had wheels this made getting it up the ramp easier. you can lay it down in a pickup which isnt too tough butu i prefer to keep it standing up straight. i bought a pick up with a lift gate and installed a rack specifically for moving these games around,its what my local equipment dealer uses,it works well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billnuts Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 it looks like a last generation grayhound crane right before united textiles took over its a cross between a big choice and a grayhound chassis the dollar bill acceptor is the size of a small laptop inside, dont confuse that with the crane boards Its a good starter crane and will work for many years to come anything under $400.00 with a working DBA is about normal this crane weighs about 300-400 lbs it can be single loaded in the back of a pickup truck if you lay it on its back and tilt angle it into the truck There is some parts available but mostly ebay and used but with only $400.00 invested it will not take long to make all that back in more. bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaturjack Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Dogcow, thanks for the info. Having a hard time visualizing the rack to hold the machine. Bill, thanks for the info. 300-400 lbs each. yikes. How do you guys move these around and can you do it by yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billnuts Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 moving them becomes easyer after the first or second month of money earned we just tell our muscles it earns too much and its gotta get there its like the incredible hulk factor... Amazong how much you can lift when theres money in/ under it. or to be made bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaturjack Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Do you have a truck with a lift gate too Bill? Also, what kinds of locations do you have them in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Dogcow, thanks for the info. Having a hard time visualizing the rack to hold the machine. Bill, thanks for the info. 300-400 lbs each. yikes. How do you guys move these around and can you do it by yourself? the rack looks like this except just the part near the cab i dont have the back part attached. step 2 is to save up for one that goes all the way around and a drop trailer for the 42" and 60" machines as for how to move the machines, well most of them have wheels , if they dont , i add my own wheels. for temporary purposes you can use a furniture dolly...have someone tip the crane back a bit and stuff the dolly underneath if you have it wedged in there right it should be relatively stable to roll around the garage. also i have one of these http://www.coscoprod...ible-Hand-Truck its not the greatest thing because it is kind of short so machines can be a little unstable in the kicked back position. you need to support the top of the machine manually to steer it. but it was like 1/3 the price of a regular vending dolly and works OK for my purposes. to move it around on any dolly the easiest thing to do is lash it to the dolly with ratchet straps..especially if its on wheels and you need to break it back to get under a low clearance. this makes it 10x easier to break back, i also find with arcade games and taller cranes/pushers getting it from the side is better due to the center of gravity its easier to break the load than trying to pull it over backwards fwiw im 5'6 150lb and i can move around 90% of these by myself , but the lift gate is a must IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaturjack Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 the rack looks like this except just the part near the cab i dont have the back part attached. step 2 is to save up for one that goes all the way around and a drop trailer for the 42" and 60" machines as for how to move the machines, well most of them have wheels , if they dont , i add my own wheels. for temporary purposes you can use a furniture dolly...have someone tip the crane back a bit and stuff the dolly underneath if you have it wedged in there right it should be relatively stable to roll around the garage. also i have one of these http://www.coscoprod...ible-Hand-Truck its not the greatest thing because it is kind of short so machines can be a little unstable in the kicked back position. you need to support the top of the machine manually to steer it. but it was like 1/3 the price of a regular vending dolly and works OK for my purposes. to move it around on any dolly the easiest thing to do is lash it to the dolly with ratchet straps..especially if its on wheels and you need to break it back to get under a low clearance. this makes it 10x easier to break back, i also find with arcade games and taller cranes/pushers getting it from the side is better due to the center of gravity its easier to break the load than trying to pull it over backwards fwiw im 5'6 150lb and i can move around 90% of these by myself , but the lift gate is a must IMO Oh ... I get it now. For some reason I was putting some kind of rack device on the lift gate to hold it while raising/lowering it. You definitely give me hope that I can move one of these things by myself. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billnuts Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 I just got today a 7x14 BY 7 foot tall.... the 7 ft tall is very important!! dual axle cargo trailer with side lock rails every 4 feet vertical for straps with a ramp door $3950.00 but before today... i was tilting them and moving them around with the bed of my dodge hemi truck one at a time.... weather permitting.. it got old fast i have mine mostly in food places, pizza is the best but dont overlook the chinese places you may have to use a translator to get your message accross also indoor flea markets and malls bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 wow bill , u could have got a 1 ton lift gate for a grand or 1500 used maybe another grand to stick it on the truck if you didnt want to do it yourself. i guess the advantage of living here in FL is using a pickup is pretty much no problem year around. in ths summer ill have to throw some tarps over the stuff. I can get 2 31" cranes in my truck, 4 coin pushers..cant get the 60" or 42" on my gate cause its only 27" wide unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billnuts Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Well in michigan it snows and rains 300 days a year the other 65 its 95 deg outside. so the back of a truck is not that usable here and being close to detroit leaving stuff in the back of the truck reguardless of weight or size does not last very long I saw a Bum... with a sams club flatbed cart.. on the side of the freeway wheeling away a steel section of a bridge beam they were redoing.. at least 8 foot long... must have weighed tons and he he was just grunting away trying to get it to the scrapyard before he got caught. they will do anything its reallty sad bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaturjack Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 i have mine mostly in food places, pizza is the best but dont overlook the chinese places you may have to use a translator to get your message accross also indoor flea markets and malls bill What other kinds of places are crane machines in??? I don't live in that large a city (about 55K people). I've been to the biggest laundrymat that I know of today and it had a crane (w/knobby balls), 2 video games, a coin pusher, a couple of gumball machines, and at least one sticker machine. I went to one of the big chain grocery stores and it had a 60" wide plush bus. Of course the super wal-mart has 2 cranes by each entrance. The big truck stop has a couple of cranes too and a whole host of other games. The Pizza Hut has a crane too... I went and looked at a different crane today. It had Hollywood movie type branding all over it. I think he said it came from a Hollywood movie rental store that went out of business. He would take $250 for it. It was in not great but decent shape. It played good though. It was setup for .25 a play and had two quarter slots and no DBA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 What other kinds of places are crane machines in??? I don't live in that large a city (about 55K people). I've been to the biggest laundrymat that I know of today and it had a crane (w/knobby balls), 2 video games, a coin pusher, a couple of gumball machines, and at least one sticker machine. I went to one of the big chain grocery stores and it had a 60" wide plush bus. Of course the super wal-mart has 2 cranes by each entrance. The big truck stop has a couple of cranes too and a whole host of other games. The Pizza Hut has a crane too... I went and looked at a different crane today. It had Hollywood movie type branding all over it. I think he said it came from a Hollywood movie rental store that went out of business. He would take $250 for it. It was in not great but decent shape. It played good though. It was setup for .25 a play and had two quarter slots and no DBA. I see them everywhere now but the thing I find interesting is I also saw a crane, huge rack, separate bouncy ball machine with three heads and 2 sticker machines in one Pizza hut, thing was they are tagged as owned by Pizza Hut. I wonder if Pizza Hut is getting in on the vending game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billnuts Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Pizza hut has done thier own vending for years Chainwide vending the stores even order it like stock All thier vendings have counters and managers must turn in numbers I purchased a great deal from pizza hut on some used A&A racks and sticker machines when they decided to upgrade to newer most of the racks i got needed new plexi and a coat of paint... but for the price i got them for i could not complain at all bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Pizza hut has done thier own vending for years Chainwide vending the stores even order it like stock All thier vendings have counters and managers must turn in numbers I purchased a great deal from pizza hut on some used A&A racks and sticker machines when they decided to upgrade to newer most of the racks i got needed new plexi and a coat of paint... but for the price i got them for i could not complain at all bill Pizza Hutis is a franchise system and I am sure it depends on who owns them. There may be some Pizza Hut owners around that do there own but for the most part vending operators do it. NPC the largest Pizza Hut franchise there is uses Mitchel Vending. They are located about an hour from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havending Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 600 is really high for a used treasure chest crane IMO,it would have to be in really nice shape, im about to buy 6 of them for $600 I agree that 600 is on the high side but you need to look at total value. it can be picked up 30 miles away so no frieght. They are completly referbed and gone over buy a team of guys that have been doing this for 20 plus years each. They replace any thing that needs it and include a DBA. They look very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 does it come with a waranty? honestly to me its not worth it, i'd rather buy them for $300 or less and put an upgraded board for another $300 because the upgraded board is gonna make you more money in the long run u can replace wires, power supply or switches yourself as for "guys who are experienced 20yrs " etc... i have got a few refurb cranes from betson which have had problems , however that aside i like working with betson. maybe bhm vending is better who knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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