Billy121168 Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I have been on this site for the past 2weeks asking and reading everthing i can.Many people here have convinced me not to use combo machines.It took some convincing but after countless hours of research I thank each one of you for your input.Now that I am on the right page(FINALLY), I have located companies in my area who sell a wide variety of equipment.I am again asking for more of your advice and input to type of machine, price new or used I should expect to pay, and mostly all the negatives or pitfalls that can or will probably happen so I can prepare as much as possible.1 thing I definitely would like to know is these machines are HEAVY. How do you when starting out suggest I move them to my locations? I will have many more questions as I am anxious to learn and avoid as many obstacles as possible. I want to thank everyone in advance for your help, info, tips & suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I would certainly stay with refurbished used machines. They are generally just as good, at a lower cost to get started. the typcial vending machine is pretty heavy, especially soda machines. They have weigh in excess of 700 lbs empty. You will certainly want to be careful while moving them if you are doing that yourself. You may also contact a local moving company that can move machines for you at a reasonable rate. New Snack machines can run more than $3000 Refurbished snack machines can run $1800 - $2500 Working, but as-is snack machines can run $1000 Expect soda machines to run in the same neighborhood for pricing. However if you look hard enough, you will often find decent used machines at a killer price. Stay with the name brand machines......GPL, National, Dixie Narco AP etc and as you have figured out stay away from combo machines unless you have absolutely no other choice, but even then think long and hard about it, and certainly not as your first machines. My best suggestion is to get a used machine that is good, clean working machine, get the manual, read it...and read it....and read it again. Get the parts manual for the machine and study it, learn the various parts and understand the interaction among parts as best as possible. when you have to repair an issue, try to fix it yourself as this is the best way to learn. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy121168 Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Thanks Sparta another question what kinds of costs would I be looking at for lets say fixing stuff in a snack machine or maybe a new compressor in a soda machine.What is common things that go wrong with machines and how difficult to fix on a scale from 1 to 10. 10=difficult Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Thanks Sparta another question what kinds of costs would I be looking at for lets say fixing stuff in a snack machine or maybe a new compressor in a soda machine.What is common things that go wrong with machines and how difficult to fix on a scale from 1 to 10. 10=difficult The main items you will find yourself replacing are the bill validators and coin mechs. You can and should change these yourself. A refurbished validator with core trade-in usually costs less than $100 and you'll need a set of nut drivers to replace it. The refurbished coin mechs run about $50 with trade in and just mount on three screws with key hole slots on the back of the unit - no tools required but you will need a little patience. You also should be able to replace the motors, key pads and other misc. parts yourself but this stuff doesn't go bad that often. What you can't fix (at least I can't) is the control board and compressor deck. There are several companies that will repair a control board usually for less than $150 (you can pull them and reinstall them yourself) and the compressor deck can be removed with a set of standard sockets in about 30 minutes so you can take to an A/C repair place. This one can be the big money repair but fortunately these compressors don't go bad very often. You'll find that VE (vendors Exchange) has most of the parts for the popular brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 What moondog said....... Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy121168 Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 I live in Connecticut if anyone knows of distributors,vending product companies or some ideas where to start hunting for my machines and product.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I live in Connecticut if anyone knows of distributors,vending product companies or some ideas where to start hunting for my machines and product.Thanks I buy most of my machines on CL but you might contact Bill at Technivend - he's a member of this forum and a distributor in Massachusetts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I would recommend to purchase locally if at all possible....shipping fees will kill you on these heavy machines. Craigslist is not a bad option. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QualitySelectionsJ Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Slightly off topic. What are you guys cleaning your machines with? Indoor and outdoor machines. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I would recommend to purchase locally if at all possible....shipping fees will kill you on these heavy machines. Craigslist is not a bad option. Travis Yep. It's between 50 and 100 miles to Bill's place from Connecticut. New York might be closer - Willis NYC would probably have the scoop on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillisNYC Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I am in central New Jersey with NYC between myself and Billy. Just as far or farther than Mass and CT when you consider the traffic congestion in NYC. All my suppliers are in NJ, so they will be of little help. I would recommend CL, that is where I started and found all my initial machines locally there. ( and I stay the hell out of NYC because of the traffic!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I am in central New Jersey with NYC between myself and Billy. Just as far or farther than Mass and CT when you consider the traffic congestion in NYC. All my suppliers are in NJ, so they will be of little help. I would recommend CL, that is where I started and found all my initial machines locally there. ( and I stay the hell out of NYC because of the traffic!) Same reason I stay out of LA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldschool1966 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 When I first started out I found a loacl mover who did nothing but move and set snack and pop machines. I have moved a lot myself but you have to have the right lift setup or trailer setup to move those bad boy's. That's why I hire it done so I don't take a chance of hurting myself or messing up my location by hitting a wall or tearing up a floor. The guy's I use have done it for years and are pro's at what they do. A lot of times they already have the machines set and plugged in before I get to the location. Check with your local machine dealer and see who the use or recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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