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How do you move a vending machine?


mojorhino

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During research about the nuts and bolts of you fellas business and this dolly system blew my mind and might save your back. Its kinda a modified piano dolly.

 

http://youtu.be/0EWPbUjtkiQ

 

http://youtu.be/YDZEAJoyrgk

 

 

That works really well but I have 1 question. If that gun safe (1200 lbs) were against the wall how are you going to ratchet that strap?

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That works really well but I have 1 question. If that gun safe (1200 lbs) were against the wall how are you going to ratchet that strap?

That "little girl" is gonna have to take off those high heels or hire someone named Bubba to move it away from the wall. ;D

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I have looked at those and see that they are made out of very common materials (wood, casters, hinges and ratchet straps) I was thinking of making something similar to that but with larger casters for say $50 just as an experiment.

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I bought one of the Anderson dollies as a newby and moved 12 machInes no problem. However as someone mentioned when next to a wall you must think about the direction you have the ratchet sides and be prepared to slide 4-8 inches. I am a bit concerned with the strap quality because they have some chaffing from needing to clamshell. Also as any FYI it really works well getting it off the ground with no effort. I have not had any major bumps but the center of gravity with a door open allows for easy tipping onto 3 wheels and lifting one at a time over thresholds.

Oh yeah I haven't tried carpet yet.

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How I move a snack machine basically by myself.

 

The first thing I try to do when moving a machine is to find the place where the curb is the highest & back up the trailer to the edge of the curb.

gallery_6992_182_662648.jpg

Next I pull the pin out of the front of the trailer so that it tilts back then I pull the back wheels out on the Dutro & roll it off the trailer.  The higher the curb, the less of an angle I have to overcome when pushing the machine up on the trailer later.  Here the curb was almost a foot high.

 

I have a pallet jack but its hard to transport on the trailer plus its harder to get machines up on the trailer when I use one which is why I went with the Dutro for this move.

gallery_6992_182_646726.jpg

 

Next I take the Dutro to the machine & put the hook & strap over the top of the machine

gallery_6992_182_489492.jpg

 

Then I take the dolly & push it up against the machine

gallery_6992_182_218077.jpg

When moving a snack machine I always take 3 to 4 pieces of wood to compensate for the space between the legs on the machine & the toe plate on the Dutro.  Its hard to tell from the picture below but I had them add an extra 4 inches (for a total of 8 inches) to the toe plate for just this reason.

gallery_6992_182_447161.jpg

Next slide the boards between the toe plate & the bottom of the machine so that they are nice & snug.

 

Then I take the strap & run it through the lever/strap tightener

gallery_6992_182_560673.jpg

& run it through the hook used to lock it into place. 

 

Next lock the machine into place by pulling the handle down so that the strap is is nice & snug.

gallery_6992_182_254481.jpg

 

Next tape the cord to the machine so you don't trip over or damage it.

gallery_6992_182_570355.jpg

 

Kick the larger back wheels out & lean the machine back.

gallery_6992_182_677478.jpg

 

Here is an up close picture of the how the boards allow me to lift the machine off the ground. This is where the extra 4 inches on the toe plate come in handy.

gallery_6992_182_94421.jpg

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Then I roll the machine out of the building to the trailer

gallery_6992_182_395652.jpgg

 

The person I bought the machine off of helped me push it up on the trailer which was real easy on this move because the curb was so high. This made it so where there almost was no slope to pull the machine up on to the trailer.

gallery_6992_182_46383.jpg

Then I put machine slightly over the tire & had the person from the location insert the pin from of the trailer back into the front to keep it from tilting. 

 

Then run straps over the machine & tighten them down to the trailer.

gallery_6992_182_26091.jpg

Then I take the machine to the garage so I can get it location ready.

 

One more thing to mention is its a good idea to drive a very short distance then get out & tighten the straps down a second or even a third time during the move because they can lose their tension & you could lose the machine it you don't make sure they are securely tightened down.

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That's the one I've been using for 15+ years and the only time I've had any problems moving a machine with it is when I moved the 79" tall machines.

 

and I'm only 5' 7" 160.... ;D

 

Just saying I wouldn't recommend anyone using one that hasn't used one before. I have seen large machines fall over on their sides. Because they don't balance well. 

 

79" vendors are not easy to move on any dolly. Piano dollies are the best but doorways sometimes are not tall enough even using them. When that happens you need a good strong dolly that can carry the weight well. Personally I will not lay one down to get under the door. In my case I am usually doing it with inexperienced help. They don't understand they need to push not pick up on the vendor.

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That works really well but I have 1 question. If that gun safe (1200 lbs) were against the wall how are you going to ratchet that strap?

 

I'm not trying to move gun safes. But, I'd suggest a lever and fulcrum and a fish tape. As for carpet, I'd definitely move any floor mats and small pile carpet wouldn't really be an issue if its in decent condition, ie staying adhered to floor.

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I have looked at those and see that they are made out of very common materials (wood, casters, hinges and ratchet straps) I was thinking of making something similar to that but with larger casters for say $50 just as an experiment.

Thats my thinking as well...

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I bought one of the Anderson dollies as a newby and moved 12 machInes no problem. However as someone mentioned when next to a wall you must think about the direction you have the ratchet sides and be prepared to slide 4-8 inches. I am a bit concerned with the strap quality because they have some chaffing from needing to clamshell. Also as any FYI it really works well getting it off the ground with no effort. I have not had any major bumps but the center of gravity with a door open allows for easy tipping onto 3 wheels and lifting one at a time over thresholds.

Oh yeah I haven't tried carpet yet.

Post some up close pics of your Anderson dolly.

That's the one I've been using for 15+ years and the only time I've had any problems moving a machine with it is when I moved the 79" tall machines.

 

and I'm only 5' 7" 160.... ;D

So how do you get a 79" machine through a standard doorway?

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I bought a drop deck trailer where the floor the of trailer lowers level with the ground, they are very hard to find used, and extremely expensive new, I looked for a year to find mine. It was the best investment I have made in my vending business.  You just simply wheel them on and lift the deck of the trailer up.

20171002_131318.jpg

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