One of the questions I get asked the most is how to pack up a pinball machine for moving. There are several different approaches, depending on whether the head (backbox) folds down with a hinge or not. Generally, pinball machines made after the mid-1980’s have a hinged backbox.

Hinged Backbox (machines newer than mid-1980s)

1. Remove all loose items from inside the machine such as the ball(s), coin box, manuals, everything!  Some machines have an option in the test menu to eject all balls from the machine.
2. Open up the backbox and remove any large bolts holding the backbox to the neck of the cabinet.  Some of these bolts might look like a large wing-nut.
3. Close up the backbox.  Make sure the inner door is closed and latched tightly, so it doesn’t rub on the backglass.
4. Unlatch the backbox.  On a Bally/Williams machine, this might look like a suitcase latch.  On Data East/Sega/Stern, you will need to insert a large Allen wrench into the hole on the back and rotate it.
5. Carefully pull the backbox towards the front of the game, while ensuring the cabling between the lower cabinet and the backbox is not getting hung up on anything.  There should be enough slack in the cables to allow the backbox to rest on top of the playfield portion of the lower cabinet.
6. Note where the backbox is being supported by the lower cabinet. Place some cardboard, Styrofoam, towels, or other padding material in between to keep both the lower cabinet and the backbox from damaging each other.  This is usually at the very top of the backbox and the edges of the lower cabinet. Do not lay any packing material that would put pressure on the backglass.
7. With straps, rope, or plastic stretch-wrap, tie or wrap the backbox to the lower cabinet so that the backbox can’t be lifted off of the cabinet.
8. Place a chair or your knee under the rear of the lower cabinet and remove the rear legs, by removing both bolts in each leg.
9. Lower the rear of the cabinet to the floor and then stand the pinball up on end so the coin door is facing up.
10. Remove the front legs by removing both bolts in each leg.
11. Keeps all of the bolts, balls, etc., in a safe place so they don’t get lost.
12. With the machine on end, a dolly/hand-truck can be used to move the machine.

To reassemble the pinball machine, just reverse the process.

If you are shipping the pinball machine to another location, Contact NAVL (North American Van Lines) as they seem to have quite a bit of experience shipping pinball machines.

Detachable Backbox (machines older than mid-1980s)

1. Remove all loose items from inside the machine such as the ball(s), coin box, manuals, everything!
2. Open up the backbox. Label and disconnect the electrical connectors between the backbox and the rest of the machine.  On an EM machine there will be 2 or 3 large connectors.  On a solid state machine, you will either have to disconnect the plugs from the circuit boards (Bally), or there may be in-line connectors in the neck of the cabinet (Williams and some Gottlieb) that will need to be pulled apart.  You may leave connections that just go from one part of the backbox to another.
3. Remove the 2-4 large bolts holding the backbox to the neck of the cabinet.
4. Close up the backbox.  If you have a solid state machine, make sure the inner door is closed and latched tightly so it doesn’t rub on the backglass.
5. Lift backbox from the lower cabinet.
6. The power cord can be carefully stuffed down into the neck of the machine.
7. Place a chair or your knee under the rear of the lower cabinet and remove the rear legs, by removing both bolts in each leg.
8. Lower the rear of the cabinet to the floor and then stand the pinball up on end so the coin door is facing up.
9. Remove the front legs by removing both bolts in each leg.
10. Keeps all of the bolts, balls, etc., in a safe place so they don’t get lost.
11. With the machine on end, a dolly/hand-truck can be used to move the machine.

To reassemble, simply reverse the procedure.  Take care to put the power cord back into the notch (this varies from machine to machine) before setting the backbox back onto the cabinet. Also take care in reconnecting the connectors to their original locations.

Note: Some people like to treat detachable backbox machines as they would a hinged backbox, by leaving everything connected, laying the backbox facedown on the lower cabinet, and securely wrapping or tying the backbox to the lower cabinet, as if it had a hinge.  But you need to make sure the backbox doesn’t move at all, so that it doesn’t pull on the wires (plastic stretch wrap would be best for this). This might be desirable if you are shipping a machine. But if you are moving a machine, it might be easier to move it as two pieces.