Valley Coin Op table moving question

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Rackin78

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Don't know if anyone here might know or have experience with this, but my brother & I bought a couple of older 1 piece slate Valley 4x8 tables. 8' tables are approx 700 pounds and 7'ers are 650 pounds. We were actually going to put the 1st one in the basement but couldn't get it down the stairs even after removing all doors from hinges & taking a kitchen cabinet down. So now we've decided to see about putting them at some local businesses for side money.

My question is does anyone know how the pros usually move these tables? These tables aren't like regular tables and are not to be taken completely apart. Valley even has a warning to not do it or you may not get the table back together, and even if you do it won't be the same. The 1st one we got already had the 1 piece slate off to be recovered so we loaded it seperately. I believe the pros just take the legs off (4 bolts each) and load / move it like that. I'm not sure what kind of jack or dolly set up they have.

Any suggestions!?
 
can not believe those 7's are that heavy,when I was around 19 me and 1
friend moved a few.Loaded and unloaded them with a pick up!He is abig farm boy and I guess I just thought it was work-had to be done!
Actually moved 9& 10 ft one peice granite beds that are almost 2'' into a basement. Cut the floor between the ceiling joists[from the basement of course] lowered the beds with a A-Frame chain host.
 
I never moved one myself but the easiest way I saw one moved was like this: Remove the 1" tin trim around the outside to acess the rail bolts and remove the rails. after they are out remove the slate (it lifts right out). now turn the cabinet on its side and remove the legs (3 bolts each) put the legs in the cabinet of the table and put the whole thing in the back of an 8 foot pickup. Now put the slate back in the cabinet. take your rails, rail bolts, and trim and your ready to move the table. This will make it much easier for 2 guys to handle. The slate may go about 300lbs and the cabinet the same but 2 guys can handle 150lbs each pretty easily.
 
I just bought and moved a 7' valley downstairs to my basement. All we did as far as dissassembly was take the legs off. It was a straight shot from my door to the stairs, so it went smoothly. Do you have a corner or some other object to negotiate?
 
I've moved a couple & both times their was stairs involved. You have to take the metal stripping off so you can unbolt the the rails. Then you can remove the slate. If you need to remove the legs theirs 4 screws holding each leg on. The hardest thing is the weight & the stairs. Their will probably be only enough room for 2 people on the stairs so get a couple of buddys with tree trunk arms to get it down the stairs. I think the slate weighs as much as the table does. I wouldn't worry about hurting anything on the table there built like a brick shit house,as long as you don't drop the slate.
 
great advice!

deadnutz said:
I never moved one myself but the easiest way I saw one moved was like this: Remove the 1" tin trim around the outside to acess the rail bolts and remove the rails. after they are out remove the slate (it lifts right out). now turn the cabinet on its side and remove the legs (3 bolts each) put the legs in the cabinet of the table and put the whole thing in the back of an 8 foot pickup. Now put the slate back in the cabinet. take your rails, rail bolts, and trim and your ready to move the table. This will make it much easier for 2 guys to handle. The slate may go about 300lbs and the cabinet the same but 2 guys can handle 150lbs each pretty easily.
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Thanks for the post. I'll be using your advice!
Karl
 
Thanks everyone! To the people who've moved these things with the slate in... WOW!!! We have 4 pretty strong guyhs moving them and the 7 footer we got today was a mo fo for just the slate (the cabinet, though more awkward is quite a bit lighter) and that was loading straight into the trailer & then off the trailer into my bro's garage.

We actually bought a used pallet jack today so I'm going to try & rig something up to move the tables around with that, but it still won't help us on stairs or tight corners. I bet the guys who do this for a living have some carrier, dolly, or something along that line. Either that or they send a truck with 5 or 6 strong guys in there.
 
if u have proper jigger, u should easy to move. Two man is easy to lift to the van, unscrew the legs......I done it many times
 
jalapus logan said:
I just bought and moved a 7' valley downstairs to my basement. All we did as far as dissassembly was take the legs off. It was a straight shot from my door to the stairs, so it went smoothly. Do you have a corner or some other object to negotiate?
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They can be moved easily this way. Remove the legs, and lay (tip) the table on it's side on a flat dolly. Then you can roll it anywhere. You will need help to load it on the back of a pick-up. I lay a piece of carpet on the tail gate and bed, and then put one end up and slide it in. Three strong guys can do it easily. One on each side and one in back. Going up and down stairs I like to lay the table on it's side (no legs of course), and slide it down or push it up the stairs. I've probably moved a hundred of them in my lifetime. No biggie.

P.S. A lift gate is the nuts!
 
Jay- thanks for the info and your real world experience! We'll try it that way. :thumbup:

sammi sam- what's a 'jigger'?
 
jay helfert said:
They can be moved easily this way. Remove the legs, and lay (tip) the table on it's side on a flat dolly. Then you can roll it anywhere. You will need help to load it on the back of a pick-up. I lay a piece of carpet on the tail gate and bed, and then put one end up and slide it in. Three strong guys can do it easily. One on each side and one in back. Going up and down stairs I like to lay the table on it's side (no legs of course), and slide it down or push it up the stairs. I've probably moved a hundred of them in my lifetime. No biggie.

P.S. A lift gate is the nuts!
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Jay,

That's exactly what we did. It went just fine. We slid it down the stairs using a large peice of old carpet. No problem at all. And yes, a lift gate would have been nice.

Good luck to the OP.
 
Pool table dolly/Rackin 78

I've moved 1 pc slate tables with the slate in place. If you are moving more than a few table you might want to build a dolly. I built a dolly with 2x4/2x8 and some large LOCKING caster wheels. Not brakes but casters that lock fore/aft. If they swivel and they have a load it can become off center and may tip. Fore/aft makes a long/short wheelbase dolly. I've left it LONG for out doors as I feel its more stable. I now use the dolly to store a Ford motor and transmission. I use 3 pcs of osb/plywood for lawns/gravel and move over 2 and shuffle the back ones to direction of the move. SHORT for indoors and around corners. With the table strapped to the dolly one guy lifts and kinda juggles/rocks his end while the other guy steadies his end. I mounted the casters to the 2X8 (approx 30") and then the 2x4 (approx 40-48") on each edge. It needs to have a space of at least 20" between the 2x4's as thats where the skirt of the table will set. I covered mine with indoor/outdoor carpet. I tip the table up onto the dolly and then use a sturdy cargo strap around the table and dolly. Number the legs and table so the legs go back where they were. I have a covered trailer and 7' tables fit fine with the dolly I have. The 8' tables have to be slid from the dolly to the trailer and for that I have some old heavy carpet. Strap it to the wall and off I go. I have moved the easy ones with 1 other guy but the hard moves it helps to have several friends as more hands can help. Be safe and remember you buy the beer after the move. lol JJ
 
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Mechanical advantage!

I've used a couple different things to move those around that make it much easier. I don't want to give away all of my secrets on here though. ;)

Tell you what. I have an 8' Valley for sale right now. I'm just up the road in Dayton. If you buy and come get the table, I'll show you some tips on how to move it for no additional charge. ;)

PM me or call me if you're interested.
 
john just said:
I've moved 1 pc slate tables with the slate in place. If you are moving more than a few table you might want to build a dolly. I built a dolly with 2x4/2x8 and some large LOCKING caster wheels. Not brakes but casters that lock fore/aft. If they swivel and they have a load it can become off center and may tip. Fore/aft makes a long/short wheelbase dolly. I've left it LONG for out doors as I feel its more stable. I now use the dolly to store a Ford motor and transmission. I use 3 pcs of osb/plywood for lawns/gravel and move over 2 and shuffle the back ones to direction of the move. SHORT for indoors and around corners. With the table strapped to the dolly one guy lifts and kinda juggles/rocks his end while the other guy steadies his end. I mounted the casters to the 2X8 (approx 30") and then the 2x4 (approx 40-48") on each edge. It needs to have a space of at least 20" between the 2x4's as thats where the skirt of the table will set. I covered mine with indoor/outdoor carpet. I tip the table up onto the dolly and then use a sturdy cargo strap around the table and dolly. Number the legs and table so the legs go back where they were. I have a covered trailer and 7' tables fit fine with the dolly I have. The 8' tables have to be slid from the dolly to the trailer and for that I have some old heavy carpet. Strap it to the wall and off I go. I have moved the easy ones with 1 other guy but the hard moves it helps to have several friends as more hands can help. Be safe and remember you buy the beer after the move. lol JJ
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I'm Rackin78's brother. Thanks for the help and detailed description. :thumbup: What is the best way/method to get a table on it's side? I have visions of a table crashing onto it's side and damaging the table.

Thanks!
 
rackin'80 said:
I'm Rackin78's brother. Thanks for the help and detailed description. :thumbup: What is the best way/method to get a table on it's side? I have visions of a table crashing onto it's side and damaging the table.

Thanks!
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We just had 4 guys and just lifted it on its side onto a peice of old carpet. No problem and pretty stable. I had similar visions of crashing and burning, but it went well. Good luck.
 
My table dolly

My table dolly is about 13" high so when tipping the table up on 2 legs and getting it on to the dolly it is not too much of a transition from tipped to being on its edge on the dolly. With the legs still in place it gives you some leverage to help control the tip. Use judgement as the leg bolts are only into plywood. With the wheels locked fore/aft when the table is tipped on to the dolly the dolly may tip up a couple of inches on the 2 wheels closest to the table but they dont skid sideways and thats an important reason for the locked position of the wheels. The dolly wheels I got were used on a piece of ground equipment from Boeing aircraft surplus salvage. The wheels are 8" dia and with the swivel/lock/mount they are about 9 1/2" high-then mounted on the short (abt 27/28")2x8s (another 1 1/2 high)=11" resting place for the skirt of the table. The 2 long (44/48") 2x4s rails lengthwise that the skirt rests between makes the total dolly height 13 1/2. I wish I could unload everything and take a couple of pictures for you but its buried in the back of the storage area under quite a bit of garage stuff. The heavy carpet scraps on the floor/stairs are a real help when the table is moved off the dolly. The carpet scraps/strips help going over door thresholds also. I feel the slate is better protected in the table cabinet and not moved seperatly. Again the more hands the better, the heavy cargo strap for security, and above all be safe. JJ
 
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