Topic: Ways to make coin-op Tornado heavier?

[Vaggeto]

I was wondering what methods, if any anyone has used to make their Tornado Coin-op table heavier?

Ideally the material would be cheap/heavy and clean.

There is plenty of space at the back half of a tornado coin-op for this.

Also and most importantly, is there any risk of damaging the table by doing this? Could the bottom warp or weaken with extra weight?

Thanks!

[bbtuna]

i have weighed the 2 coin ops I have owned...I used water the first time, but it in bags, in bags, in bags and it worked out fine and at 8 lbs per gallon it seemed like and okay option...this time i used gallon milk jugs which I don't recommend unless you are going to bag, bag, bag them because mine leaked this time...slow but

anyway, water is a bad option all things said...sand is a cheap, fairly dense and safe alternative and you can create bags to the shape you want

however, the best thing I have found, but is anything but cheap, is lead shot (used to fill shot gun shells)...25 pound bag is about $30-$35

however, they are small and really dense of course and you can put them on the railing on the sides, one by each leg (at least).  I don't think you are going to have issues with the bottom warping but this removes that as being an issue

right now, i have only 2, one on each end, but if I had the funds, I would have 8 and add 200 lbs

if i was designing a table, it would have 6 inch square legs made of steal with a black powder coat on the exterior...plate on the bottom would be welded...the screw for the foot would be 1 inch thick, and the plate on the bottom would have threading already in the center but there would be another plate about 3 inches in which was welded to the inside and had the same threading so that the screw threads in two places helping with stability

there would be a third plate, a couple inches above the second, which would be the “floor”…the legs would be hollow and you would add sand or lead, your choice, as much as you wanted the weight to be…this way, the legs if fully filled with lead, could easily weigh 150 lbs each

the legs would travel as far up into the cabinet as possible…with all these features the stability of the table would be unequaled…add to that a two inch thick playfield and we could revolutionize the game…I want the table so that people can play as aggressive as they want without concern of jarring and if you jarred on this table, at 800 lbs, you would have really deserved the call

I want the goalie defending the 3 bar, to be as crazy, fast, jerky as they want without concerning themselves with resets

Anyway, short answers…”Sand” (50 lb bag about $5) and “No”

[wildcard]

I want the goalie defending the 3 bar, to be as crazy, fast, jerky as they want without concerning themselves with resets

Amen, brother!

[Tyler Foos]

Vagetto,

If you are concerned about warping the bottom of the cabinet with whatever weights you choose, cut and place some 3/4" plywood in the spaces you will put the weights. This will spread out the weight so more can be applied without worry of hurting the bottom.

I did something different with the Tornado I have in the garage and it works great. I went to Home Depot and got a can of Plasti-Dip (under $10), a liquid rubber used to coat tool handles and basically anything else you want to rubberize, and poured a 1-2" thick bead around all 4 feet. The table doesn't move at all and the product can be peeled off without hurting the table's feet or the concrete. I realize it won't work in many situations, but in a garage or basement setting it is a very low cost option for keeping the table from sliding around while in use.

Take care..................................Tyler

[Vaggeto]

Good ideas, thanks!

Someone else mentioned Cinderblocks to me but I'll need to check how much they weigh.

[jinhopark]

Good ideas, thanks!

Someone else mentioned Cinderblocks to me but I'll need to check how much they weigh.

I would not do the cinderblock method...I could see bad stuff happening putting those in your coin-op.

I would definitely recommend 4 shot gun lead shots strategically placed over each leg post...  The drawback is that it is somewhat expensive.

[Vaggeto]

ahhh... Why not cinder blocks? I haven't worked too much with them but it seems they would work, especially wrapped in plastic or something along those lines.

[bbtuna]

if you are going to use cinderblocks, sand would work just as well and can be but into shapes more to your liking

[redterror]

I used 6"x6" square logs I had laying around.  maybe its just me but I don't feel liquids on the inside of the table is a good idea.

[foozkillah]

I used 6"x6" square logs I had laying around.  maybe its just me but I don't feel liquids on the inside of the table is a good idea.

Strategically placing closed water containers inside your coin-op is actually prolly a very good idea.. If you make sure they're sealed very well, and have maybe 5-8% air to allow a little sloshing around.  They would actually not only efficiently add weight, but also act as dampers like some anti-seismic dampers in modern buildings,.  If they're sealed well, later transport or simple moving would also be facilitated.