82-30 to 82-90s

[gobowling Members Find all posts View Profile Close gobowling]

im thinking about replacing my amf 82-30s with amf 82-90s
i only have 4 lanes in my house,but bowling is big here
my bowlers are frustrated because of all the brakedowns that happen also i can no longer find backend moter switches any more
im looking for any advice from you good people as i only have 3 years of exp.

[Flying Elvis Members Find all posts View Profile Close Flying Elvis]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

Jeff... If it were me I would consider putting in 82-70's instead of 82-90's, as you could pick up 4 of those much cheaper. 70's are excellent machines, and easy to work on... they just don't have all the bells and whistles that the 90's have. Actually, I believe I know of someone right here in Wisconsin that has 4 of them for sale. If you're interested send me a PM and I can get you his contact info.

Oh yes... and welcome to Bowl-Tech!! [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]

[TheGMan143 Members Find all posts View Profile Close TheGMan143]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

Upgrading to well-kept 70's would definitely work OK... and you will have a pretty easy learning curve to maintaining them. Just so you don't buy junkers... or I will guarantee after a very short time, you (and your bowlers) will be WISHING for your 30's back. The 30 relies more on mechanical movement than electrical, hence, easier to MAKE it run, if necessary... the 70 is more electric/electronic driven. While still a very reliable machine, it has more to "go wrong" than a 30.

If your tight on $$$, I'd say with a little TLC, those 30's have quite a bit of service left in them. Backend motors aren't too big of a deal... I'm sure they could be replaced by the 'newer' 8230 motors, '70 BEM's, or even aftermarket units, with a minimum of modification... possibly even just replacing the starting switches with solid state units would do the job.

A 30 (compared to other bowling capital equipment) is a fairly simple animal, that's built like a tank. There's only a few "weak links" in an otherwise very tough machine... like the distributor track, for instance.

Sit down, even with another mechanic or a traveling service tech if needed... evaluate just what your machine problems are, and what would be needed to correct them. You might just find that with a few parts and some elbow grease, those 30's will do just fine.

[bent wrench Members Find all posts View Profile Close bent wrench]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

Very well said G [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img]

[gobowling Members Find all posts View Profile Close gobowling]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

thanks guys i need all the encouragment i can get. i will consider my ops

[toon30s Members Find all posts View Profile Close toon30s]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

Great post G!! I worked several years at my Dad's center that had 30s and 70s both. We had 4 good 70s and 4 junkers. The good ones were factory 5 board machines and the others were stepper chassis machines. There are subtle differences in the cams that control the respot cells and the pin cups. The 5 board machines close the respot cells slower and the others slam them open and shut.
From someone who likes the 30s better, the 70 shortcomings are the distributor and clutch, the bin, and the fact that if one respot cell is out of adjustment or binding enough, the rest don't work either. Plus parts are more expensive for the 70s.
The 30s are tanks like G said and with the proper adjusting and lubracation, they will run a long time and preform as well or better than a 70. Both machines are good, but only as good as the mechanic working on them.
One thing on the backend motors on 30s. There are 2 stator sizes if you go buying spares. I think the start switches are the same, but the outside is bigger on the older ones. No performance difference, just different sizes. Wish you were closer, I have LOTS of spare motors and chassis!
PS You 70 guys knew this was coming from me, right? :p

[BowlEquip Member Find all posts View Profile Close BowlEquip]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

Could smell this coming a mile away!! LOL

[BowlEquip Member Find all posts View Profile Close BowlEquip]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

Could smell this coming a mile away!! LOL

[maister Members Find all posts View Profile Close maister]

Re: 82-30 to 82-90s

30's are becoming fewer and fewer , and upgrading to 70's with mp chassis would be the way to go if cost of bringing 30's up to speed outways cost of newer machines.
maister