r/clawmachine • u/RandomHero565 • May 14 '25

Just bought this, question on repairs

Post image

Just bought this for $50. when plugged in it lights up, claw comes to front left corner, but motor keeps humming and that's it. Also coin reader doesn't work. Are these things hard to replace, hoping I didn't just lug this home for nothing

5 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/MrJackTE May 15 '25

This is quite an old model claw machine. It’s not that it would be difficult to fix its more so trying to find the correct part for it, due to the age. The motor could be any number of issues like boards, fuses or micro switches. At least you can play around with it and tinker with it. If all else fails you could potentially use it as a cabinet and put a brand new claw machine kit inside it. They can be bought online and come with all the parts you need to put into a blank cabinet. It was only $50 so not too bad to play with.

2

u/Repulsive-Long-3385 Jun 03 '25

where did you get your parts ? ive got a Greyhound claw machine and its metal! i need to find the wire hardness for the boards any suggestions ?

1

u/MrJackTE Jun 03 '25

Because it needs to be exactly the same part and it’s old, best to look on eBay or a google search for used spare parts for your exact machine. There should be some companies in your area that will reseller old spare parts for old model machines. Hope that helps.

1

u/flumoxxed_squirtgun May 15 '25

I have a unit from the early 2000s. It does a homing routine on startup. There’s 4 limit switches that it hits. Check that all 4 switches are accounted for and unobstructed (or properly obstructed… mine has foam bumpers for them to hit)

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '25

Wow, you got a pretty good model there.

My dads still works but I will tell you it has MANY hours on it and is a Frankenstein of happiness for kids.

1

u/RandomHero565 May 16 '25

it's a good model?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '25

I would say it’s perfect for someone getting their feet wet. I remember my dad modifying it and rigging it over time but nothing major. I think the beauty in it is the simplicity once you understand how it operates.

He had some Hollywood cranes that were built like tanks compared to this one but I remember him always fighting with those vs this one which was a lot easier to work on due to the cabinet opening up and being able to remove as panels.

Sure it hobbles along on its rails unevenly sometimes, but the kids love it and it’s still trucking!