Simply put, maintenance. The biggest contributor of these maintenance costs is the traditional free-fall pinsetter. Free-fall pinsetters can have thousands of moving parts, any of which can malfunction and cause a breakdown. This is why many bowling alleys that utilize free fall pinsetters have an on-site, full-time mechanic to make sure the equipment stays up and running.
Given that the free-fall pinsetter results in so much required maintenance and the associated costs, many bowling businesses are turning to the string pinsetter. Widely used in Europe, the string pinsetter eliminates the need for a full-time mechanic and the majority of the repairs and maintenance can be conducted by any of your existing staff.