packaging instructions:
~ Remove the platter (see below for instructions), secure it separately from rest of deck, and well padded. Its heavy and can tear stuff all to heck. Make sure its well isolated and solidly restrained.
~ Two red bolts under the platter.
These are transport screws, and need to be tightened. They need to be tightened down to secure the motor for shipping.
You'll then need to loosen them at your end.
~ Tonearm and counterweight:
Secure the tonearm to the armrest by a twist tie, and remove the counterweight, antiskate assemblies, and the headshell/cartridge, to be safely secured, separately. You do not want the headshell or c.weights to be on the arm, or loose. They damage the arm.
You remove the platter by:
This is best done with three hands (someone to help), or by shimming the platter up slightly with some folded paper towels (what I do when I'm by myself).
Grip the outer rim of the platter with your fingers, slightly lifting it. Using a hammer handle as a striker, and a piece of wood as a cushion, you place the wood over the spindle, and slightly tap the spindle downward with a sharp rap on the wood -> TAP ON THE WOOD <- not on the spindle itself.
One or two raps with the handle of the hammer handle or plastic mallet, and the spindle will drop, and the platter will lift right off.