Mine is upstairs and I have bum knees. I do recall being very frustrated til I happened upon a small button or (on the front of the bed that I either pressed or slid to the right and the machine tilted back. Bennett's description is as I recall it. Tiny straight slot screws on the hinge posts loosen and the machine will slide off the hinge pins, so you don't have to remove the hinges. Don't lose the tiny screws- sometimes called grub screws. Just screw them back in. Bennett- your byline is so true! I think you can even learn surgeries on the web now.