Moving an upright piano

[Tim Bowen]

I'm hoping to transport this behemoth without destroying it or me. From what I've gathered thusfar, I'll need dollies, a board cut to spec, and tie-downs to secure it. Piano -> board -> dolly. I could use some advice before heading off to Home Depot to round up supplies.


Piano dimensions

Approximately 4'9" (length) x 3'8" (height) x 2'1" (depth)


Tie-downs

I'm assuming that I need something a couple of feet longer than the sum of twice the height plus twice the depth of the piano - correct? Two or three tie-downs?

Would any of these ratchet ties fill the bill? Cheapest that'll get it done safely is preferable.

http://www.google.com/search?q=ratc...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDgQrQQwBA


dolly/dollies

I have a couple of generic furniture dollies with the following approximate dimensions:

2'6" x 1'6"

So, as combined end-to-end/secured together, slightly longer than the overall length of the piano, but about 7" short of the depth.

OR - as oriented the other way, plenty of depth, but I couldn't secure them end-to-end (there'd be some space between them, with the board between the dollies and the piano of course).

Would either of these orientations work as combined with a board to support the weight, or I do I need a more specific dolly?


The board

I used to get boards cut to spec all the time at Home Depot, but it's been a few years. Does the company still employ an in-house cutter operator?

How close (or slightly larger?) to the actual dimensions of the piano should I cut the board in order to promote best contact in securing the tie-downs? What's the minimum thickness of board that I should use?


The guys, the truck ramp, the logistics

Can I wrangle this obnoxious beast with three guys, or should I plan on four guys minimum?

Any words of wisdom on loading up and down the rental truck incline ramp?

No big logistical issues with my current residence. However, at the new place, there's four steps leading up to a front porch. I'm 85 miles away from the new shack and don't have option of doing any measuring in advance to cut something that would serve as an incline slope, prior to the move. How to deal with this?




Help.

 

[still_fiddlin]

I'd call around for quotes from outfits that do this. I had a guy and his dad move one for me, and it wasn't that expensive for a short haul. They have the equipment, and a lift gate, along with muscles that have done it a lot. (I will roll it around in the room it's in, but that's it.)

 

[tap4154]

Hire some pros.

 

[ednew]

Hire some pros.

Tim,

Totally concur.

You might check with a local piano/keys company for competent movers and to get a handle on reasonable rates.

Once you pass 40 your piano moving days are all in the rear view. At least that's been my experience.

BTW, what's the latest on your book(let)?

Best,
Ed

 

[Ricky D.]

35 years in the moving business. You move it the same way they built the pyramids, just muscle it. It's under 500 pounds, not that heavy. A few things make it easier / turn out better...

Rent a dozen pads with the truck, and get a roll of packing tape. Double pad the piano and tape the pads in place. Use an excessive amount of tape, it's cheap.

Cheapest ratchet straps are fine. Home Depot, Lowes, 4 in a package. You need 4. Lift one end of the piano and stick the dolly underneath, then strap it to the piano. Repeat with the other end. Now you have a padded piano securely mounted on good wheels. Forget about hooking the dollies together, and forget about the board.

Wheel it where you can, pick it up and carry it where you can't wheel it. Just roll it up/down the ramp, being careful not to step off the side of the ramp . Secure it against the front wall of the truck with two straps. Make the straps TIGHT so the piano won't shift.

You should get three guys to help you for safety's sake so that you can use two guys on each end on the steps. If there's a storm door, disconnect the closer and tie the door open. Use a door stop to keep the entry door open.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll be fine. PM your phone number to me if you want to talk about it.

 

[Tim Bowen]

Thanks guys.

Even with doing everything myself, moving costs are exorbitant. No short haul, it's 85 miles away. Piano is like one of seventy three variables I need to deal with in the next week. Gotta do it myself (with some buds), or the piano doesn't go. Fortunately, one of the buds I have in tow is a pro Hammond organ tech, so he has some experience. I'm just trying to get the ducks in a row before Saturday. I'll figure it out.

Thanks for asking, Ed. 2010 has sort of been a wash as to real progress with anything other than keeping the head above water. At the moment, I'm looking at walking the tightrope between building a new client base in one town while maintaining enough of a client base in the current town to make it all work. And do the gigs and maintain other commitments. So, some commuting is in order, and it's gonna be a logistical challenge. The new company I'll be teaching for has some really interesting ideas about educational tech that are highly appealing to me, but I have many gnat bites of real life to swat away before I can watch the smoke clear and truly get proactive and move forward.

By the way, I guess this is as good a place as any to mention that I'll be offline - for possibly quite some time - within the next week or so.

 

[sixstringbastard]

Around here. many piano movers will alos tune it for you once it gets to the destination. Moving a piano will knock it out of tune.

 

[Tim Bowen]

Ricky D. - excellent advice, thank you.

 

[Tim Bowen]

Yeah, tuning is the least of my concerns for now. If it's wacked upon arrival, I'll initially go for a "Boogie with Stu" sort of thing from LZ's Physical Graffiti. Not that I can play as well as Ian Stewart anyway.

 

[Tim Armstrong]

Tim, I'm sending maximum Mood Swinger mojo!

Tim

 

[Stubee]

I'm hoping to transport this behemoth without destroying it or me.

Sounds like you are thinking it thru really well. Did an upright ages ago down three flights--inc. a fire escape--with one friend "Duke" and would bet we're both still suffering. Heavy enough but also tall. We hauled that thing from Lansing MI to Albuquerque NM. It's still in NM as far as I know.

tuning is the least of my concerns for now.

That's for sure.

"Boogie with Stu"

Can't go wrong with that!

BTW last time @ Lowes they did cuts. Good luck with all yer move & be careful.

 

[cband7]

+1 on the pros. I moved an old upright that must have weighed 600 pounds and I'll never do it again!



.

 

[Tim Bowen]

Thanks again guys. And especially to Ricky (I like your "hitchiker" philosophy).

 

[Skully]

From a recent thread about the joy of getting a new grand piano, my experience last week with how not to move an upright:

This week we unloaded our upright piano via Craigslist. We picked it up from my wife's boss about a year and a half ago. He misrepresented its condition a bit, saying it was recently tuned... blah, blah, blah. It may have been recently tuned, but it was still have a step flat, with a couple of dead keys. These problems could've been remedied -- or not, depending on the temperament/condition of the piano, but I didn't want to invest the money to find out. Anyway... last week, my wife decided she wanted it gone. It reminded her of her boss and it was taking up space.

So... A woman calls and says she wants it (the price is right: free). The guys she sends to pick it up are nice enough, but not professional movers. I help them take it out of the house and load it on to their small truck, sans ramp or hydraulic lift -- no easy task. I go back inside, not bothering to stick around and see if and how they tied it down. A few minutes later, I notice they have forgotten the piano bench. I call to tell them and am informed that they lost the piano in the first turn. That's right: it fell out of the truck.

 

[Bill Hullett]

Skully....

Skully

I saw some guys moving a really old upright about 5 years ago in the back of an S-10 pickup....one guy was in the bed with the piano and they went around a corner and the guy tried to "hold it" in place but it was so top heavy it went over the side of the pickup bed....the thing literally exploded into a thousand pieces! they were last seen holding up traffic , chucking the pieces back into the s-10 to clear the intersection....

Dangerous!

Bill Hullett

 

[Chud]

I worked at SIR here in the city for years and have helped move a number of pianos (mostly grands) over the years. Four straps, three guys, two dollies, and a shyteload of blankets and tape and you should be good. Stairs suck, but just remember that it is easier to push something than to pull it usually.

 

[Westerly Sunn]

I; along with the help of my two bothers, have moved my Wurlitzer upright (previously my mother's - before that her Aunt) around my parent's house from room to room (now my younger brother's house- ) including up to and back down from, the 2nd story and subsequently and finally... to my house where it currently resides... all with nothing but muscle...

all though; I might add, done well before the age of 40...

 

[jefrs]

You need proper skates for it. And preferably an hydraulic lifter for the steps. This is for the benefit of the piano, not the muscle. There are electric barrows that can walk up stairs with that kind of weight. And then it will want re-tuning.

 

[Bolide]

The answer given by Ricky D cannot be improved upon: It's about as perfect as you can get!

Words of encouragement: I am 'bout 5'8", 150#s on a good day, and in Jr. High Choir I was always one of the guys who always got picked to do the piano moves, so you figure that, with teamwork, four 8th Graders around my size could move a baby grand from the floor of a cafeteria onto the stage (and vice-versa) without incident, you and three other adult men should be able to move an upright without incident. It's just a matter of breaking it down into steps, talking over the steps so everyone is on the same page of the hymnal before you start singing, and working together; And setting the durn thing down between steps

 

[Murky]

At the new place, back the truck in and run the ramp to the porch, if you can. No sense going down off the truck, then up the stairs, if you can avoid it.

I have an old Everett spinet with spindly front legs. Norfolk to Memphis to Orlando, then two local moves in 20 years with no problems. Ricky D's tips were on the mark. The more ingenuity you have, the less muscle you need.

Be safe about it.