what equipment is needed to move a piano?
Question:
What equipment is necessary to do this safely? I know that I could hire a piano moving company to do it, but there are some problems with this (namely the cost and the fact that I have not yet found a mover who will do it on the weekend). ?
Answer:
I must say that a professional mover would be the safest solution. That said...here's some suggestions: For the stairs, I would suggest strapping your upright piano on a grand skid board, this prevents the casters from hanging on the steps and also provides some handles to grab on to. You may be able to rent a grand skid board from a rental center or possibly even a piano shop. You also need several moving pads and a piano dolly. Be aware that if the stairs have a landing you may need to lift the pianos' keybed high enough to clear the handrail or the piano may need to make the turn on it's end (this is where experience is required). If the stairway turns left, begin your journey up with the keybed facing left, this will make the turn easier to negotiate... note: ( easiER...not easy) it looks like the skid has four handles. Is it possible for four people to carry an upright piano up stairs? I am just imagining when we pushed the piano up the stairs on a ramp. I think we had six people. I have not yet seen the apartment where we are moving it. I think that if it is necessary to tip the piano on end, I will just hire someone to do it. I could see that resulting in a disaster quite easily. I guess seeing the four handles may be a little deceiving....actually, you need one person at the top end who is bending down, reaching around the end of the piano and holding one handle in each hand. His main task is to be sure the board clears all the steps and to pull as much as possible to lighten the load. Why not two at the top? In most stairwells there is not enough room for a man on each side of the piano. And, the way I described with one man works better anyway. The two men at the bottom lift and push by one holding under the keybed and the other holding the wooden handle in the back of the piano. In many cases a professional mover would only use two men for this. As for 6 men, they would just be in one anothers way and two or three of them would be doing 95% of the work. Go to a piano shop. Ask to meet the movers. Please notice that at least one of them is missing some fingers. This should give you a good idea about moving a piano yourself.
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