[CAUT] technique for getting pianos on the colson dolly

[Alan Crane]

Hi Debra,

Spider dolly (stage truck) installation can be very successfully and 
safely done by one person though it would be smart
to have another person to help (or just be there), especially the first 
time, just in case.
Movers typically set the piano up on its legs and adjust the truck in 
position next to the legs before dead-lifting it up onto the truck (and 
hoping their "eyeball" adjustments came close enough)... but you can 
easily do better than that yourself.

Avery Todd began a discussion of techniques on this list in March of 
2003 and my reply to him is in the list archives at:

https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/2003-March/008564.html

If you click on "thread" or "subject" (or the other links) at the top of 
that page, you can get to everyone else's replies as well.
There are some smart folks out there with some excellent ways of doing 
this... its worth a look. 

Lance Lafargue opened the discussion again about a year ago, though he 
was asking about removing a piano truck.
FWIW, my reply to him is at 
http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/2005-June/015286.html 
and you can go to everyone else's from there.

If you ordered your new stage trucks from Jansen & Son, call them back 
and ask them to add a Jack-In-The-Box to
the order (another $100 or so)... its a good thing to have around for 
other situations too!
It was designed by Susan Graham, RPT and can be shop-built too.
She did an article on its construction & use in the Nov. 1988 issue of 
the PTG Journal (even a nice photo on the cover) and it might help to 
refer to that as well.

Be careful, and have fun!         :)

 >Debra Feiger wrote:

>Now that we've ordered spider dollies for the SS L and
>SS B, the facilities manager wants to bring in movers
>to put the pianos on the dollies.  Can someone give me
>specific instructions on how to do this in-house (how
>many strapping muscle men we need and specific
>technique)...


Regards,

Alan B. Crane, RPT
School of Music
Wichita State University
alan.crane at wichita.edu