Room-to-room grand piano move

[Newton Hunt]

I have done this many time just this way, except there is no need to
immobilize the dolly.

IMPORTANT: instruct your help, before beginning, in each step of the process
and where you want each one to be and what they will do there.  Tell them
TWICE.  If you DON'T do this someone, including you, can get hurt.  It is
easy, it is simple, but each person must know their job and what to expect.
I never had the same crew twice in moving a grand piano at the university
and I never had an accident.

Construct a box just a little shorter than the dolly by 4" by the height of
an average rim.
Tie the lid in place with some twine or rope.
Remove the lyre
Lift the piano bass end and let someone else remove the leg
Lower the piano to the box with help
Place the dolly where the piano will be balanced on it from front to back.
Have someone at the tail of the piano to lift to prevent all the weight
coming onto the back leg
Lift and tilt the piano up vertical and onto the dolly
The box should come right out and then roll away after removing the legs.

I constructed 10 or 12 of the boxes because I stored many pianos on them.  A
lot less work getting the pianos back onto a dolly.

I moved pianos 15-20 times with student help this way without any problems
at all.

Setting up the piano is just the reverse.

The reason you do not need to immobilize the dolly is because the weight
comes down onto the dolly just before the piano is vertical and the piano is
pivoting on the box and on the real leg, hence the need to someone back
there to take up the weight.

I have seen one person set up a grand by himself, with not help.  _I_ don't
think I would try that.

Jim Gieger in Houston is the most efficient moving I know of.

            Newton

Carl Root wrote:

> I have been asked to take charge of move of an older Baldwin 'R' from
> the lobby of a nursing home down the hall back to the activities room.
> They called me because they can't find a mover who can get to it, and I
> put the piano on its' side and repaired a damaged leg plate that the
> last movers ignored prior to my last visit.
>
> There are no steps.  I have a dolly and plenty of help.  I do not have a
> skid, so the step that involves getting the dolly under the piano once
> the lid's been removed is the part that makes my a bit nervous.  I
> thought of making  some sort of support block that was the same height
> as the dolly and placing it under the bass end side.  Is there a good
> way to immoblize the dolly?
>
> I couldn't find anything useful in the archives.
>
> Carl Root, RPT