[pianotech] Upright Tilter

[Scott Helms, RPT]

I had a similar mishap years ago with my tilter on a school piano. The
original casters had been replaced with a large-wheeled truck that was
bolted to the piano. I guess I was young & stupid (well, at least stupid),
because I didn't forsee the danger and didn't strap the tilter to the
piano. I was lowering the piano back down, and the second the back wheels
hit the floor, they rolled out away from the tilter, and the top back edge
of the piano slid all the way down to the bottom of the tilter, where it
caught the forks like stepping on a rake. WHAP! The tilter flew up and hit
me square in the cheekbone. Of course the piano was making this horrible
racket, and I was seeing stars (literally). My guardian angel was working
overtime, because I suffered nothing more than a nasty purple bruise on my
face - nothing broken. But boy, did I learn my lesson! I keep my ratchet
straps tied to the tilter at all times now, so that I NEVER forget to use
them - they are now a part of the tool. How much more effort does it take
to throw a strap on the thing? Even if the original casters are frozen and
I'm on shag carpet, I will still use a strap. If nothing else, it gives me
a LOT more peace of mind.

I would love to find one of the models that folds in the middle too; mine
is from Schaff about 10 years ago, and it's about 4' long when it's
folded. Not real easy to throw in the trunk. Does anybody know who sells
one of the middle-folding ones?
-- 
Scott A. Helms, Registered Piano Technician
www.helmsmusic.net






> On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 12:43 AM, James Johnson
> <jhjpiano at sbcglobal.net>wrote:
>
> I find my tilter indispensable.  I have one that folds up and is fairly
> easy
>> to carry.  One word of warning.  Be sure you keep the forks solidly
>> biting
>> into the bottom of the piano as you set it back into the upright
>> position. I
>> get the piano up to the position that the rear casters just begin to
>> touch
>> the floor, then I push the top of the piano away from the tilter while
>> pulling the puller towards me, keeping the forks supporting most of the
>> weight until the front casters touch the floor.
>
>
>
> Isn't that pretty intuitive in the use of a tilter? I've used my tilter
> maybe some 10+ times, and have always HAD to do this, just by being
> careful
> when tipping it up.  If one goes slow, it seems this is an automatic thing
> rather than something you have to focus on intentionally.
>
> Or maybe there are different tilters???  Mine came from Schaff some 7 or
> so
> years ago.  Were older ones different, requiring straps of some sort?
>
>
>
>>  Years ago, a good friend of mine didn't follow this procedure and when
>> the
>> rear casters contacted the floor, the piano rolled forward off the
>> tilter
>> and came crashing down, crushing several bones in his leg.  He missed
>> about
>> 6 months work because of this little mishap.  Needless to say, since his
>> accident I have been extra careful.  A strap around the top of the piano
>> tying it to the tilter, as well as one around the bottom, would be a
>> real
>> good idea.  It is the bottom of the piano coming off the tilter and
>> rolling
>> on the rear casters that is so dangerous.
>>
>
>
> Scary to think about, and I've read about this in the past.  And I've
> always
> been extra careful when using my tilter.  But nothing like this even comes
> close to happening with mine.  Never have used straps around anything, but
> perhaps ought to.
>
>
> --
> JF
>