[pianotech] How NOT to move a grand piano

[William Truitt]

You are missing my points.  A lift bed is flat enough to safely use swivel
wheeled dollies safely and consistently with PROPERLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL
PIANO MOVERS.  It is done safely all the time every day by 99 plus percent
of all professional piano movers - who do not need the perceived security of
a straight wheeled dolly, who manage the instability easily with proper
technique.  In fact, they often do this when the truck is sitting a little
sidehill and/or downhill too. I've watched my movers do it this way for
years, presenting no problems to them.   A properly set dolly will be
balanced with either kind of dolly.  I think what you mean is leverage.  

We should not mistake the sense of security that occasional piano technician
movers might feel they need for the safest and best (or only) method for
professional piano movers to use. 

We can debate the kind of dolly to use, but I also detailed other examples
of improper use of equipment that indicate that these guys were fully
knowledgeable about the right tools and good technique. 

Will


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Ilvedson
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 9:10 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] How NOT to move a grand piano

A properly set dolly offers little trouble turning a piano.   It's called
balance.  Swivel wheeled dolly not only can go back forth but what ti go
right or left depending gravity.   A lift bed is rarely flat.  

David Ilvedson
Pacifica, CA

On Apr 10, 2010, at 5:15 PM, "William Truitt" <surfdog at metrocast.net> wrote:

" Non-caster wheels offer more stability on an diagonal incline
and offer a more secure transit in general."

Please support your conclusion that non-caster wheels (straight line wheels)
offer a more secure transit in general (than a pivoting wheel such as seen
on a piano dolly)

If you do not want to veer off a straight line, yes it would be more stable
- it will resist moving in any other direction than the direction the wheels
are aiming.  However, in order to execute a turn, you must lift two wheels
off the ground and then frictionally force the remaining two to pivot.  Not
easy with 12 to 1400 lbs bearing on those small surfaces.  Why would you
want to lift more than you have to, when you simply can easily pivot the
piano on all four wheels of the piano dolly, and in tight spaces too?
That's what they are designed to do.   You don't have to lift one end of
this beast to rotate the piano on the board end with a piano dolly, you
simply rotate the piano in the direction desired by movers pushing at each
end, being sure to keep the piano stable by holding the piano high and
moving it from there.  Yes, there is an inherent instability to a piano
dolly when on a slight incline, the wheels will want to straighten to follow
the path of least resistance and roll downhill.  But that is what proper
moving techniques are for to compensate for that, and what professional
piano movers use all the time to move quickly and safely. And the lift gates
do not angle much, or at all.  

Where is the diagonal incline you are talking about in the pictures?

In the context of all the movements required to roll the piano out onto the
gate and pivot it until the piano is perpendicular to the truck, the fact
that the wheels were not casters has everything to do with this not being a
safe move (in totality).  

I have never met a full time professional piano mover who used anything
other than a pivot wheel piano dolly.  That's a lot of movers I've seen.  

Will

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Jon Page
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 5:13 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] How NOT to move a grand piano

Seems to me that they got in trouble by not rotating the piano
perpendicular to the truck on the raised lift gate prior to lowering.
They and ended up with it propped between the truck bed and gate.

They needed to rotate the piano on the board end and that's
probably when things got out of hand.

The fact that the wheels were not casters has no bearing on it.
Non-caster wheels offer more stability on an diagonal incline
and offer a more secure transit in general.
-- 

Regards,

Jon Page