[CAUT] piano moving stuff

[Greg Newell]

Chris and list,

                My two cents are to get or make a piano horse. I’ve not seen
anything else that is even close to the “do no damage” idea. I use one
fairly regularly in the moving portion of my business. The only other thing
I have done before purchasing the “horse” was to take the bass corner down
to the floor by hand. That has trouble too on pianos where the side of the
keybed uses a piece of trim work. You can also dent the corner on pianos
with softer wood. I’ve not heard anyone mention that the corners of the lyre
also get dented wood when using the lyre to rock the piano down. I’ve also
not heard about the possibility, however slim, of the keybed flexing and
allowing the drop screws to be driven into the underside of the Pinblock if
they were close to begin with. Personally I will NEVER use the lyre as a
fulcrum. It simply wasn’t designed for that. It hangs not supports! 

 

Greg Newell

Greg's Piano Forté

www.gregspianoforte.com

216-226-3791 (office)

216-470-8634 (mobile)

 

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Chris
Solliday
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:36 PM
To: l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net; College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] piano moving stuff

 

I too was amazed to watch a man who I respected and who assured me that
rolling on the lyre was safe split the mount on a Steinway M. That was about
ten years ago and although I intuitively avoided the procedure prior to that
I now have at least one really good reason to NEVER do that. It may work
most of the time but as I professional who is committed to "Do No Damage" I
need a procedure that works all the time. Safety first of course.

Chris Solliday rpt

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Leslie <mailto:l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>  Bartlett 

To: College and University Technicians <mailto:caut at ptg.org>  

Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:09 PM

Subject: Re: [CAUT] piano moving stuff

 

I   was on the moving crew at the Chicago convention at which one of the
crew was an adamant supporter of moving on the lyre. "Never had a
problem"........................   So he was in charge of the move of the
M&H and we watched while the lyre simply disintegrated under the weight  of
the piano.  I've done a few lyre moves myself, but there's a trick i use. A
"chinning bar" which screws out to fit into a doorway can be wedged in
between the lyre and the treble leg, thus putting almost all the stress on
the bar rather than the lyre.  However, I think the M&H would still have
collapsed.  It was a fragile lyre for a very heavy piano.
les bartlett
houston

Elwood Doss wrote: 

Thanks for including the info on the 52nd Annual Convention.  Hopefully my
wife and I can attend.

A lot of professional piano movers use the lyre to swing the grand piano to
the dolly.  I cringe every time I see it, but it evidently works for them.
I like the piano horse and jack-in-the-box myself.

Joy!

Elwood

Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT

Piano Technician/Technical Director

Department of Music

145 Fine Arts Building

The University of Tennessee at Martin

Martin, TN  38238

731/881-1852

FAX: 731/881-7415

HOME: 731/587-5700

  _____  

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ward &
Probst, Inc
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:00 PM
To: 'College and University Technicians'
Subject: Re: [CAUT] piano moving stuff

PW,

Many movers regularly turn grands on the lyre without problems. I don't
because we have the Horse and it seems safer to me. Gordon Crail, who
invented the Horse, is a friend and we have a prototype that has been used
for years in the shop and on the road. He suggests, blocking the tail end of
the dolly up, using a person to counter balance the key end, and using a
lift strap. Doing this saves a lot of strain, as about half of the lift is
done. I don't have pics of the skids but the GC is sort of like what we
have. We have fixed wheels in the center and swivel wheels at each end. 

I enjoyed the Annual and it seemed to me that most everyone else did. The
facility was good and the Institute and Home Office staff had every thing
running smoothly. Next year it will be in Grand Rapids, MI at the Amway
Grand Hotel which looks like one of the best venues yet.

DP 

July 15, 2009--July 19, 2009

52ND ANNUAL CONVENTION
Amway Grand Hotel
Grand Rapids, MI
Contact: Sandy Roady
4444 Forest Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66106
Phone: 913-432-9975
Fax: 913-432-9986

 -----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul T
Williams
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:17 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] piano moving stuff


I NEVER use the lyre for tilting.  Who does such a horrible thing?  How
would one combine the two?  I'm trying to visualize  getting the lifting of
the back end of the grand away for getting a dolly under....  Sure would
save some backs!!! 

pw 

ps Thanks.  I think I may get a Horse for myself here in the shop..  It
looks real good.  any pics of your shop built thing? 
How was natonal? 

pw 







"Ward & Probst, Inc"  <mailto:wardprobst at wardprobst.com>
<wardprobst at wardprobst.com> 
Sent by: caut-bounces at ptg.org 

06/25/2008 02:34 PM 


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Subject

Re: [CAUT] piano moving stuff

 

		




Hi Paul, 
  
Use the Horse all the time and love it. The only problem may be combining
the two. It looks like the Grand Chariot
<http://www.premiermovingequipment.com/>
http://www.premiermovingequipment.com/ may be raised off the ground a bit
and the Horse is designed to take the piano to the ground. I use something
similar to the GC that is shop built and it requires more care to use it in
combination with the Horse. Looks like the GC is designed for those who use
the lyre for turning. 
  
DP 
Dale Probst, RPT 
Midwestern State University 
-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul T
Williams
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:28 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: [CAUT] piano moving stuff


Hi all 

I hope your time in Anaheim was good for all! 

We have a professor here who is going to be "on the road" with her Yamaha
C-7 this fall.  she asked me about piano moving stuff and mentioned the
piano horse (janssen) and something called a "grand chariot"  which looks
more like a skidboard with wheels. 

Have any of you used these things?  Are they worth the money? (she has a
grant to buy said items)  Anything better out there? 

Thanks in advance 

Paul 

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