<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] Moving Pianos on Campus</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Rob, I will occasionally move uprights, with student or faculty help, and of cou= rse harpsichords, but up until now we have hired a moving company to move gr= ands.  This is getting very expensive, though.  They will often se= nd 5 or 6 guys to move a concert grand, and only two of them really know wha= t they’re doing.  Because of this, I am working up a proposal to = do moving in-house.  This will allow us to move a grand for 25-40% of w= hat the movers charge, plus my help will actually be trained.  T= here are two critical purchases in this proposal: a Piano Horse and a Buckey= e truck.  The piano horse is available through Jansen, and they have a = video about using it that they will send you.  It tilts the piano onto = the skid with minimal effort.  Gordon Crail, the inventor, has given cl= asses at convention.  The Buckeye, or Self-Lifting, piano truck is avai= lable through Schaff.  It sounds like your dolly/skid arrangement is al= ready similar.  It the administration balks at either one of these purc= hases, I’m not moving grands.  I think anyone who moves a grand w= ithout a piano horse, or something like it, is just a masochist.  Needl= ess to say, I highly recommend both of these pieces of equipment. Your back is a separate, but related, issue.  I had some back problems= when I was in high school.  When I started doing some weight training = and running, they largely went away.  About ten years ago I separated f= rom the Air Force, and going to the gym and running were no longer a job req= uirement.  Funny thing, 2-3 years later my back started bothering me oc= casionally again, and there have been a few days when I couldn’t get o= ff the floor.  Now I’m taking a little better care of myself. &nb= sp;My point: find a doctor or chiropractor that you trust and work with them= .  Make a commitment to strengthening your back to minimize the problem= s.  It will not get better on its own, only worse.  I’m 48 a= nd I intend on being active for another 40 years (or more). Ken Z. On 2/22/06 11:31 AM, "Rob & Helen Goodale" <rrg@unlv.nevad= a.edu> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>Hello, Typically I stay in the back ground and just observe the list but I have wo= rthy inquiry.  I am the staff tech at UNLV, (University of Nevada, Las = Vegas).  We have +/-65 pianos and occasionally a few must be moved arou= nd.  I have one grand and one upright that I keep aside for when someon= e needs one for special events.  The upright has a permanent heavy truc= k on it for moving around.  For grands I use a method that involves til= ting the piano up onto the skid while it's already on the dolly.  The d= olly is custom made with extra large hard wheels.  Two of the wheels do= not swivel so that it doesn't skip out while lifting.  If it is a reas= onably small grand, (nothing larger than a C-3), then it is surprisingly sim= ple.  I'm sure there are others who do this.  Anyway to the point.=   After lifting and moving pianos for years my back= has just about had it.  Every so often it slips out of place and I fin= d myself in pain for several days.  Recently I was required to move sev= eral pianos in a day and it just about did me in.  This morning I found= myself stiff and unable to crawl out of bed.  The reality is that I ca= n't continue doing this.  At age 40 I have a long way to go and I don't= fancy ruining my back for the likes of ungrateful university staff. I would like to know what other university techs = have done regarding piano moves.  Because of liability reasons they are= not too enthusiastic about getting students to do it.  The facilities = management people are not reliable and can't be trusted to show up on time. =  The Faculty is certainly not interested in getting their hands dirty. =  I have occasionally called in another outside tech but that is not alw= ays possible.  Unfortunately my Jedi skills aren't mastered well enough= to move pianos using "The Force".  So... what do YOU = do? Rob Goodale, RPT Las Vegas, NV </BLOCKQUOTE> -- Ken Zahringer, RPT Piano Technician MU School of Music 297 Fine Arts 882-1202 cell 489-7529 </BODY> </HTML>