Despite their relatively small size, they usually weigh at least 300 pounds, making the job of moving them a team effort not to be undertaken lightly.
Using a tape measure, ensure that the spinet will fit through every door or opening you plan to move it through. [1] X Research source If the piano is being moved out of the house to a moving truck, have the truck open and any moving ramps deployed in advance of the move, and plan to move the piano before any other, lighter furniture so that there is plenty of room for your team to maneuver it into place. For safety reasons, one person per 100 pounds[2] X Trustworthy Source US Occupational Safety and Health Administration U. S. government agency responsible for setting and enforcing workplace safety standards Go to source is recommended for this and all upright piano moves. This may work out to more people than are strictly needed, but extra personnel can help in other ways (such as opening doors), and can step in should somebody start to get worn out.
Never move the piano more than a few feet without stopping to reset your grip.
The smaller “studio” uprights usually weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. The monstrous “full vertical” or large upright piano can weigh as much as half a ton. A studio piano’s center of gravity is also lower than a large upright’s, as it is about 4 feet (1. 2 m) tall as opposed to a large upright’s roughly 5-foot height.
Have your moving truck open with the ramp deployed, if you are moving the piano onto the truck. Try to get one person per 100 pounds of estimated weight to help you move your piano. Ensure that every member of your piano moving grew is wearing rugged leather work gloves, and if at all possible, thick weightlifting support belts to help prevent back strain.
As many people as possible should be at the dolly end of the piano, to support its weight as it tips back, and along the sides of the piano to keep it on an even keel. This is an especially important point to remember with large upright pianos, since they tend to be quite top-heavy. Don’t let gravity do any of your work for you; ease the piano gently using manpower from beginning to end.
If the piano is too high on the dolly to move through a doorway, it will have to be lifted and scooted slowly through the door a few inches at a time. Once it is through the doorway, be sure it is settled firmly on the dolly before continuing to move it. The proper way to lift any object is to squat, maintain a straight back, and lift with your legs. Be sure everyone who is helping you move knows to lift this way. If the piano feels out of balance at any time, yell “Stop!” and instruct everyone to gently set the piano down. Make any required adjustments to the position of the dolly or your crew and try again.
Grand pianos, like uprights, are divided by size into “petite” grand pianos, which can weigh as little as 500 pounds, on to standard grands, and finally “concert” grand pianos, the largest pianos of all, which can weigh as much as 1300 pounds and measure more than 9 feet (2. 7 m) across. However, moving a grand piano of any size requires the same basic steps.
Because of the grand piano’s bulk, it is generally moved on-end, so double check that any doors you plan to move your piano through are tall enough to accommodate its front-to-back length, with several inches to spare. If the piano is too deep to fit through a door with several inches of clearance to spare, professional help will be required.
Equipment rental shops should be able to rent you a skid board if you don’t own one. Be sure that the top of the piano is securely locked down, as well as the keyboard cover.
The goal is to set the piano vertically on the skid board with the left side (bass side) down on the board, so that the treble side of the piano points skyward and the keyboard is vertical. Remember that the piano gets heavier toward the bass end, which means the center of balance is likely to be closer to that end than the other.
A piano dolly or furniture dolly with straps can help make a move up a flight of stairs much easier. Specially designed piano skids are also a sensible option.
The majority of people helping you move the piano should be at the lower 50% of the piano at all times to help keep it stable. However, nobody should stand directly behind the piano without plenty of room to step aside, since one slip from another crew member could mean being crushed underneath its weight. Ensure that everyone can easily step to the side if control over the piano is lost.
