How to move piano?

I once bought a piano at a fleamarket, 4 km from where I lived and thought I could roll it home on it's own wheels.

It started well but after 1 km or 2 one of the wheels broke down, so I was stranded by the roadside. I then saw a car with a trailer and started hitchiking. It stopped and we managed to get the piano on the trailer and he drove me home.

I might just be the only one in the world, who ever hitch hiked a lift with a piano.

I never learned to play it though ;-)

I have a funny story.

In 1969, while waiting to be inducted into the US Army after being drafted I got a job with a moving company for a few weeks. Mostly packing dishware and wall decorations or picking up stuff from the warehouse that was ready to be shipped.

One day the boss told me and this other new guy to go over to another warehouse and pack a van with the assigned load so it could be shipped to “where ever” and bring the van (this was a moving van, not a trailer) to the depot for final cross-country shipping. The deck of the van was shoulder high from the ground.

Way in the back of the shipment was an upright piano. It had little tiny casters about 1” in diameter on each of the 4 corners. We could push it around the warehouse with ease. Had no idea how to get it into the van. Even a ramp seemed dangerous. We called the boss; said we needed a lift or some help. He said he’d “Be over”, "get everything else on the van."

Made us wait until long after quitting time to get there; drove up in his Buick, had us line up the piano with the van door, had us help get the front end up on the deck and then get us in the van to guide it in, He got under it with his back and lifted that thing up with his legs. As soon as the Center of gravity passed the door, it slid right in. We strapped it down and he left, telling us to drive it to the warehouse, and he went home.

He was a great boss. Seriously.

Two men trying to move a piano: The first man squeals, "Do you know the piano's on my foot!" The second man rests his hands on the keys and replies, "Hum a few bars, I'll soon pick up the tune".

John Colter said:

Two men trying to move a piano: The first man squeals, "Do you know the piano's on my foot!" The second man rests his hands on the keys and replies, "Hum a few bars, I'll soon pick up the tune".

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Ah the old PG Tips tea ad

It's the way I tell 'em!

We hired two big guys and showed them where we wanted it. The best method.

Any updates here? I'm looking for a good moving company to move the piano.

UPD: We hired NYC Movers yesterday and had a great experience. I worried a lot, but they did everything fast and very carefully. And the price was reasonable. It felt like they had a big experience and did their best to make us pleased.

Search Yelp

rustydusty said:

I've been looking into this myself. My wife wants a piano, and there are usually several in the "free" column on Craigslist. For the price of the piano (free) it's worth hiring professional movers...

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They are free because moving them would cost them more than what they are willing to spend. They are looking for people who will get rid of it for them without a cost.

merlin666 said:

They are free because moving them would cost them more than what they are willing to spend.

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That plus a tune.

In a former life, I used to deliver pianos and safes.

They are heavy, but if you have the right tools for moving them you can do it. Take anything that can be removed off first (there's a lot of weight in things like the lid) and wrap it all in a blanket.

Better to pay someone, I think. The tools plus a van usually as expensive to hire as a couple of people who have the tools and do it all day. Especially up stairs. It would shock you how many people who deliver safes have missing fingers.