It's understandable that you might not want to hire a mover just to move a piano around a room, but these small moves can be surprisingly dangerous. With both grands and verticals, it's primarily the legs you want to watch out for. Breaking a leg on a vertical may just be an inconvenience, but on a grand it can be disastrous. For example, a leg could get caught on an uneven floor or the grate of a heating duct and come crashing to the floor, breaking the legs as well as the pedal lyre.
Dragging a piano across carpeting can also be too much for the legs to handle. If you insist on moving a grand piano yourself, 3 to 5 strong people should gather around its circumference and lift while moving. Don't actually try to lift it off the floor; just relieve the strain on the legs of the piano.
At least 2 people should always move a vertical piano. Smaller, apartment sized verticals with free-standing legs should have their legs protected by lifting or tilting the piano back ever so slightly while moving. But remember that most of the weight of the piano is in its back, so be sure you have a firm grip on it and don't tilt so far that the piano is in danger of falling over. Larger verticals and smaller ones without legs can simply be rolled, although this may be hard to do on carpeting. Piano casters can sometimes get stuck unexpectedly, so move slowly with one person on each end of the piano. When making turns, keep the back of the piano on the inside of the turn. And be careful not to push a stubborn vertical piano over your helper's foot!
Casters, Trucks & Dollies
If you're going to be moving a piano around a room or stage, or from room to room often, be sure the piano is properly equipped.
Grand pianos should be mounted on a piano truck/dolly or fitted with special casters. Small verticals are best not to be moved around much, but there are special trucks for them, too. See pictures below. Larger verticals often come with heavy-duty casters, but casters that are too small or old cast-iron casters can be replaced by your piano technician with double rubber-wheel ones that move easily and don't mar the floor. |
