How to move a piano without getting a backache?

Heavy, but fragile, made up of multiple parts, that are not easy to find or replace in case of damage. Pianos! Old and valuable or new electronic ones, taken straight from the music store. Pianos for everyday practice and grand pianos made for grand venues. All share the same feature – they are relatively heavy and not easy to move. Read about the options you have and transport preparations.

How much does a piano weigh?

It depends. If you want to move, say, a grand piano it may be as heavy as 661 lbs or even more.  waga nie powinna w kg

We do not necessarily advice to move a grand piano by yourself. It’s way too heavy (it requires a strength of 6 people to carry it to the van). The tips you will find in this article are applicable in two situations: a) you move an upright piano by yourself b) you need to secure the piano and then pass it onto the transport provider, so he can deal with the difficult part.

Note
We do not recommend to move grand pianos yourself, because of the weight of the instrument, which makes it very dangerous to move if you don’t have the necessary electronic machines to do the lifting part for you.

Piano transport – how to prepare?

 

      1. Try to find out what type of piano you have and which year of production and model it is exactly. Was this piano transported already? Were there any problems you may encounter this time as well?The key thing is to know the exact size and weight of the piano. Standard dimensions are:
        • height – 43 – 55 in
        • length – 55 – 66 in
        • width – 14 – 16 in
        • weight (depending on a model) 220 -660 lbs and more
      2. Plan your route between flat and a van – are there any obstacles or objects to avoid or remove? Carpets, lamps, little pieces of decoration and anything else that comes to your mind and can stop you from smoothly moving your piano to the van. Make sure the doors on your way are wide enough for the piano to go through them.
      3. First, find enough space for the piano. If you want to move furniture or other bulky objects the one that goes first in the van is the piano. Then you can surround it with other objects to ensure stability. Although, be sure to secure the edges of the furniture with bubble foil or polystyrene foam to avoid scratches.
      4. This is not a one-person job. Even if it is a spinet piano, which is substantially less heavy than a regular piano, you need other people to help you lift it upstairs and downstairs.
      5. Secure the lid and sharp edges. Wrap the lid with a bubble foil and secure the wrap with duct tape. For secure the rest you can use a cloth or a blanket, big enough to cover the whole thing.
      6. Use gloves and lifting belts. Remember to use your legs muscles and keep your back straight while lifting.

 

From your flat to the van

Usually, we do need to carry the piano downstairs or upstairs. The way up is usually much more tiring than the way down, but surprisingly it demands the same level of muscle strength.

For carrying the piano up and down a building it’s better to use lifting belts, but if you cannot arrange it be sure you remember not to bend your spine too much. An extensive muscle strain may result in a serious injury!

To move a piano from one place to another you can use a dolly. If there are bumps on the way to your car try using ramps. You can place them wherever you need to make a route nice and smooth.

How do you place the piano in a van? Well, the best idea would be to it automatically and leave the hoisting part to a tail lift, slide it on a platform or use a ramp.

Note
While lifting the piano, the weight should be distributed equally between people. One person can carry about 110 lbs, so if your piano weighs around 440 lbs you will need 4 people to move it.

Moving a piano – hire a man with a van!

Many companies specialise in piano transport and take pride in the skills they developed throughout the years of experience. When you decide to hire professionals, you save yourself some time and skip the lifting part which is often a pain for inexperienced “one-time” movers.

Below you can find the sample piano transport auctions. Check them out to find out the estimated cost of moving a piano with moving professionals.

 

Granny’s piano from Vienna (Austria) to for Hamburg (Germany) for  221 £ 

https://clicktrans.com/delivery/granny-s-piano,363842

 

Keyboard from Paris (France) to Warsaw (Poland) for  31£   

https://clicktrans.com/delivery/keyboard,2255490

 

Piano moved in Ruby (United Kingdom) for  44 £ 

https://clicktrans.com/delivery/piano,1669334

 

Do you want to get quotes for piano transport? Click on the button below>>

Malwina

I'm searching for easy ways to safely transport untypical items. I would like to prove to all our readers that - after some preparations - you can transport just about anything. No matter what the courier says.

1 Response

  1. 17th August 2018

    […] Piano […]

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