I read Andy Taylor's story about moving and his bad back and it got me
to thinking I might help him and others with a tip I have picked up in
the last thirty years.  All my moving was done with a bad back.  I try
not to do any more of it, but sometimes the moving staff doesn't show
up and I get to do it myself.

I have a couple of things to make it easier.

To move an upright piano, player or silent, go to Sam's Club and get a
$39.00 two wheel box dolly.  I expect you to have a four wheel piano
dolly.  Put the lip of the two wheeler under the treble end with the
tip at a point that will find a flat surface either the bottom board or
the edge of the piano side.  Sometimes if you push it way under you hit
a caster which will try to flip the piano.  Next, bear down on the
handle swinging it down toward the floor.  You want the dolly lip to be
perpendicular to the bottom of the piano.  Do not push the dolly all
the way down to the floor because the piano will begin to slide off the
dolly because the lip is angled too far.  While the piano is up in the
air, have your "trained" assistant put the dolly under the piano without
bashing the metal two wheeler's lip.  This means the four wheeler must
go under in the same slant position as the piano bottom--two wheels up
in the air.  The four wheel dolly goes in close to the two wheeler's
lip and then is pushed down away from the high end.  Now release the
two wheeler and remove it.  No one needs to touch the piano until you
pull the high end down and then the whole thing is on the four wheeler.
If the bottom toes and timbers are all loose and unglued this may not
help all that much but most pianos in tolerable shape  it will work
just fine.  Getting the piano off the dolly after the piano has been
moved can be done with the two wheeler but as the dolly is pulled out,
I usually just take it down by hand as that is less strain on the back
than putting it on the dolly.

To prevent the problem with previously present damage claimed as mover
damage, use a page like the one used by the big boys.  I have one or
two of these somewhere.  One is left with each delivery of a piano by
Keyboard Carriage.  It is a page with line drawings of a grand and
upright piano showing front, sides.  It is on NCR paper or carbons to
make a copy for both customers and the mover as well.  The mover is to
mark on the drawing where he finds scratches and other damage.  The
customer at pick up then signs the paper acknowledging the damage was
pre existing.  This paper is gone over at delivery and it is shown to
the customer at that end that the damage was already there.  In the
case of stained glass perhaps one should draw the glass shape and
circle the areas where damage is pre existing.

Anyway I hope this will save on your back and your insurance claims.

D.L. Bullock    Piano World     St. Louis