I am not an expert on the weights of various player pianos, but I
personally believe the problem is not in the weight of the player piano,
but in the movers.  Player pianos do vary both in size and in weight.

In the 1980's I bought a 1918 Henry F. Miller upright player piano that
was in such perfect mint condition that it looked like it had just come
off the factory floor.  It was that well cared for.  I hired a man named
Curtis, who worked at Carty Piano Co. in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and he
arrived alone.  He moved both grand pianos and upright pianos and he did
not have any helpers.  He could move pianos up and down stairs, around
corners, and load and unload them from his truck all without any help.
I was there when he moved the piano, and I did help when he lifted the
piano and put the dolly underneath.  He did make the comment that this
Henry F. Miller was the heaviest piano he had ever moved in his entire
life.

In the later 1980's I sent my 1914 Steinway Duo Art upright out to be
rebuilt, and two movers came to move the piano.  Now this model Steinway
is larger than standard upright player pianos and is also very heavy.  I
watched the two men roll the Steinway out onto my porch, then one man
got in front of the porch, bent over, and the other man pushed the
piano onto his back, and he carried the piano on his back over to the
truck.  At least I assume so; at the point where the piano was shoved
onto the man's back, I extricated myself from the scene, walked back
into the house, and closed the door.  I could not look!  I kept waiting
for a scream and a crash, but it never happened.  And yes, the player
piano got to the restoration facility just fine, and not a scratch on
it.

I guess what I am trying to understand is: three men to move an upright
piano?  Where did the moving company hire them?  From the street, I bet!
It is very obvious to me that these men were not experienced piano
movers at all.  It is definitely not the weight of the piano that is
the problem.  Eli, your friend should hire a professional company that
moves pianos exclusively.  He won't have any problems at all, and they
won't be bringing three people to move it either.

I hope the piano gets moved OK and that the bill is not too high either.

Musically,
Larry Norman
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.