Upright Piano Moving

If you don’t have all four of these things. Your odds of damage to you (or the movers), your piano and/or your property are incredibly high. All movers are not equal, so always make sure you are using the right mover for your needs. In this case: upright piano movers.

While anyone can technically try to move an upright piano, there is a very good reason to call in professional piano movers. After all, this is what they do for a living! Pianos are heavy, awkward, and top-heavy, making them prone to tipping over. We will always recommend hiring a professional piano mover, even if you decide to use someone else. It is the right thing to do!

The strength required for piano moving

Piano moving equipment

One of the most common mistakes out there is using a light-duty dolly to move a heavy piano. The dolly wheel breaks, the piano tips over, and someone or something gets damaged. Pro tip: If your dolly is rated for 500 pounds, it is rated for 125 pounds per wheel. If you decide to lift one end of the piano, that means all the weight shifts to the other two wheels. Two wheels rated at 125 pounds each can safely carry only 250 pounds. All acoustic pianos, including the little ones, are over 400 pounds. Can we say together: “TIMBER!” Or, “This is an accident waiting to happen!“

The second most common mistake? Bad dolly placement! “One inch” can be the difference between a move done safely and a moving disaster. Or having a large upright piano lying on the floor with your foot or leg pinched under it. Pro tip: Just because the piano is not currently tipping over on the dolly does not mean it will not tip over once you start rolling it.

If you are not using the right equipment or do not know how to use it properly, you will not have a successful move. Having the right, well-maintained equipment is very important in making an upright piano move easier and safer.

Depending on the mover, the equipment may include any combination of types.

Spatial Awareness & High Care Level

Pianos are big. When you move them, you cannot see everything around you. You must have good spatial awareness to move a piano safely and avoid hitting it into things in your home, such as doorways, walls, or other furniture. Let’s call it a sixth sense for moving pianos.

The best piano movers are extremely careful. They know what to look for, the best way to do it and what to avoid. The only way to develop this skill is to be taught by a professional and through daily practice moving pianos. You can know everything there is to know about piano moving, but if you do not move them regularly, you will lose the skill.

Fun Fact: Did you know that most professional piano movers move more pianos in two weeks than a household mover does in a year!

Piano-moving knowledge and wisdom

Knowledge is Power! Wisdom is knowing how to use the knowledge wisely. When it comes to moving a piano, this is 100% true. Anyone who has watched a professional move a piano can vouch for this. Actual Piano Moving is about the art of piano manipulation. Today, there are generally two ways people/movers tackle moving an upright piano.

1. Shear manpower! Let’s grab 4-6 people and lift/drag the piano without using any equipment, and see what happens. A typical household mover is typically equipped only with moving blankets and tape. If you are lucky, they have a light-duty dolly, but most of the time it is the wrong type or not load-rated to carry that much weight. Depending on the mover, they may have a ramp on the back of the truck to help load it.
2. It’s a professional piano move. Two professional piano movers can move a standard upright piano. If there are stairs, they might send three people. They start by sizing up the move and determining what is required. Then, they set up their equipment accordingly. The movers then lift the piano onto a proper dolly or piano skid. Once the piano is prepped, they roll, slide, and/or manipulate it to and from the truck accordingly.

While these two illustrations may sound similar, they are very different to watch. In the next section, let’s share a true story about how these two situations play out.

Upright Piano Dismantling

There are only a handful of piano movers in Ontario that actually still know how to dismantle an upright piano. With over 40 years of piano moving experience, Braymore is one of them! This should be used only as a last resort to move your piano into or out of challenging locations.

Real piano moving comparison

One of our piano movers returned one day to share this experience, which I think is a perfect example. A piano store hired us to deliver a brand-new upright piano to one of their customers. Their customer had an old piano they were getting rid of, which they either sold or gave away to a family member or friend. We were asked to provide a quote for the second move, and the piano job was booked for the same day as the delivery. The customer called back later to say they no longer require us to move the second piano. They found someone else to move the piano at a cheaper rate. No problem, we fully understand.

The delivery day for the new piano is here. Our piano movers arrive on site and are told they must wait. The other movers they hired have not yet arrived to pick up the old piano; they are running late and should arrive in the next 15-30 minutes. We got the “ok” from the piano store to wait, as there will be a surprise charge to the store for waiting time, as we were waiting for them to show up. Our piano movers park across the street to stay out of other movers’ way.

The other movers arrive with a basic truck with a pull-out ramp on the back. These are just regular household movers who claim they know how to move pianos. Two movers get out of the truck and head into the house with a basic dolly for rolling the piano out of the house. The movers roll the piano to the porch with four steps coming down. They then attempt to carry it down the stairs. The customer and her teenager are conscripted to help move the piano, lifting and holding the balance as they try to take it down the stairs. The lady starts to panic and then yells across the street at our movers to come and bail them out as they go down the stairs. It is clear that this piano move was an accident waiting to happen. Unfortunately, for insurance and liability reasons, our movers are not permitted to intervene, and the situation is fluid. The movers get the piano down the stairs, place it back on their dolly and roll it up their ramp and into the truck. Our piano movers could not see how they secured it in the truck from where he was, but “Gong Show” was the basic description of what he had just witnessed. They leave.

Our two piano movers can now set up for our piano move delivery. They placed a special ramp over the stairs. They used a power tailgate (an elevator on a truck) to lower the piano to the ground safely. They rolled the piano effortlessly up the ramp and into the house. The piano was protected with heavy-duty moving blankets as they went through the doorways. The customer did not have to assist with the move-in in any way.

It is an identical move, with two very different experiences. The only difference was whether to go up or down the porch steps. In case you are wondering: Technically, the move going in was considered the more difficult direction for these pianos. Was saving a few dollars worth it? For each person, that question has very different answers. Only you can decide what makes the most sense for you.

Looking for a professional piano mover?

Unfortunately, you cannot take the mover’s word for it these days. Ours included. There is no school for piano moving, nor is there a university certificate you can obtain to demonstrate that you are properly trained to move pianos. Everyone’s definition of a professional piano mover is entirely different. So, if that is true: “How do you get the right professional piano mover?”

Do the research, ask around for personal feedback and read the reviews.

Why choose Braymore Piano Movers?

• Braymore has been moving pianos since 1981.
• Braymore is currently the largest piano mover in Canada.
• Braymore has the best-equipped piano movers around.
• Braymore trains its movers (in-house) with proven piano moving techniques based on over 40 years of real experience.
• When you ask around, you will repeatedly hear from unbiased sources that Braymore is one of the best companies for moving pianos. Do not take our word for it. Our reputation speaks for itself.