[CAUT] Moving Grand Pianos Intra-Department

[Paul T Williams]

Well, we have an odd building.  There are 3 steps in the middle of the 
first floor and the basement floor!  If a piano has to go from the north 
end to the south end, we have to push it outside and around! Lots of fun 
in the Nebraska winters...  Not sure why the architect designed it that 
way. I think he was experimenting with cannibus products in the early 60's 
;>).  There is no physical way to get any of the concert grands to the 
shop, a 7' grand just barely fits in the elevator, and the 2 big 
harpsichords we have must be tipped up to 45 degrees to fit in the 
elevator. At least they're not heavy.

Paul






From:
David Skolnik <davidskolnik at optonline.net>
To:
caut at ptg.org
Date:
12/05/2011 10:06 AM
Subject:
Re: [CAUT] Moving Grand Pianos Intra-Department



It's great fun, I know, as long as you, or they, don't have to do stairs 
or put it on end to fit it in an elevator.  I wonder how many Wim used to 
do.
David S


At 10:03 AM 12/5/2011, you wrote:
I'm sort of "the foreman" kind of guy. Showing which piano, unlocking the 
rooms, and to where it gets moved.  I don't do anything but remove the 
lyre before they get there. then 2 guys lift the bass corner, and I knock 
off the leg so they can set it on the board. Tilt up, and while they're 
strapping it tight, I knock off the other two legs.  Then, tilt up, dolly 
under, set down, roll onto where we're going.  It's very fast.  We've 
moved 6 grands around the building in less than 1.5 hours!  We're a good 
team. we almost always start first thing at 7:30am before the students 
show up. 

Paul 



From: David Skolnik <davidskolnik at optonline.net> 
To: caut at ptg.org 
Date: 12/05/2011 08:56 AM 
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Moving Grand Pianos Intra-Department 




On caut at ptg.org - soon to cease functioning

Paul -
Moving Services. No one could argue with that.  I have one question.  If 
the guys know what they're doing, why do you have to take the lyre and 
legs off?  And I have a follow-up question.  Once you've gotten the legs 
off, how long does it take for the guys to show up?  Just trying to 
picture it all.

David Skolnik
Hastings on Hudson, NY

At 08:44 AM 12/5/2011, you wrote: 
We have a dept called Moving Services.  These guys have been moving pianos 
for us for decades.  They are dependable, fast, and know what they're 
doing.  Also quite inexpensive.  All I have to do is remove the lyre and 
legs. They do all the grunt work.  So it depends on what knowledge the 
university staff people have. If no knowledge, then I would call a 
professional piano mover. Our facilities and maintenance people don't 
touch the pianos.  For uprights, I and our own building/facilities manager 
move ourselves.  We will ask a student to place the dolly under the piano 
when we lift on and off, but that's all the students are allowed to do. 

Paul T. Williams RPT
Univ. of Nebraska 
Lincoln 





From: Zeno Wood <zeno.wood at gmail.com> 
To: caut at ptg.org 
Date: 12/04/2011 07:13 PM 
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Moving Grand Pianos Intra-Department 




I once thought I could save some money, so I asked the facilities guys
to move an upright.  I don't do that anymore.  They didn't take
direction very well and of course they all, individually, knew the
best way, while I was standing there being ignored.  Never again.

If an upright needs to be moved more than a couple of feet, I'll get a
couple of students to help put it on a dolly etc.  For grands, the
college has to hire movers.  Movers are worth every penny. All the
reasons David S cited were right on.  If the piano is damaged, what
happens next?  If a person is damaged, then what?




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