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How Piano Removalists Differ From General Removalists When Moving Pianos

28 October 2019

Hazel Bailey

Moving a piano isn't the same as moving a traditional piece of furniture. This is especially true when it comes to moving a piano from one state to another. That's why rather than attempt to move your piano yourself, call a professional to move it for you. However, you cannot class most general removalists as "professional" when it comes to moving pianos.

You need a professional piano removalist to move your precious piano to your new home or studio. When you compare piano removalists to general removalists, there are some important differences.

Piano Removalists Have the Right Equipment

Because of their unique — and awkward — shape, moving a piano is nothing like moving your average piece of household furniture. Not only that, but pianos are extremely heavy when compared to standard household furniture. For instance, some grand pianos weigh almost 272 kg. In comparison, your average kitchen table weighs about 110 kg and is far simpler to move.

As such, without the right equipment, something which general removalists are unlikely to have, moving a piano will be fraught with risks. When you hire a piano removalist, they will likely have:

• Stair-climbing equipment to navigate tricky stairways
• Ramps to cross ledges and curbs
• Piano trolleys to move your piano smoothly
• Hydraulic tailgates to lift your piano safely onto their vehicle

With this equipment, the risk of your piano suffering damage mid-transport is low. However, another aspect of piano movers is experience.

General Removalists Have Little Experience With Pianos

Even if you hire a general removalist who does have all the equipment necessary to move a piano to its new home, if they lack experience in moving pianos, many things could go wrong. But just how essential is experience when moving a piano?

As mentioned earlier, pianos weigh a ton when compared to your average piece of furniture. They also tend to be difficult to manoeuvre up and downstairs, around corners and through tight spaces. Because of that, piano removalists need to be experienced in moving all types of pianos. A team of piano removalists should be able to move:

• Upright pianos
• Baby grand pianos
• Grand pianos

That means that when you call them to explain your needs, they'll prepare in advance, knowing roughly how much your piano weighs, how many people it will take to move it and what kind of equipment they will need. You won't get that kind of certainty with a general removalist.

Moreover, since pianos are heavy and awkward, each person on the team needs back, arm and leg muscles that are well adapted to lifting and manoeuvring them. Otherwise, accidents can happen.

Piano Removalists Have an Intimate Knowledge of Pianos

One of the most important differences between piano removalists and general removalists is that piano removalists have a much greater understanding of what makes a piano tick. For instance, during a move, removalists sometimes need to dismantle pianos partially. Without the knowledge of how to do so, things could go wrong. For example, a removalist could end up damaging your piano.

Another way that knowing pianos intimately comes in handy is during the manoeuvring process. Did you know that pianos are one of the most complicated musical instruments? Piano removalists do. A piano has over 2,500 parts, including up to 240 strings. That means that whilst moving one, removalists need to be aware of this fact and be careful not to dislodge the inner pieces of a piano.

As you can see, moving a piano is nothing like moving a normal piece of furniture, especially when stairs are involved in the process. If you hire a general removalist, be prepared for problems that might slow down your move and even damage your piano. Instead, hire a piano removalist, who understands exactly what it takes to move a piano safely and smoothly.  

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