I get this question all of the time. Whenever I am at a backyard barbecue or out with friends and they ask me what I do, I tell them I sell – A piano dolly. I get a blank stare right back at me. Give me a few minutes of your time and I will tell the whole story for the world to finally know what a piano dolly is and why it is one of the most best pieces of equipment for anyone who moves pianos.
Piano dollies, in layman’s terms, are tools used to move a piano. They take lots of different structures and configurations and can vary quite a bit in their actual function but the general idea is the same for all piano dollies - they move pianos.
A grand piano dolly in the shape of a spider is likely the most widely purchased kind of piano dolly that exists. Most grand pianos at a church, club, music hall or hotel will need to be moved at some point. The grand piano dollies have long stretching legs and extend from a central point out to each leg of a piano. They are attached by raising the piano around the leg of a grand piano, typically with a hydraulic lift, then by placing the dolly and the piano dolly typically remains on the piano for life. The new wheel set is attractive, is out of the way of most of the people looking at the piano and makes it very easy to roll the piano to any new destination you desire to take it. The wheel can be locked when there is a desire to have the piano remain stationary for a time. The unit is simply set free to roll with a simple press of a toe against the clip on the wheel to free the brake.
Many schools have upright pianos that have a dolly constantly adhered to the instrument to make movement in the classroom much more manageable. Most pianos do not come with wheels so the upright piano dolly sets are important to allow teachers to have maximum control in the area of classroom configuration.
For a professional mover of pianos, a piano dolly is a must. Pianos can be extremely heavy and they are large enough to cause injury if not moved properly. Piano dollies can help a single piano mover to drive to the pickup location, pick up a piano and move it out of the house, down steps and into the moving truck. The piano dolly not only makes the job of moving a piano much easier, it makes it much quicker as well.
Piano Dolly sets can also come as simple caster wheels in hard plastic cups that are placed over the end of each of the legs of a piano. These type of dolly sets are much less expensive and can accomplish the same task of helping to roll the piano to another part of the room or building.
