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Moving a piano can seem daunting at first, and often it’s best to hire the task out to professionals. However, sometimes it makes sense to save money and move the piano yourself. What about using a Uhaul vehicle? Can you safely move a piano in a Uhaul trailer?
Yes, you can move a piano in a Uhaul trailer. Pianos should be loaded onto a 4-wheel dolly, fastened with straps, and secured to the sides of the walls of the trailer. The keys should be covered, and the body of the piano should be bubble wrapped and padded to avoid scratches.
Although moving a piano in a Uhaul trailer is relatively straightforward, it can be just as easy to mess it up and damage the instrument. Read on to learn more about how you can adequately secure your piano and the key differences between moving an upright vs. grand piano in a Uhaul.
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Materials You’ll Need To Move a Piano
Before moving an upright piano, you’ll need a few materials:
- Bubble/Stretch Wrap
- Thick Padding
- Tie Down Straps And Latches
- Tape Measure (optional)
- Attachable wheels (optional)
- Dolly (optional)
Whether it’s an upright piano or grand piano, properly wrapping the piano is key to protecting it from the elements of the moving truck. It’s also key in making sure it can avoid getting dented or cracked at any point.
Before wrapping, make sure the piano itself is secure. If there are any loose parts, screws, or keys, remove them, wrap them, and place them into a separate container. Because the piano is bound to run into some bumps along the move, the last thing you want is loose parts, dropping deeper into the piano or breaking further.
Once you’ve done that, you can begin adding the furniture pads to all sides of the piano. These are usually heavy and thick and can withstand some blows if the piano ever loses security in the back of the Uhaul.
To help keep those pads in place, you’ll want to use a stretch/bubble wrap. Wrap it tightly around the base and all of the legs. Then, continue wrapping around the frame of the piano. Be sure the fallboard is down, so the keys remain protected.
After doing all this, you can usually wheel the instrument out to the Uhaul and up the ramp. However, lifting the piano onto a set of wheels is helpful. There are wheel attachments designed to seat different types of furniture. It’s like a dolly but a bit simpler.
The piano can be lifted into these wheel sets and attached. It involves drilling screws into the back of the instrument’s legs. This will be a permanent feature, so if you want to avoid seeing a hole in the back of your instrument or don’t plan to wheel it around often, skip this step.
Also, many upright pianos come with wheels already installed. However, these wheels are on the small side and sometimes take work to move. If your upright does not have wheels, consider lifting it with the help of 2 – 3 people. Pianos are quite heavy, even uprights. You’ll also need another person to help guide it through the hallway and doors into the Uhaul.
If you’ve got an awkward-shaped piano or the home isn’t the easiest to maneuver around, you may need a few other tools.
Tape measures help measure the length and width of your piano. In turn, you’ll also do this with all hallways and doorways. By doing this, you can figure out if you’ll need to turn your piano a certain way or if you can fit a certain number of people into a hallway to help with the move.
Safely Getting The Piano Into The Uhaul Truck
Whether attaching your piano to a set of wheels or using a dolly, it’s essential to get it into the Uhaul safely.
Having it on wheels is the easiest way to do that. I recommend attaching wheels to it or rolling it up the ramp for an upright.
For grand pianos, a dolly is going to be necessary.
Dolly’s are optional, but for upright pianos, that involves putting the instrument on its side or setting it vertically. This is usually done with grand pianos (more on this in a bit), but it’s an alternative to the heavy lifting.
Grand pianos usually go through more steps. You’ll need at least two people helping with something of this shape and size.
The legs should be screwed off the piano and wrapped separately with furniture padding and bubble wrap. The rest of the instrument will need to be wrapped similarly.
From there, lift the piano and place it onto the dolly. Then you can attach the instrument using a rig and straps. I suggest using ratchet tie-downs because they allow you to take out any slack so that the straps are taut. This will secure your piano to a dolly but also helps keep it from moving around if you attach it to the rub rails in most Uhaul trucks.
The Takeaway
In the end, moving a piano in a Uhaul trailer is a great cost-effective option. However, you’ll need some help because pianos are generally pretty heavy. Make sure you’ve got 2-3 strong guys to help you lift the piano and turn it. If you’ve got a grand, get to those legs first and wrap it up so the finish isn’t damaged.
For upright pianos, it’s a pretty easy process, especially if it’s already on wheels.
Hello & thanks for stopping by! I’m a professional concert pianist and piano instructor. In the United States, I’ve given successful performances in several places including New York, Florida, Connecticut, & New Jersey, I have also performed internationally in Italy and made my Carnegie Hall debut in 2014. I enjoy blogging about the piano, the art of performance, general music, current events and the latest in music production.