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I am moving a "D" into a building where the freight elevator door opening is 83"(H) x 48"(W). Car dimensions = 91"(L) x 91"(W) x "112"(H). My nifty online diagonal calculator spit out 128". There is a truck height dock
I can't see any problems...but would appreciate any who move to confirm, or point out any concerns.
I've never moved a piano, but I've done a bit of math. Assuming the doors are centered on the car, the diagonal that will be the restriction is from the edge of the door opening to the opposite corner of the car. I find that to be 114.5". But that full size can't be used because the piano has some thickness, so it won't go all the way into the corner. The piano is 108" long on the edge, so you only have 6.5" to play with. I think I'd make a template of the piano on edge and lay it on the floor of the elevator to see if it will fit. I think if the keyboard end of the piano is moved into the rear corner of the elevator, that might be thin enough to fit into the corner far enough to clear the door opening.
Keep in mind that the tail of the piano can be tilted up, to allow more length while increasing the height. The length increases to a maximum of the diagonal from the treble corner to the bass end, but after that, it decreases. Pianos are sometimes rested on their keyboards, with plenty of padding, that way.
Keep in mind that the tail of the piano can be tilted up, to allow more length while increasing the height. The length increases to a maximum of the diagonal from the treble corner to the bass end, but after that, it decreases. Pianos are sometimes rested on their keyboards, with plenty of padding, that way.
In the South, we'd call that a cattywampus fit. This guy does something similar with his harpsichord:
My piano tech recently told be about a problem at the university he services with fitting a 10' Fazioli in a freight elevator. Basically, the movers couldn't. 😆
Judging from your measurements, a D has a good shot at fitting. Instead of using a board, I would use a bag with extra padding on the floor to pad the instrument going in vertically.
Another option would be to crane the piano into your apartment. We do that occasionally and we documented one of the deliveries:
Thanks so much. Meeting the local mover Monday responsible for the destination delivery. Sure hope this works out (thanks for the insight on vertical option). Given destination is on the 36th floor, we'll need to skip the crane!
If the movers are not too far away, I would recommend a trial run with just the grand board. Tilting a 9' to create more room is a lot easier said than done. If the board can wheel in on a dolly without lifting it, so will the piano.
