Questions you should ask when looking for a piano moving company or craning a piano:
From day one we have specialized in moving pianos with the use of our specialist lifting equipment. We utilise our long reach Hiab crane; UNIC spider cranes and Genie lifts to make even the most complex piano installation possible. There are rules and regulations governing crane work that you really need to know about before contracting a piano mover to deliver using a crane. Please read the following:
Rule one: and the most important rule, only use a crane company or a piano mover who employs a crane company on a contract hire basis: why: because if it is crane hire only, you; yes you, are liable for the crane and its load, i.e: worst case scenario, if the crane tips over and lands on your property causing serious injuries to others, you are liable for the damage to the crane; the property and the personal injury. For a few extra hundred pounds it’s not worth taking the risk. But your piano mover may say, it’s ok; we are going to use a HIAB / lorry loader crane (similar to ours). Unfortunately these come under exactly the same regulations as a larger crane, Page 13 BS7121 part 4. Any crane lift through a window, at height, over a railing or into a basement etc are classed as complex lifts, and are covered by the BS7121 part 4 rules. The majority of piano moving companies will not know this, leaving you in a an un-insured state. So who ever you use make sure they are supplying a contract lift not just crane hire.
Rule Two: Experience matters when craning a piano. If you are moving any object, including pianos through windows with millimetres to spare, it is essential that you have experienced crew. We see many photos on the internet and wince at how the piano mover does not understand how to sling the piano properly. We crane over twenty pianos a week in the UK , this is more than most piano movers will crane in a life time.
Rule Three: Insurance: get it in writing that your piano and property are covered by insurance.
Rule Four: On the day of the move, every contract hire will have an appointed person or a crane supervisor from the crane company on site. Ask to see the lifting plan, method statement and risk assessment for your move.
Rule Five: Piano removals by crane in London: you will probably need a lifting permit from your relevant Borough and a partial or full road closure. This can be determined once a site visit has been made.
All of these questions are not here to put you off, or scare you, hopefully they will help you find a company you are happy with. We hope it will be Piano Logistics and we would be happy to answer any questions.