Recently, I temporarily moved my Gulbransen player piano out of the
house.  Moving a player piano is no small task -- it takes planning
and coordination.  My piano had not been moved in many years and it
was during the move that I noticed a problem.

The piano has the original 1928 wheels and casters on it which resemble
wheels on children's roller skates.  They may have worked fine when the
piano was first produced but not as well today.  That got me thinking,
has anyone on this list ever replaced the wheels and casters on a
player piano or other mechanical musical instrument?  How did you
accomplish this?

There are good reasons for replacing the wheels and casters.  Today's
wheels are made of better material and are more durable, making moving
a piano much easier.  The tiny roller-skate wheels on my piano seem
too small for the size and the weight of the instrument.  Wheels and
casters seemed to be almost an afterthought when it came to piano
design.  Also, old metal wheels can scratch floor surfaces, something
that homeowners don't like.

What are the methods for replacing wheels on a piano?  One way is to
use jacks to elevate the piano.  This method can be cumbersome and
somewhat dangerous.  How high do you have to elevate the piano to work
on the wheels at such an awkward angle?  And if the piano slips off
the jacks, it could cause serious injury or worse.

Another way is the use of a piano tilter, a method mentioned to me by
Robbie Rhodes.  How many of you have one of these in your workshop?
How often is it used?

The idea for a similar method came to me when I toured a veterinary
teaching hospital that had an equine surgery center.  How do you get
a horse up on an operating table?  Rather than try and lift the horse,
he or she is walked into place next to a vertical operating table.
Once the horse is strapped down, the table is then rotated to a
horizontal position.  Could a similar method be used for turning a
piano on its side?

    http://ww1photographs.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/3682/ 

Note: Today's equine surgery tables are more high-tech with multiple
movable surfaces depending on the surgery done.

Has anyone actually replaced the wheels on a player piano or other
instrument?  What methods did you employ?  Since I am considering
replacing my piano's wheels, I would like to hear from you.

Thank you,

Joyce Brite