Hello all,  This story is a bit less painful than some.

Some time ago, I sent an old, heavy German player piano to my brother
in Sydney (1600 km away) and he informed me later that the driver
arrived on his own without any proper handling equipment.

Fortunately my brother was able to get help from neighbours to unload
the piano, but it only got it as far as the hallway because it wouldn't
go through the doorway of the room.  He lived in a 120-year-old terrace
house with very narrow passages, and for a few months everyone going
into or out of the house had to slide past the piano, and playing it
meant the pedaller had to sit in the doorway of the room.

He was considering whether to dismantle the piano or the doorframe, or
send it back to me, when a colleague experienced in shifting theatre
scenery stood it up on end with a bit of help and got it into the room
easily.  You can imagine how relieved my brother was!

I have used that technique since to get out of similar scrapes and it
is a good test for loose tubing and parts!

Cheers,
Darrell Clarke,
Adelaide, Australia