Professional Moving Equipment

Piano Boards and Piano Dollies

Moving a piano is one of the most demanding tasks in residential moving. An upright piano typically weighs between 500 and 600 pounds. A baby grand can exceed 600 pounds, and a full concert grand approaches 1,200 pounds. Standard moving equipment is not designed for these loads.

Maloney's Moving uses a specialized piano board — a padded flat board that the piano is carefully tilted onto by the crew. The piano is then strapped securely to the board using heavy-duty ratchet straps. Once secured, the board is placed onto a low-profile piano dolly designed to distribute the weight across a wide wheelbase. This system allows the crew to roll the piano smoothly across floors, through doorways, and down hallways without lifting or dragging.

For grand pianos, the process begins with removing the legs and pedal lyre. The lid is locked shut and the keys are secured. The body of the piano is tilted onto the piano board and wrapped in heavy moving blankets before being strapped down. At the destination, the process is reversed — legs are reattached, the pedal lyre is reinstalled, and the piano is set upright in its final position.

For staircase moves, the crew uses a combination of the piano board, stair straps, and manual control to descend or ascend one step at a time. Two to three crew members manage the weight and angle while a spotter ensures clearance at every turn and landing.

Gun Safe Skates

Gun safes are among the heaviest single items in any residential move. Many models weigh between 400 and 800 pounds, and some commercial-grade safes exceed 1,000 pounds. They cannot be tipped, dragged, or rolled on their edges without damaging floors and the safe itself.

Maloney's Moving uses low-profile steel rollers called gun safe skates. These skates slide underneath the safe after the crew uses a pry bar to lift one edge just enough to insert them. Once all four skates are in place, the safe rolls freely across any floor surface — carpet, tile, hardwood, and laminate — without scratching, denting, or compressing the flooring underneath.

For basement safes that need to go up or down stairs, the crew uses a combination of safe skates on flat surfaces and a heavy-duty appliance dolly with stair climber attachment for the staircase itself. The safe is strapped to the dolly and moved one step at a time in a fully controlled descent or ascent. A minimum of three crew members manages staircase safe moves to ensure weight control and spotter visibility at all times.

Appliance Dollies with Stair Climber Attachment

Large appliances — refrigerators, chest freezers, washers, dryers, and large laundry machines — require an upright dolly specifically designed for heavy, top-heavy loads. Maloney's Moving carries heavy-duty appliance dollies with rubber straps on every truck.

The rubber straps wrap around the appliance and anchor it to the dolly frame, keeping the center of gravity controlled. This prevents the appliance from tipping or shifting during transport through hallways, doorways, and stairwells.

The stair climber attachment is a tri-wheel assembly that replaces the standard wheels at the base of the dolly. These tri-wheels rotate in sequence, allowing the dolly to roll down stairs one step at a time in a smooth, controlled descent rather than requiring the crew to lift and carry the full weight manually. This reduces injury risk and prevents the jolting impacts that damage compressors in refrigerators and bearings in washing machines.

Ratchet Straps and Load Bars

Once furniture and items are loaded into the truck, they must be secured to prevent shifting during transit. Even a short drive across town involves turns, stops, and road vibrations that can send unsecured items sliding, tipping, or colliding inside the cargo area.

Maloney's Moving uses load bars — adjustable horizontal bars that wedge between the interior walls of the truck to create secure sections. These bars divide the cargo area into zones, preventing items from sliding forward during braking or sideways during turns.

Ratchet straps anchor individual items and item groups to the truck's built-in wall rings (also called E-track anchor points). Each strap has a ratcheting mechanism that allows the crew to tighten the strap to exact tension — firm enough to prevent movement but not so tight that it compresses or damages the item underneath. Straps are applied over moving blankets, never directly against furniture surfaces.

Full Packing Materials Inventory

Every Maloney's Moving truck is stocked with a complete inventory of packing materials before it leaves for a job. This ensures the crew has everything needed on-site without delays or return trips for supplies.

• Moving blankets — minimum 12 heavy-duty padded blankets per truck, used to wrap every piece of furniture before it leaves the room
• Shrink wrap rolls — applied over blankets to lock padding in place and prevent drawers and doors from opening during transit
• Packing paper — newsprint-free paper used to wrap dishes, glasses, and small fragile items without leaving ink residue
• Bubble wrap — used as an additional protection layer for especially fragile items like china, crystal, and small electronics
• Standard moving boxes — multiple sizes (small, medium, large) for general household items
• Dish pack boxes — double-walled boxes with internal dividers designed specifically for china, glassware, and stemware
• Mirror boxes — adjustable flat boxes designed to protect mirrors, framed artwork, and glass table tops during transport
• Wardrobe boxes — full-height boxes with built-in hanging bars that allow clothing to be transferred directly from the closet without folding or wrinkling
• Mattress bags — sealed plastic covers that protect mattresses and box springs from dirt, moisture, and tears during loading and transit