Some items need more than a strong back. Here is how a Sussex specialist handles pianos, safes, marble, hot tubs and the genuinely awkward.
Heavy item moves — pianos, safes, gun cabinets, grandfather clocks — depend on technique and the right equipment rather than brute strength, and a four-person crew with the correct gear is dramatically safer than two willing volunteers. Some household items live outside the normal removal-day flow. Pianos, safes, antique stone fireplaces, full-height bookshelves, gym equipment, hot tubs. They’re heavy, awkward, and damage easily — themselves and the property if mishandled. After forty years of specialist Sussex removals we have specific equipment, methods and crew configurations for each.
This guide covers the most common heavy-item categories, the equipment we use, and what the customer needs to consider. For pianos specifically we have a dedicated piano moving service; for antiques and stone the antiques moving guide covers the parallel considerations.
Pianos divide into two main categories: uprights (the rectangular floor-standing piano, typically 150–250kg) and grands (the horizontal concert-style piano, 250–500kg). Uprights are the more common household instrument and the easier of the two to move. Grands need disassembly: legs and lyre come off, lid folded and strapped, body travels on a piano dolly.
Our standard piano move uses a 4-person crew minimum, specialist piano trolleys, and pad-wrap blankets. The piano is wrapped in your home, lifted onto the trolley, and rolled or stair-climbed to the lorry. For pianos through narrow doorways, we sometimes hoist via window using a specialist platform — a separate quote item.
For grand pianos, disassembly happens at the start of the move and reassembly at the unload. The piano needs to be tuned within a fortnight of arriving at the new property — we’ll recommend a local tuner if you don’t have one. The piano moving service page covers the full process.
Safes are heavier than they look and more fragile than they appear. A typical domestic gun safe is 80–200kg; commercial safes run to 500kg+. The lifting points are usually the corners but moving by corners alone can twist the safe and damage the door seal. Specialist safe-moving equipment uses straps that distribute the load across the base.
For domestic safes (gun safes, family safes, fire safes), we use a 2–3 person crew with steel toe-cap policy and specialist lifting straps. The safe is wrapped in heavy bubble plus pad-wrap, lifted onto a trolley, and rolled to the lorry.
For larger commercial safes (5-foot tall and above, weight over 300kg), we sometimes recommend a specialist safe-moving firm rather than handling it ourselves. The right answer depends on the safe size, the access constraints, and the value of what’s inside. Talk to us at survey and we’ll give an honest view.
Stone items — fireplaces, garden statuary, outdoor planters — have weight as their primary handling challenge. A typical antique stone fireplace surround weighs 150–300kg. A large stone garden statue can be 100–500kg. Stone-topped tables split between the stone (50–150kg) and the base.
For stone items we use a 4-person crew minimum with lifting straps and (for items over 200kg) a specialist sling system. The stone is wrapped in heavy bubble plus pad-wrap and moved on a steel-framed dolly designed for the weight. Stairs add complexity — we often disassemble stone fireplaces into manageable components if the original construction allows.
Architectural salvage — mantelpieces, original radiators, cast-iron baths, wrought-iron gates — tends to be heavy and irregularly shaped. Each piece is treated individually. For the most valuable architectural pieces, our white-glove service is the relevant tier.
Home gym equipment varies enormously in difficulty. A folding bench is easy. A multi-station home gym is a half-day disassembly project followed by a complex reassembly. Squat racks, weight stacks, treadmills and rowing machines all need methodical disassembly using the original manufacturer’s manual where available.
If you still have the assembly manual from the original purchase, this saves significant time at the unload end. Photograph the equipment from multiple angles before disassembly — useful for reassembly and for any insurance considerations. Heavy weight plates pack into reinforced cartons of 4–6 plates each.
Ride-on mowers and large garden machinery need fuel-drained before transit. The blade is locked in the up position; the battery is disconnected; the body is pad-wrapped. For ride-on mowers above 200kg we use a ramp and winch system rather than manual lifting.
Outdoor hot tubs are heavy (200–400kg empty, more with water) and need draining 48 hours before move day. The plumbing is disconnected, the electric supply isolated, the cover removed and transported separately. The tub is lifted by a 4-person crew onto a flat-bed trolley; for very large hot tubs we sometimes use a sub-contracted specialist firm.
Garden buildings (sheds, greenhouses, log cabins, summerhouses) are usually too big to transport whole. We disassemble panel-by-panel, label each piece, transport flat-pack, and reassemble at the new property. This is a specialist job and adds 1–2 days to the move; budget for it at survey.
Other awkward categories: full-height bookshelves with built-in fixings (often need disassembly), grandfather clocks (pendulum removed and transported separately — never lay flat), pool tables (the slate top weighs 100–300kg and needs specialist support during transit). Each has its own handling protocol that we’ll cover at survey.
Heavy items are quoted as line items on the main removal quote, not as a separate contract. The line items typically include: crew time (additional crew members for the heavy item), specialist equipment (piano trolley, lifting straps, ramps), additional materials (heavy-duty pad-wrap, bubble, corner-board), and sub-contracted services if needed.
The survey is where the heavy-item question gets answered. The surveyor sees the item, measures the access points, considers the routes in and out, and identifies any access constraints. For unusual items (an Edwardian iron range, a vintage car collection, a 19th-century billiard table), the survey may need a second visit with a specialist team member.
Booking timing: 6–10 weeks ahead is standard, longer if the heavy items need sub-contracted specialist services. For genuinely complex moves involving multiple heavy items, book 12–16 weeks ahead so we have time to coordinate. Talk to us early at survey.
We've been a family-run Sussex remover since 1982. Crews are directly employed and trained at our own staff training centre. Pad-wrap on every full removal, removal-grade cartons, BAR Advance Payment Guarantee on every deposit.
120+ independent Google reviews at 4.9/5. Survey, written quote within 48 hours, deposit-protected booking, calm move day. Whichever category your move falls into — routine local, overseas, antiques, business — the approach is the same.
Booking the survey takes ten minutes via the online form.
Free in-home or video survey, written fixed-price quote, BAR-protected deposit. Sussex’s family-run remover since 1982.
Grandfather clocks deserve their own paragraph because they’re moved differently from other heavy items and the damage potential from doing it wrong is high. The clock has three components that need separate handling: the case (the wooden cabinet, often Victorian or Edwardian), the movement (the mechanical timekeeping mechanism), and the pendulum and weights (the heavy brass cylinders that drive the mechanism).
Before any move, the pendulum is removed and packed separately (wrapped in soft cloth, vertical orientation in a custom carton). The weights are removed and packed separately too (heavy bubble wrap, individually padded). The movement is sometimes removed from the case for high-value clocks; for ordinary domestic grandfather clocks the movement stays in the case but the movement is stabilised with packing tissue to prevent the pendulum hook from swinging.
The case itself is pad-wrapped using our standard pad-wrap method with additional protection on the glass front panel. The case travels upright, never on its back — the gravity-loaded movement components are designed for vertical orientation.
At the new property, reassembly happens in the destination room. The weights and pendulum are reattached; the clock is wound and started. Most grandfather clocks need 24–48 hours to settle before keeping accurate time; ours and most other reputable removers’ quotes include the reassembly time at the unload.
For valuable antique clocks (Tompion, Knibb, named-maker grandfather clocks worth above £10,000), specialist horological transport is sometimes the right answer rather than general removal. We’d advise at survey based on the specific clock. Other timepieces (carriage clocks, mantel clocks, longcase clocks of modest value) are handled within standard antique-furniture protocols.
Booking your move with us is a five-step process. One: enquire via the online quote form or call our office on 01323 848 008. We’ll arrange a survey within a few working days. Two: the survey itself, usually in-home and lasting 30–90 minutes depending on the move complexity. The surveyor walks the property, photographs access points, counts cartons by size, and discusses any specialist requirements.
Three: the written quote, emailed within 48 hours of the survey. Itemised by line so you see what every cost line covers. Four: deposit and date confirmation. Typically 20–25% deposit on confirmation, fully protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee. Five: the move itself. Uniformed crew, our own lorry, no agency labour, blankets washed between jobs.
For pre-move questions, our office is reachable Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. We’d rather have the customer conversation early than late — a small clarification three weeks before move day saves a meaningful misunderstanding on the day itself. For the wider company history and our forty-year track record across Sussex, the about-us page covers the background.
For your specific move, we look forward to the conversation. Whichever category falls under (a routine local move, a complex international relocation, a specialist antique or office job), the principles are consistent: in-home survey, written itemised quote, deposit-protected booking, crew you can rely on, calm move day, post-move follow-up. That’s the standard we aim for on every job.
We routinely handle items up to 500kg with a 4-person crew. Items above 500kg sometimes need sub-contracted services. We'll advise at survey.
Yes — within a fortnight regardless of how carefully they're moved. We can recommend a local tuner.
Yes for most domestic sizes. Drain 48 hours before, plumbing and electrics disconnected. For very large or specialist commercial hot tubs we sometimes use a sub-contracted firm.
Domestic gun safes are routine. Larger commercial safes (300kg+) sometimes need a specialist safe-moving firm; we'll advise.
Yes but time-consuming. A multi-station home gym is a half-day each side. Have the original assembly manual ready if you can.