https://road.cc/content/news/257413-...os-steep-hills

A bit more air in the rear tire might have helped.

That is the thing about pianos....they make a fantastic sound, but they only do it once.

...Or just bigger brakes.

Any word on if it had trailer brakes? A 15 foot hydraulic line would transfer force the same as a 2 foot line according to Pascal's law.

For those wondering, BTW, a proper Steinway 9D piano has a weight of about 1,000lbs. Which granted...by appearances....this was a gutted piano shell filled with electronics and a synth, so weighed less.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/art...photo-17039554

"The brakes failed, the piano flipped, and its innards spilled onto the roadway. The motor on the piano’s trailer broke. The wheels, the bench and the speakers broke, too."

I was impressed at first, but then the truth reared it's ugly head.

The guy is obviously a cheater. He should be tested for PEDs as well.

When towing grand pianos, you might consider brakes intended for that kind of load. After all its 500 - 1000 lbs extra. - Hydro brakes are trusted to stop school busses and every other big haul vehicle.

AIR brakes are used virtually all vehicles heavier than 33,000 lbs because they tolerate leaks, don't degrade in performance, and can generate more force than typical hydraulic brakes. Between 26,000 and 33,000 lbs both hydraulic and air brakes can be used. Obviously air brakes would be the preferred solution when towing grand pianos.

He's on the right path toward imagining no possessions.

Back in the day, before bike hauling pianos went hipster, we'd just fixie skid them down any hill in the off season.

No way to treat a musical instrument. Every time you move a piano it needs to be tuned.
I would imagine the stunt of towing the piano is better than his playing.

It's not a real piano.

As mentioned--this guy wasn't towing a 1000lb Steinway 9D...it was a digital synth in a piano hull.

It is a common gag for most on-the-road acts, even those using proper shipping methods. You start with a piano, and gut out basically everything:: action, keys, soundboard, pinblock, etc. Normally, then you ship the carcass without its legs on...get to the hall, and unload it. Put the carcass back on legs (takes only 3/4 guys)....and put a digital synth where the keys otherwise go--and patch the sound output to the onstage mixing console to be sent to monitors and FOH. The piano box is literally an empty box only there for illusion. Most major artists do this--those who don't use the hall's piano, very seldom do they travel with a full real piano in a truck. Because as you note it is hell on an instrument and runs aup a huge labor bill in maintenance.

Which BTW...is why if you see on-stage-camera shots of a piano player from a professional road production...they try not to film fingers on the keyboard from any angle that could show that he/she is not playing a "real" piano.

This guy, being his own act and transit, loaded extra speakers inside the hull to make it a stand-alone system. Similar to say a Yamaha Avant Grand but 10X cheaper.

Thanks for that.