LiK not too long ago was fatally attracted to an old '40s era "electronic organ" at an estate sale and insisted on having it.

Two husky young bystanders volunteered to use my furniture movers' dolly to roll it out, and were able to "lift" it down the few steps to the drive, but I very much doubt they'd have been able to get it up to the truck bed (about a 38" lift). At the time I had a "yardarm hydraulic hoist" installed in the truck, and successfully(?) hoisted it in, although it nearly uprooted the hoist.

At home I "tipped it off" onto a 12 foot ramp that was handy, onto the drive, and used a cable hoist (2 Ton rating) to "winch it up" the scooter ramp I'd installed for Lin's scooter.

After she "tried it out" for about a half hour, her enthusiasm for having it in the way never waned, but her enthusiasm for playing it evaporated almost immediately.

When we moved to the (much smaller) new house, I managed to use the same hoist, cable winch, ramps, and a trailer to move it into and out of storage, and it ended up sitting out on the front patio slab under a big tarp. When we considered trying to offer it for sale, we found multiple ads (eBay etc.) offering to pay someone to take similar ones (but of course not offering to pay for shipping.)

My daughter found a "friend" who agreed to give it a home, and he appeared with a female friend to help. The two of them "tipped it in" to load it in the back of a mid-sized Mini-SUV. She did most of the lifting. I was impressed.

The benefit for me(?) of the whole episode is that even Lin could see the "inadequacy" of my $95 hydraulic hoist, and agreed to investing the $2.6k for a hydraulic tailgate for our "big" truck, so we're now a bit better equipped to manage (some of) our infirmities when the needs to move "stuff" arise. The need will not include moving another electronic organ, although I might consider helping with a small piano or refrigerator. (I can lift it to where you can roll it into your truck if you promise to disappear with it quickly.)

John