Can you lay a grandfather clock down? That is the first thing almost everyone asks when they look up how to move a grandfather clock, and the honest short answer is that the people who know these clocks well do not agree. A national van line, a storage company and a clock shop say keep it upright. A clock parts supplier says yes, if you prepare it properly. So instead of pretending there is one rule, this guide lays out both positions, explains what each side is worried about, and then walks through the move itself, from stopping the pendulum to getting the chimes going again in the new house.
Can you lay a grandfather clock down? The two camps
The “keep it upright” side
North American Van Lines is the most blunt. Its guide says a grandfather clock should never be stored or transported on its side, because the top of the case holds fragile parts such as the suspension spring and the timing mechanism, and lying on its side puts stress on them. They can bend, snap or slip out of alignment. StorAmerica Storage says laying the clock down is not recommended, since in that position the clock is more exposed to damage and the movement inside can suffer, which is why it tells readers to rent a truck tall enough to stand the clock up. Chicago Clock Company, a clock shop that also offers clock moving, lands in the same place: always transport it upright, because laying it flat can shift the internal mechanism and lead to costly repairs.
The “yes, but carefully” side
Clockworks, a clock parts and repair supplier, takes a different view. Its article on laying a clock on its back concludes that it can be done safely with careful preparation. Take the pendulum out, secure the weights and cables, pad the glass and wood, and set the clock on a flat, stable surface. It still lists the risks plainly: a misaligned pendulum, tangled or displaced cables, cracked glass on the front. STI Moving & Storage sits somewhere in the middle. It calls moving a clock lying down “not ideal”, but if you have no other option, it says to strip out the pendulum, weights and delicate parts first and make sure nothing can shift in transit.
Reading between the lines
Notice that the two sides are not always talking about the same position. North American warns against the side. Clockworks describes the back, with the glass door facing up. Those are different loads on a tall, narrow wooden box, and I would not treat advice about one as permission for the other. There is also a small irony in the StorAmerica guide: its own method for building a cardboard sleeve has two people lay the clock on its long edge and roll it from side to side before standing it back up. A brief, controlled tilt on the floor with everything removed is one thing. Hours on a truck floor over potholes is another.
My own take? If you can get a truck tall enough, keep the case upright and skip the argument entirely. If you truly cannot, follow the Clockworks checklist to the letter and assume that someone who knows clocks will need to check it afterwards.
Why the top of the clock worries everyone
A grandfather clock is a weight-driven machine hung inside a piece of furniture. The weights hang on chains or cables, and as they descend they drive the gears that keep the pendulum going and run the strike and chime, as North American describes it. The pendulum hangs from a thin suspension spring. The chime rods sit behind the dial and ring whenever the clock is jostled. Much of the delicate stuff sits up top, in the hood of a case that North American says can reach eight feet tall. Tilt the case, and that top-heavy mass swings through a long arc. Chicago Clock also points out that the tall, narrow shape tips easily, which can wreck the clock and hurt whoever is standing next to it.
What to have on hand before you start
The guides agree more than they disagree here. Most of it comes from a hardware store or a moving supply shop:
- Cotton or soft gloves, because skin oils smudge brass, glass and wood (North American and Chicago Clock both stress this)
- Moving blankets or padding, plus bubble wrap
- Twist ties or zip ties for the chains or cables
- Sturdy boxes for the weights, glass and pendulum, and small zip bags for screws
- Screwdrivers, and pliers or a wrench
- Labels or a marker
- A dolly or a two-wheel hand truck
- At least one other person
One small disagreement: Hermle and North American both list packing paper, while StorAmerica says to skip it for wrapping the case because it makes a mess. For the case itself, blankets are the safer bet anyway.
Taking it apart in a sensible order
Every source says the same thing in different words: do not move the clock as one piece. North American puts it flatly: “Never move a grandfather clock without disassembling it first.” The order varies from guide to guide, but this sequence keeps the chains from tangling while the weights come off:
- Stop the pendulum. Reach in and hold the rod gently until it stops swinging.
- Wind the weights up and tie off the chains or cables. STI and North American both suggest winding first, then securing with twist ties or tape so nothing tangles. On a chain-driven movement, Hermle suggests lifting the chains off the sprockets and bagging them.
- Remove the weights one by one and label them. Left, center, right. North American notes that in most clocks the weights are not interchangeable, and Chicago Clock warns that swapping them can throw off how the clock runs. STI starts with the left one.
- Unhook the pendulum. It usually hangs on a simple hook from the suspension spring, sometimes with a small pin you have to pull first. North American puts the average pendulum at around three feet, so find a box long enough before you start. STI lays it flat on a strip of cardboard or laminate and keeps it horizontal.
- Take out glass panels if they come out. StorAmerica points out that on many clocks they do not, and that is fine. Wrap any you do remove and mark the box fragile.
- Quiet the chime rods. They can stay in place. North American suggests a single loose layer of bubble wrap, reached through the side panel, just enough to keep the hammers off the rods, and it warns against wrapping them too tightly.
STI goes further than the rest, taking off the hood and lifting out the inner mechanism. That is a step I would leave to someone who has done it before. Lifting out the works of an heirloom is not the place to learn.
Wrapping the case
Close and lock the door first, which Hermle and North American both mention. Then wrap the whole case in blankets and tape the blankets to each other, not to the wood. StorAmerica warns that tape stuck to the case can damage the finish, and Chicago Clock also says to keep the tape off the clock’s surface. Pay extra attention to corners and the ornate bits at the base and crown. Grandmother clocks, the shorter cousins, follow the same basic steps. There is just less of them to wrap.
Getting it out of the house and onto the road
North American says these clocks can weigh up to 300 pounds, so this is a two-person job at minimum. Stand the case on a dolly or hand truck, keep it balanced, and move slowly. Measure doorways and stairwell turns before moving day, not halfway through the hallway.
The vehicle matters more than people expect. North American says a grandfather clock is too big for an ordinary van and recommends a moving truck with a ramp, with the clock tied to the side wall of the box so it cannot topple. Chicago Clock adds a few things: strap it down, keep it on a flat surface, pile nothing on top, and drive gently on rough roads. A pickup truck can work, according to STI, as long as the clock is disassembled, well padded, kept upright if possible and strapped so it cannot slide. I would add one practical doubt. An eight-foot case standing in a pickup bed is also standing in the wind at highway speed, and that is not a pleasant thought.
Setting it up in the new room
Put the case in place first and get it level; Hermle mentions the adjustable leveling feet, Chicago Clock suggests a level. Then reverse the teardown: hang the pendulum so it swings freely, hang each weight on its original chain or cable, remove the chime padding. Start the pendulum gently and listen. An even tick-tock is what you want. If the rhythm limps, the case may not be quite level, so check that before anything else.
Setting the time is where the guides flatly contradict each other. Hermle says to move the minute hand slowly clockwise. North American says to turn the hands counterclockwise. The safe move is to check your clock’s manual before touching the hands. Whichever way it tells you, go slowly.
Then give it a day or two. Hermle suggests comparing the clock with your phone and, if it runs fast or slow, turning the nut at the bottom of the pendulum: clockwise to speed it up, counterclockwise to slow it down. Small turns, then wait.
When the clock is worth more than the weekend
Everything above is doable for a careful person with a helper and the right truck. But look at what the job actually involves: a heavy, top-heavy case, a movement that does not like being tipped, stairs, a narrow door and a long drive. For an antique or an heirloom, many owners decide the risk is not worth saving a day, and that is a reasonable call. SOS Moving, a moving company in Los Angeles, runs a white-glove service in which the crew shows up with the tools needed to take luxury furniture apart and put it back together. Its page for Beverly Hills movers lists the parts of a hillside move that matter for a clock: safe transport for fragile items and heavy furniture, trucks sized for steep driveways and narrow streets, and certificates of insurance for buildings with strict move-in rules. The company is licensed and insured, and it offers storage for the awkward stretch when the new room is not ready yet. The lifting, securing and truck work can go to a crew like that, while adjusting the movement itself is still a job for a clockmaker if anything sounds wrong afterwards.
Questions clock owners ask
How much does it cost to move a grandfather clock?
There is no single going rate. STI Moving & Storage says the price depends on the distance, how complex the move is and which company does it, and that long-distance moves cost more, especially when extra care and time are needed. Movers also bill differently, some by the hour and some by the job, so compare written estimates for the same scope of work rather than headline numbers.
How heavy is a grandfather clock?
It varies a lot by case and movement, but North American Van Lines says some weigh up to 300 pounds. Taking out the weights and pendulum makes the case lighter and safer to handle, though it is still a two-person lift.
Can I move a grandfather clock across the room without taking it apart?
Not without some prep. STI’s advice for a short move within a room is still to take out the pendulum and weights first, then slide the clock on furniture sliders or a dolly.
Should the pendulum be packed flat or upright?
Flat. STI keeps the pendulum horizontal on a piece of cardboard or laminate, wrapped in paper. The upright rule applies to the case, not to the loose pendulum.
My clock stopped after the move. What went wrong?
The usual suspects are a case that is not level, weights hung in the wrong positions, or a pendulum that is not hanging freely. Chicago Clock lists all three; Clockworks adds checking that the pendulum is properly aligned and the cables untangled. If it still limps or stays silent, a clock repair shop should look at it before you start adjusting the movement yourself.
