Before you move your Hammond Organ

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Always, always make sure the Tone Generator is locked down before you move a Hammond Organ. When unlocked, the tone generator is suspended on springs in order to reduce the amount of  noise emitted by the generator. If you move the organ with the tone generator unlocked, it will bounce around, which can result in broken wires. Even worse, it could bang against other parts of the organ and the pickup rods can get bumped or bent. If a pickup bar gets pushed far enough into the tone generator, it could hit a tone wheel and keep that tone wheel assembly from spinning. It can also result in a permanently damaged tone wheel.   

How to lock down the tone generator.

There are four bolts with T-shaped spacer and washer assemblies which bolt the tone generator to the shelf. Locking the generator is as easy as unscrewing the bolts, and flipping the spacer/washer assemblies over (see illustration below.)

Use a 5/16" nut-driver to tighten the bolts, as they have a tendency to work loose in transit.

Instead of the T-shaped spacer and washer assembly, some older organs have captive screws with large washers. Simply tighten the screws to lock-down the generator. To unlock the generator, simply unscrew them as far as they'll go.

Notes

Running your organ with the tone generator locked down won't damage anything, the organ will just be a little noisier. Many people never unlock their generators. Those people that move your organ on a regular basis should periodically check to make sure that the lockdown assemblies have not worked loose. If the organ is going to remain in one place, you'll probably want to unlock the generator.

If one or more tone generator lockdown spacer and washer assemblies are missing and you want to move the organ, they are available new.

Reverb Springs

Certain types of reverb springs also need to be locked for transit.

The "necklace" type reverb springs have a slotted shaft which turns some cams which in turn open some spring-loaded clamps which hold the springs to keep things from being damaged in transit. It usually takes a lot of torque to un-lock the springs. Sometimes it helps to "assist" the cams a bit by gently prying the clamps open while you're turning the locking shaft.

Some old tone cabinets have oil-filled reverb springs. If you plan on tipping these cabinets to their side, you should drain the oil first.