Cost of moving a safe?

[olereb]

I was wondering if anyone here has ever moved and paid to have their gun safe moved also?. I have a Liberty Colonial 50 that weighs 955lbs that I have been wondering about the cost to move,were not moving yet but in the next few years its very possible we will be moving out of state and I'd like to take the safe since I like it so much but if its going to cost more than a new one it can stay for the next owner. Any input is appreciated,like I mentioned were not moving soon so its no big rush,just getting ideas/figures. Thanks a lot.

[buckwheatpaul]

You can move it your self.....take the door off and a lot of weight drops off. You can roll it around then on Schedule 40 pvc or even a 4 wheeled piano mover. I have moved two and helped others to move their...it worked very well......

[bear67]

You can roll in 360 degrees with golf balls. We have moved several large ones. We roll up or down from truck on plywood with 2X lumber under it. Grandson and I took a 48 gun Cannon off of my flatbed one ton and rolled across the porch and into an interior wall for a son in law. Just the two of us. I have forks on a skid loader and a backhoe, if we need to lift higher or down to ground from any height, but have never needed it.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

s ...

[mozeppa]

i rented air sleds.

[Echo]

I just bought an 830-lb safe from Costco. Display model, and I got it for $1000, I think a steal. I called some movers, and they said they would charge $100 to move it from Costco to my house, maybe 6 miles. They did, and I'm a happy camper. They used broom sticks to roll it, and a heavy-duty 4-wheel trolley.

[Petrol & Powder]

I moved a full size safe once with the help of a friend. He still curses me every time the subject comes up. When I sold that house I left the safe and purchased a new one for the next house. I had that one delivered.
Yes, they can be moved but I'm not convinced it is worth it. If I have to do it again I'll leave the safe and buy a new one. The buyer gets a safe with the house and I get a new safe.

[David2011]

+1 for golf balls. I moved a 650 lb safe over concrete by myself using golf balls and a pinch bar. The only hitch I encountered was that the bottom of the safe flexed a little which required a little more push to get more golf balls under the safe as it moved. A heavier safe might have a stiffer bottom and eliminate that minor issue.

David

[ShooterAZ]

Where I work we sell a lot of really heavy woodstoves. I borrowed the "stove jack" when I moved...sorta like an appliance dolly on steroids. We got it to within 3' of where it now sits...and slid it the rest of the way on cardboard. It did take 3 guys to do it.

[Beau Cassidy]

My wife and I moved my 1100 lb'er thru the carped house and into the garage by ourself using about 8 1 1/4 inch PVC pipes which I highly recommend.

Whatever you do DO NOT let anyone put it on a dolly. All that does is center the weight making it top heavy. When I once had a move paid for I told the moving monkeys not to do that but noooo they had to do it their way. They didn't even get it off the truck before turning the safe over. Luckily neither were hurt.

[gkainz]

I moved my own Liberty 48 using piano mover dollies. A lot younger and dumber then, with a healthy back.

[dbosman]

If it's in the basement, the logistics change somewhat.
The local shop will put one in a basement if the stairs are removable.
The cost to take one out of a basement happens to equal the price of a new safe including the delivery fee, for some reason.

[Artful]

I've moved a couple by myself , Used Sockets one time, pipes work well, and my preferred method is the piano dollys

[bob208]

most safes have a bolt hole in the top where you screw in an eye bolt. I used that to put my 700 lb. liberty in my basement. then rolled it on pipe. I have unloaded and moved a lot of machinery by my self with a come-a-long and rollers. it is easy just think it out and go slow.

[RED333]

most safes have a bolt hole in the top where you screw in an eye bolt. I used that to put my 700 lb. liberty in my basement. then rolled it on pipe. I have unloaded and moved a lot of machinery by my self with a come-a-long and rollers. it is easy just think it out and go slow.
Best advice yet

[freebullet]

They wanted 300$ here to put one in a non walkout basement. We used a dump truck, two wheeler, and winch instead. Cost 30$ for gas.

[454PB]

I moved mine twice using nothing but manpower (4 guys) when I was 30 years younger. When the last move happened, I paid a transfer and storage service. It cost me $100 and was much cheaper than back surgery or finger replacement.

[btroj]

I paid 200 to get mine moved from one room to another. A few stairs were involved.

It was far less expensive as my wife wasn't happy with where it was and THAT cost me plenty.....

[wv109323]

Most commercial movers will not move guns,things like Propane Tanks, or ammo. They also charge extra for heavy items like piano's, tools ,and the like. You will probably need to move several items yourself.

[HeavyMetal]

Lucky for me both my safes are on the lite side, #1 is an old dial combo safe that is not lined for fire I think it weighs about 200 empty. The #2 safe is an old evidence safe given to me by a neighbor. He worked for the county and it was auctioned off to employees ( $42.50) and it sat in his back yard for a few years before his wife finally told him it was a crappy bird feeder, LOL!

It weighs about 450. When I moved last JUly my boss was kind enough to let me use my company truck for some of my heavy items, it has a 1500 pound lift gate on it, and life was easy the heavy safe has wheels, the lite one went on a dolly as did the Clausing mill. The Southbend lathe was already on a rolling platform with anchors.

Everything rolled out the drive way and onto the lift gate with no issues and into the storage with ease.

For a heavier safe I think PVC or golf balls the hot tip, as well as a good set of ratcheting cargo straps to keep in in place while driving it to it's new home!

Common Sense, think it through before doing anything, and take your time are the keys to success here!

[winelover]

When I moved from Michigan to Arkansas, I used North American Van Lines. The cost to move my 1000# Liberty was the same as any other piece of furniture. You pay by the pound, for whatever is loaded on the van. Moving is a ****-shoot, if you happen to get a contentious driver, with a good crew, you get a great move. That was my experience. I moved my firearms, powder, primers, lead, ammo, jewelry and art, myself. My wife and I, each drove a full size van, loaded to the hilt.

Winelover

[richhodg66]

I never would have thought of using golf balls for something like that, that is pure genius.

[schutzen]

Golf balls work fine on a solid floor like concrete, but a heavy safe on golf balls on an engineered wood (wood chips glued together) could very well exposed weak spots in the floor. You might just push a golf ball thru a weak spot. Schedule 40 PVC pipes work very well and spread the load across multiple floor joists. I moved a 1500 pound load with 1 1/2 PVC pipes cut 12"s wider that the load.

[Safeshot]

Pallet jack, slow and easy does it every time. You can BUY a pallet jack for what some of the so-called "movers" want to charge to move a safe. Check around there are some movers, in some locations, that will "treat you right".

[AK Caster]

If you need to move a heavy safe up stairs rent an elect ric stair dolly. Amazing piece of equipment.
If you need help just check out the classifieds on craigslist. There are always people offering moving services for low prices.

[dale2242]

I paid a local safe company $250 to pick up my 1000# safe at the dealers and move it 60 miles.
They put it in place and bolted it down to the concrete with 4 3000# shear strength bolts.
Money well spent, in my book....dale

[Victor N TN]

I paid a guy to pick mine up at the warehouse and deliver it. He placed where I wanted it, ran the electric and bolted it to the floor. I thin I paid him $250.

[higgins]

We moved last year. The commercial mover we used included a standard $100 surcharge for heavy items. They had included the washer and dryer in their initial moving estimate, but since we ended up leaving the washer and dryer behind, they agreed to move the safe at no extra charge. Mine is not one of the newer large safes. It was moved empty since I wanted to move the guns myself.

Be prepared to move ammo and combustible components yourself along with other flammables. You could try to hide them among other stuff in the load, but you know what's going to happen if there's a fire caused by a wreck or anything else; your ammo will be blamed for it and complications will ensue.

[birddog]

I've moved 3 of them for friends and family. I have access to a stair lift dolly that will walk stairs. Our company uses it to move commercial water heaters for contractors in the area. Never charged anyone a dime for moving their safes. The dolly has a 1500# capacity. Good Luck with your move when it happens.
Charlie

[labradigger1]

Some years back i bought an old railroad safe from an estate auction, after restoring it i needed to get it up 8 steps into the house. Almost 3 full days to complete the job. Had to reinforce the floor and pour new piers, make ramps out of built up 2x12's, cover the floor and deck with layers of plywood. The 12000# winch with a snatch block was my best friend. Safe weighs about 2400 lbs. If i ever move the safe goes with the house, i will never ever move that thing again.
lab

[gbrown]

I rented a safe dolly from a moving company when I got my safe--20 years ago. It weighs 900lb, empty. The dolly has 2 large wheels back, and an extension leg set with 2 wheels. All swivel. Moved into my house and into a rear closet with no problems. Here's a pic and a site.

92288

http://handtrucks2go.com/Powermate-Motorized-StairClimber-Hand-Truck-M1.html?gclid=CKuzz9ii3rsCFaxr7Aod12IAag

[Elkins45]

I used a pallet jack to pull mine up the driveway into the garage, then a layer of steel BBs as ball bearings to roll it into place against the wall. I left the BBs under it for air circulation when I bolted it down. I don't know if a .177 air gap will prevent rusting, but I wasn't going to stick my hand under there to get the BBs out!

[xbeeman412]

I brought Mine in Sialome Springs Ar and delivered it to the farm in Stilwell Ok My self (had a tractor to unload) When I moved it to Tx unloaded it with the tractor and had a 6 ft 6 fireman bear hug it in LOL not realy. Its the Liberty Fatboy and must weigh 1000 or so. Pipes were used to move it in and around the house.

[KCSO]

When I was young we got a free safe and borrowed a wrecker to move it. The saf was so heavy at every bump the front wheels left the ground and the safe dragged on the concrete. The police were able to follow us right to the garage and so...

The cost of moving a safe is a $100 fine.

[Stennis]

I moved a full size safe once with the help of a friend. He still curses me every time the subject comes up. When I sold that house I left the safe and purchased a new one for the next house. I had that one delivered.
Yes, they can be moved but I'm not convinced it is worth it. If I have to do it again I'll leave the safe and buy a new one. The buyer gets a safe with the house and I get a new safe.

Additional precautions are needed while moving safes. Chances of accidents are more if you are trying to move safe by yourself. It is better to hire someone. Just take a look at company reviews while hiring someone.

[rr2241tx]

PVC pipes are the best thing ever to happen to safe moving...right up until you have to leave a tiled entry onto stairs. That's where it all went wrong this time. The safe went down the stairs in a safe and controlled fashion on 2Xs and plywood but the transition off the tile didn't go so well and now I owe SWMBO a new entry floor. Should have gotten her to help. The two of us put one just like this down those same stairs about five years ago without a single cracked tile.

[264 Win Mag]

+1 on removing the door! That takes off a lot of weight and helps with being able to get hand holds when maneuvering the beast. Mine weighs just above 500lbs and the place where I bought it loaded into my utility trainer with a forklift. We brought it home and myself, my son and 82 year old father slid it off the trailer, unboxed it and removed the door. I purchased an appliance dolly that has those stair climbing rubber belts and we strapped the safe on and drug it across some grass, uneven brick patio, and up a couple of steps no problem. Due to space constraints most of the time it was just two of us doing the work. It was no problem and I felt we could have moved a much bigger safe with the dolly I bought even with going up some steps.

Thomas