Gun Safe moving, how too?

[1006]

When I bought my safe, I removed the door—was not sure I could when I started. The door was 1/3 of the total weight. So, I recommend taking the door off if you can. Mine weighed about 500 pounds before removing the door. Just be careful not to drop the door on your foot.

[murf205]

lancem, will the safe be on a concrete floor when you get it moved into place? Don't forget to anchor it down from the inside. I used 3/8" wedge bolts for all 3 of mine. I know a guy that had his safe and collection removed intact by a theft. They tore up a couple of door frames but when your stealing something, time is the main thing. He thinks they just pushed it over on it's side and onto a couple of dolly's and away they went.

[Winger Ed.]

If you can move a refrigerator, you can move a common/regular gun safe.... unless it's bolted down.

The big difference is-- Being about 2-3 times as heavy, it takes two guys instead of one.

[Idaho45guy]

When I needed two safes moved from my dad's shop to my storage unit, I hired a local moving company and 3 young men with a heavy duty dolly and hand cart showed up. Cost me $300 and I tipped them each $20 afterwards because they were so professional and pleasant. Best money I ever spent.

Why not put them in my house? Because they were too heavy for the floor joists. That's another thing to take into consideration when putting a safe in an older home.

[Rickf1985]

When I got my safe, around 600 lbs., my neighbor stopped by as I was unloading it from my truck with my loader. He asked if I needed a hand and I said I think I have it. He stuck around to watch the show and I could tell he was amused. Then he asked, "have you figured out how you are going to drive that tractor through the back door"? We are talking about a 36" regular door. I just looked at him and said I haven't quite thought about that one yet. He said get all that crap off of that thing and get out of the way. He wrapped his arms around it and carried it into the house!!!!!! Did I happen to mention this is a BIG man? Prison guard who I doubt has ever had any problems with his prisoners. Real good guy to be friends with.

[Winger Ed.]

"have you figured out how you are going to drive that tractor through the back door"?

Years ago, Mrs. wanted her own safe. I scrounged a used, small-ish, high security one and rebuilt it.
The walls on it are about 3" thick, and it weighs something like 800 pounds, maybe more.

I got it in the truck with a forklift. I got it out with a engine crane.
Then I thought to myself, 'Now what'?

I ended up cutting off a broom handle into a couple pieces, and rolling it through the house
to a closet on them- one in front of the other, like the Egyptians did those big stone blocks.

[Petander]

The older I get, the more often I tend to hire professionals.

A gun safe or a piano, or a motorcycle from abroad like last year. Yes pro work costs but those guys know what they are doing, have insurances -and I won't invalidize myself.

[murf205]

The older I get, the more often I tend to hire professionals.

A gun safe or a piano, or a motorcycle from abroad like last year. Yes pro work costs but those guys know what they are doing, have insurances -and I won't invalidize myself.

Not to mention not collapsing a disc in your back! My strong man (stupid) tricks from my youth are haunting me today!!

[Rich/WIS]

My safe is int 500# range and found it was easy to move, called the local movers and they did it. When I moved from WI to KY the moving company moved it. They had me leave the door open and removed the door and then put it back in place when the set it p,ace here. While still in WI had to move it to a different spot, so removed the door and rocked it onto a piece of carpet and my 100# DIL and her friend who went all of maybe 90# slid it around like it weighed nothing at all. Only advice I can give is remove the door, plan your route and if it gets away from you GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY. Might be a good idea to check what is under your floor, a short beam of spiked together 2X8s and a jack post will prevent the floor from sagging over time.

[Winger Ed.]

One of our safe movers got a job one time where a customer wanted a big safe moved into his house,
but didn't want to pay for a 'sight check' where someone comes out to see what will be involved for the move.

No big deal. He told the guy to get a piece of cardboard the same size as the safe's 'foot print'
and slide it along the floor along the path the safe would need to take.

When he got to the guy's house, brought the safe in, down the hall, and found it wouldn't fit through the bedroom door.
He asked the guy if he'd done the deal with the piece of card board.
He said, "Yes I did, but I had to turn up one corner to get it through this door.

Our guy explained that he couldn't really do that with the safe.
Customer, "Wait here. I'll be right back".
He went and got a sawz-all. Then cut out enough wall and door frame to get the safe into the room.

Our mover got back to the shop he said
it really stressed him out by not being able to laugh at the whole adventure
and trying to get done and out of there before the customer's wife came in.

[john.k]

I put my safe in through the back door into the hallway with an old mobile crane with the boom (lattice type) out flat ,or close to.......one man job ,very careful not to damage the house before her indoors came home.

[MaryB]

One of our safe movers got a job one time where a customer wanted a big safe moved into his house,
but didn't want to pay for a 'sight check' where someone comes out to see what will be involved for the move.

No big deal. He told the guy to get a piece of cardboard the same size as the safe's 'foot print'
and slide it along the floor along the path the safe would need to take.

When he got to the guy's house, brought the safe in, down the hall, and found it wouldn't fit through the bedroom door.
He asked the guy if he'd done the deal with the piece of card board.
He said, "Yes I did, but I had to turn up one corner to get it through this door.

Our guy explained that he couldn't really do that with the safe.
Customer, "Wait here. I'll be right back".
He went and got a sawz-all. Then cut out enough wall and door frame to get the safe into the room.

Our mover got back to the shop he said
it really stressed him out by not being able to laugh at the whole adventure
and trying to get done and out of there before the customer's wife came in.

We dismantled 2 door frames to get a safe into a house LOL guys wife was freaking out... we pulled nails, put it all back together using the original nail holes... she couldn't tell we had it apart

[lightman]

I have moved and helped move several safes in the 400-500# weight range. I used an appliance dolley with straps. I put the safe on the dolley where the narrowest sides would be the ones passing through doorways. It helps to have a helper! I handled the dolley and the helper was on the other end to help push or to steady it if necessary. I can't stress that a helper needs to be there.

In your situation I might look at renting an engine hoist. And as everyone else suggester, buy a few sheets of plywood to make a road across that bare ground.

I can't stress the helper thing enough! Good Luck!!!

For what its worth, I hired a safe company to move my 2000# one when we moved recently.

[MOshooter]

I've had my Browning safe(900#) since the early 90's and picked it from the store, unloaded it in a detached garage/shop. Later moved into our house, just 2 steps up and in. Last move after I built our home 23 years ago, but have since moved it in the home a few times in the garage.

I agree with the plywood on the ground to move your safe. Also an appliance dolly can be helpful, I've also used regular dollies and strapped to the dolly. I also always used moving blankets when trucking with a dolly. On concrete or other hard surfaces, I've used several steel pipes as rollers, normally 4 to 6 steel pipes 3/4"- 1" pipe, like steel gas line pipe.
I moved this one, and my Dad's same safe after he passed, I've always moved these by myself.

[MrWolf]

Not to mention not collapsing a disc in your back! My strong man (stupid) tricks from my youth are haunting me today!!

I moved mine in my garage six months after my L4-5 surgery four years ago. I am having surgery next month on L3-4. I may be Polish but I am not making those same mistakes again and am actually listening to my doc this time. Have a safe in plain view with a few don't care guns in it and have the good stuff in a hidden area in the house. Just sayin...