Moving safes

[El Chivo]

Because of some of the comments in the gun safe thread I thought I'd start one about moving gun safes, in case people have ideas or stories that might be useful.

There's more than one way to skin a cat and the same is true about moving heavy objects.

When my gun safe arrived I ended up doing most of the work. I paid $175 for delivery and the store was less than 2 miles away. When the guy showed up, he was big and tough and wearing a truss and I thought "Now I'm going to see something". Well, he had the thing on a powered lift to take it off the truck, a dolly with casters and a plywood ramp for the front steps. After that we moved it along using 3-4 lead pipes as rollers. Inside, no dolly was necessary. I pushed from behind and he kept it under control. We kept it in an upright position and worked it down the hall. I doubt if it took more than 15 minutes.

One thing I noticed is the balance of the safe was changed drastically when it was full. When the safe was empty, and I opened the door, the safe was about ready to tip over. Once I put the guns in, all 6 of them, that much weight counterbalanced the door and the safe was stable with the door open. So, a hint, when you go to move the safe, take the guns out.

[dkmlever]

I saw mine being installed/moved using golf balls, 100 or so spread onto the hall way and one guy in front keeping them close to the safe one guy in the back pushing.

[GoatGuy]

We've our safe several times since it's purchase. Most recently, when we had our den floor tiled. Suggest using our method; 3 to 4 appropriate lengths of heavy guage pvc pipe. Tip up one side of safe, slide a couple of pieces of pipe under it and roll far enough to get the other(s) under. Rolls along just fine, but you may need a third person to keep placing pipe as you move the safe along. I think this is the way the ancients built the pyramids and other large stone block construction projects in those times. Nothing much new under the sun.

[Alf24055]

I haven't moved mine in a long time but when did I turned a piece of carpet over and worked it underneath the safe. With one pulling and one pushing it worked fine...this was on a concrete and linolium floor and empty of course.

ALA

[Sixgun]

One man can move a mountain if given enough time--old Chinese saying. Like many of you I used pipes to get it across the floor (1,000 #) (it was on it's side) The I had to get it down 14 steps and I only had my son with me. It was easy I measured out the steps in feet and cut two 3" X 12"'s and layed 'em over the steps. -----covered the planks with rough cardboard--------wrapped the rope around the safe and inched it down. -------------Getting 1,000 pounds to stand upright was also a piece of cake---started with a crow bar and then a floor jack, each time stacking wood underneath it. When it gets to about 45 degrees, a baby can lift it up right.


I never did pay anyone to do something I can do myself.

Just about anything heavy can be moved by one person using basic tools as long as the floor is somewhat smooth. Let the weight work for you. -----------Sixgun

[BenT]

This worked for me . A 4x8 sheet of cheap wood paneling cut in half. Shiney side up get it under the safe .Push from one 4x4 piece to the next. It's as if it was being pushed on ice , one person could do it.

[Hairtrigger]

A drop deck trailer and equipment dolly makes things easier
http://www.biljax.com//Products/Described/Product3.aspx

[Old No7]

"...we moved it along using 3-4 lead pipes as rollers..."

You haven't lived until you've moved a 36' wooden Chris Craft cabin cruiser on its heavy wooden cradle that way, for 200 yards over uneven ground, then down the gravel ramp into the water.

And then in the fall, we got to repeat the process, only this time it was coming UP the ramp.

But you're right, those rollers and golf balls do work well!

Just don't get the safe moving too fast or you can lose control pretty easily.

Old No7

[jjames]

I recently move the ~1000 lb safe delivered to my garage into the Study. I was quoted $350 which I could not abide. Rented a pallet jack for $42, and bought $80 worth of wood for a 2 step ramp, floor protection, and blocks. A friend and I wheeled it into place, dropped on 4x4 blocks in position, used a Johnson bar to drop down to 2x4s and then onto the floor. Pretty straight forward.

[Lastmohecken]

Another trick is using what they call slip sticks. These are short boards around 4 ft long, or any length you want, with a piece of UHMW screwed down to the top of each board. They use UHMW for conveyor beds, bearings, etc. It comes in many different configurations.

We spray the UHMW with PAM (cooking spray) before using. This makes them very slick and you can push a very heavy load across them with ease. These work pretty good on carpet, or most anything else, where sometimes using pipes for rollers will damage a floor, the slip sticks do not.

[JB]

Years ago I helped move an ATM into a new location. Those things are extremely heavy for obvious reasons. We poured Wesson Oil onto the floor and used it as lubricant to help slide the thing into the corner. I don't think I'd use the Wesson Oil method in my house though

[Griff]

We've our safe several times since it's purchase. Most recently, when we had our den floor tiled. Suggest using our method; 3 to 4 appropriate lengths of heavy guage pvc pipe. Tip up one side of safe, slide a couple of pieces of pipe under it and roll far enough to get the other(s) under. Rolls along just fine, but you may need a third person to keep placing pipe as you move the safe along. I think this is the way the ancients built the pyramids and other large stone block construction projects in those times. Nothing much new under the sun.

¾" Shed 40 PVC, 4 or 5 lengths that you can reach from any side. To turn corners, angle 'em. Like a hot knife thru butter!

[rogn]

You must live in the wrong parts of the country. He had a powered equiptment cart. Power lifted up the steps and rolled into place, put 3/4"plywood under it and pushed into place. $15.00. Six miles from the store. I think within reason, we could move it again for close to the same consideration. The powered cart was really, really slick, especially going up the steps.

[Sixgun]

I just remembered something a buddy told me about 30 years ago. He worked for Lawn Croft Cemetery and when sliding in the casket for the rich people who had above ground sites, they used BB's. ---------Sixgun

[firefuzz]

Just a good, heavy piece of cardboard works wonders as a skid for items like safes.

Rob

[Old Time Hunter]

Moved mine multiple times...the hard part was when I purchased it. Transported it in the back of my PU ('course it is a Ford, so it can handle it). The gal (a knock out! in her early 40's recently retired from the Army, 5'10" tall, with a build that would make Angelena Jolie jealous!) that handled the forklift, took off my tail gate, positioned the safe just right on the end of the forks behind the bed, then flipped it up neater than a pin on top of four round fence posts I had in the back of the truck. When I got it home, took 4X4's and layed 'em on my step bumper then rolled the safe down, the angle was enough to stand the safe upright. I purposely bought a safe I could take the door off of, so using an equipment dolly the door was moved seperate than the body of the safe. Took me a couple of hours, but I wrestled it through the garage, into the house, and down into the basement. Moving a seven hundred pound safe by myself made me sore for a week, but I did it!

[Silent Sam]

You will find out who your real friends are

[JB]

Moved mine multiple times...the hard part was when I purchased it. Transported it in the back of my PU ('course it is a Ford, so it can handle it). The gal (a knock out! in her early 40's recently retired from the Army, 5'10" tall, with a build that would make Angelena Jolie jealous!) that handled the forklift, took off my tail gate, positioned the safe just right on the end of the forks behind the bed, then flipped it up neater than a pin on top of four round fence posts I had in the back of the truck. When I got it home, took 4X4's and layed 'em on my step bumper then rolled the safe down, the angle was enough to stand the safe upright. I purposely bought a safe I could take the door off of, so using an equipment dolly the door was moved seperate than the body of the safe. Took me a couple of hours, but I wrestled it through the garage, into the house, and down into the basement. Moving a seven hundred pound safe by myself made me sore for a week, but I did it!

I did the same with two of my bigger safes. After removing the doors, I was able to handle them with a heavy duty appliance dolly. I didn't have any stairs to deal with though.

[Ysabel Kid]

I have moved my old safe several times as well. It is an old Browning Silver Series, now Y2K's, and about 300 pounds empty. Not that large and not that heavy. Moving it within a room, I just put a remnant of carpet down on the hardwood floor, carpet side down, tilted the safe back, scooted the carpet piece under it, then slid the safe across the room to its new location. If on carpet I just duck-walked it over, tilting it up and rotating it, then doing the opposite.

Moving up and down the stairs? That took about 4 people.

For my current safe, it's where it is going to stay. It took 6 men and a hand-jack to get it from the truck into the basement. It is 1300 pounds empty, and bolts to the slab floor. It is not going anywhere.

[Hairtrigger]

You will find out who your real friends are

A true friend can be asked to help move a safe ONCE....
The second time you move it and you ask for help he is allowed to laugh at you and walk away