I have a Frontier safe with a dial lock that was made in Indiana many years ago. My question is can I lay it down in the bed of a pickup and transport it from central Illinois to Southern Alabama without doing any damage to the internal locking mechanisms?

I can't find any information on it and if I remember right, it weighs 600 pounds.

I think the biggest deal would be to get it loaded up, then unloaded. The ride in your truck should be of zero consequence.

I have 2 safes, put in place myself from the sellers. One is a Browning safe, had help, a dolly. The other a Zanotti, came in parts, assembled in position.

The 600 pond safe seems doable, with good help.

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Originally posted by sourdough44:
I think the biggest deal would be to get it loaded up, then unloaded. The ride in your truck should be of zero consequence.

I have 2 safes, put in place myself from the sellers. One is a Browning safe, had help, a dolly. The other a Zanotti, came in parts, assembled in position.

The 600 pond safe seems doable, with good help.

I have access to a tractor with forks at both locations so loading and unloading won't be an issue.

Generally speaking yes. If they have gypsum board in the door, sometimes transporting gun safes in their back will dislodge it, thus blocking the boltwork.

Two things to consider. - Take you several broom handles, cut six to eight of them 3-4 inches shorter than width of you vault, and move it caveman style. As for transport, I would not lay it down. I would sandwich it between two pieces of 3/4” plywood, push it as far up to the truck bed as possible, and haul that unit upright with multiple srraps attached. Just my suggestions.

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Originally posted by a1abdj:
Generally speaking yes. If they have gypsum board in the door, sometimes transporting gun safes in their back will dislodge it, thus blocking the boltwork.

Would laying it on its side be better? What would you recommend I do to not screw up this safe?

Before you attempt this, check specs on your specific safe. If it has a relocking mechanism, laying it down may trigger it turning it into a very large paperweight. Alternately, if the door is removeable, transport in 2 pieces. If the mechanism screws up, at least the internals are accessible for repair.

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Take you several broom handles, cut six to eight of them 3-4 inches shorter than width of you vault, and move it caveman style.

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Originally posted by egregore:

I do see some recommendations from safe companies that say one should keep the safe upright, maybe try that.

I also saw recommendations to have it unlocked, maybe not a biggie.

https://guardiansafeandvault.c...ccy86kyiX3AVCAEt_MYu


Then one can think of all the shipping that goes on with new gun safes. They seem to get where they’re going in ok shape.

I have moved three safes of the lower price range quality. All three required a little interior work afterward. The gypsum panels come loose or crack. Leaving the shelving intact and adding some extras, like a beach ball, should help. Removing the door makes it much easier during manual phases. It’s a lot lighter and more places to grab ahold of.

Thank you for help fellas.

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Would laying it on its side be better? What would you recommend I do to not screw up this safe?

Any direction other than upright will carry more risk, but even moving a safe upright can cause issues.

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I also saw recommendations to have it unlocked, maybe not a biggie.

This is very dangerous. If the door comes open while moving you're in trouble.

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Alternately, if the door is removeable, transport in 2 pieces. If the mechanism screws up, at least the internals are accessible for repair.

You could do this, but it is also risky to your fingers and your safe's paint job.

I should have added that I have moved five gun vaults using cut off broom handles, all successfully. The heaviest one being just over 700 lbs empty.

Egregore - Love, Love, Love the linked cartoon. Loved watching the Pink Panther when I was growing up. Great summary of my recommendation, just do bot lay it down to move it.

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I also saw recommendations to have it unlocked, maybe not a biggie.

Tighten a ratchet strap (or two) around it to keep it closed but unlocked.

That is fine. I have installed and moved 2 large Fort Knox safes and 3 large Browning prosteel ones in and out at my house years ago. I would never take the door off as all sorts of things can happen trouble wise. Never open the door when you move them as you could easily loose fingers or get crushed by it. In and out of a truck think pyramid builders and how they got things moved. Same things moving it around. It’s so much easier to drag on a heavy construction mat than to pick it up. Even as a single person you can walk a 600 pound safe corner to corner, just inching and sliding along. This has always worked for me over the years. It’s nice to have someone there but it can be done with the sliding and walking by yourself I found. Up or down stairs is a whole other problem that I have no experience with. Be very careful and plan it all out first, I usually thought about at least a day in advance before doing it.

You will be just fine. Just remove the shelving so they don't get damage in transit.

With the safe, put either the plastic tab(if you still have them) for the corner. If not, you can go to a local safe store. They will give you some. Or take the foamy sheet you get with a electronic product and put them in the corner to keep the door from shifting around and moving.

Just key lock it(combination un-done).

Grab a pallet while at the safe store. They will have a pile out back. Remove the floor and bolt the safe to the pallet. Wrap moving blanket around the safe. Grab moving sarah wrap and wrap it all up.

Back the truck to the back of the safe. Put cardboard down(again at the safe store). Tip the safe on its back onto the bed. Lift the safe into the bed. It's actually easy. Strap it down. Reverse the procedure when you get to your destination. Pull the back off the door once you have it and inspect/grease the mechanism.

The safe store should provide you with the stuff. You are actually saving the hassle of throwing that stuff out. But they may want a nominal fee for that stuff...who knows.