I'll be moving in just a bit and have a not small safe to move. Getting it out likely wont be too crazy with some help from friends but part of me is thinking about putting it upstairs in my new home. I've seen large appliance or safe moving dollys you can rent for about $60 and wondered if anyones tried something like that before?

Any issues weight wise with putting a large safe in an upstairs room? I perhaps stupidly worry about it winding up in the garage below due to its large weight. its probably about 700lbs empty.

Yeah I would be very worried...
Genetically speaking the live load of a floor is 40 pounds per square foot although that will vary depending on the location, construction method etc.

If your safe is 2ft by 3 ft that would mean the weight should be (2x3x40) 240 pounds...

I know that people routinely exceed that but there it is!

I know my mover wouldn’t roll it on a tile then wood floor with a cement base, safe is 1000lbs. Told me to get a specialized safe mover

A while back a forum member asked me for a referral to a professional safe mover for his relative who was moving. I provided the information, and his relative called to get pricing.

The price that company quoted was a bit higher than another gun safe retailer offered, so he went with the lower price. Instead of a crew, they sent a single young man out with a machine who proceeded to move the safe but needed assistance. Our member's relative was happy to help.

Unfortunately the safe got away from them and it killed the man.

My advice it to hire a professional, pay whatever it costs, and watch them do their thing. If you need a referral to somebody in your area, I'm happy to help.

quote:

If your safe is 2ft by 3 ft that would mean the weight should be (2x3x40) 240 pounds...

This is a common misconception. While it is true that most residential structures are designed to support 40 pounds per square foot, that's every square foot of the floor. In other words a 10x10 room could support 4,000 pounds equally distributed.

A safe would be a point load, and although they don't specify this on residential frame construction, they do on the commercial side. A commercial floor designed for 60 pounds per square feet can support 2,500 pounds within any 6 square feet.

Although I am not an engineer, and I know houses can vary in construction, my loose rule of thumb is 1,000 pounds on stairs, and 1,500 pounds on any suspended floor.

Have a professional move it for you. Getting crushed to death by all the stuff you've bought is no way to go.

Jesus, thats crazy. Well, nix that idea.

There are some things that need to be done by pros. Moving a heavy safe is on that list. Can you imagine the guilt you'd feel if one your friends were crippled or worse while helping you to save a few bucks?

Jim

Not sure what the value of the safe is and the cost to move it, but it might be good to leave it.

Buy a new one professionally delivered to your new home. Upgrade.

I’d seriously consider this if it were me.

Leaving it and upgrading isnt a bad idea I suppose. I'm not sure if I'd get my money back however. I suppose even if someone isnt into guns having a safe might still be useful.

When I bought my new house they delivered my safe downstairs for 250. They had a dolly that would go up and down stairs...2 guys made it look easy. I would go that route.

Yeah I'm thinking leaving it (i'll talk to my realtor about that) or just paying out and having a company move it. Glad I asked, may have saved my or my friends lives.

When we left NC, I sold the safe with the house and bought a new one here. The guys selling me the new one asked about the home construction. When I said it was a slab, he grinned and said he loves those. And his stair climbing machine was down.

They showed up and used some Teflon sticks and slid it across the flooring with no issues.

I have moved the formers safe and it was a boondoggle from the start. Literally rigged block and tackle to drag it out of a closet and then moving it across new hardwoods was not making Mrs. Mike feel all warm and tingly.

If I had to go up steps, I’d pay whatever they were asking.

When in in-laws moved here from CA, we used a regular dolly & strapped the safe to it really well. It was still quite difficult to manage for 3 of us.

I imagine a refrigerator dolly would make it a slight bit easier, since they're typically a lot taller than the average dolly.

Take caution & don't overdo it.

When we built this house 10 years ago, we hired movers. They were probably criminals, but they were strong ones. I had 2 safes (both empty, use some sense if you have any). They weren't going into the new house. I gave one to my youngest son and one to my oldest. They were kind of amused at my antics. The newest and best went to my youngest and they delivered it to his basement. The older went to my garage while it was still standing.

Oldest son and is best friend only had to put it in the friends pickup truck. But then they had to take it down his stairs. They were still strong and in their 30s at that point in time. They had no trouble with it at all. They did attach ratchet straps so they had hand holds.

Then the issue of moving it across floors. Anyone here ever heard of golf balls? Just consider them large white ball bearings. Herding them is done with furring strips, it keeps them where they need to be. If that's too complicated, get some pipes. White plastic works well, too. As long as you don't go cheap and scrimp on the number of them.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Have a professional move it for you. Getting crushed to death by all the stuff you've bought is no way to go.

Agreed,


Just call the man




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa1ez7yL_T4

at least call and get a price for the job.
I wonder what it is now?

maybe $70.00 for two guys to show up?
another $190.00 to relocate it ?
across tiny town.
let us know

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:


Then the issue of moving it across floors. Anyone here ever heard of golf balls? Just consider them large white ball bearings. Herding them is done with furring strips, it keeps them where they need to be. If that's too complicated, get some pipes. White plastic works well, too. As long as you don't go cheap and scrimp on the number of them.

I used 1" PVC pipe segments under my 1300lb safe to move it about 70 feet across a concrete floor and up a concrete step of about 5 inches. I was amazed at how easy it was to move it. I did it completely by myself and felt there was little safety risk to me during the process.

If I were going up a set of stairs NO WAY would I do that myself. i would hire a professional for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:


Then the issue of moving it across floors. Anyone here ever heard of golf balls? Just consider them large white ball bearings. Herding them is done with furring strips, it keeps them where they need to be. If that's too complicated, get some pipes. White plastic works well, too. As long as you don't go cheap and scrimp on the number of them.

I used 1" PVC pipe segments under my 1300lb safe to move it about 70 feet across a concrete floor and up a concrete step of about 5 inches. I was amazed at how easy it was to move it. I did it completely by myself and felt there was little safety risk to me during the process.

If I were going up a set of stairs NO WAY would I do that myself. i would hire a professional for sure.

The dudes I hired used PVC sections to roll it around also. But they were huge Polynesian dudes and tossed around my 5' high by 4' wide Fort Knox like it was a volleyball. Hire professional safe movers, period.

you know, multiple smaller safes is sounding better all the time. Maybe even the "takedown" models. I agree with many here, get the pros and pay em what they're worth.

quote:

Originally posted by muzzleloader:
you know, multiple smaller safes is sounding better all the time.

That's what I do. I have three moderately sized safes. None are more than 400-500ish pounds unloaded and with the door removed, and I can move each of them with just a dolly and an assistant/spotter. (But that's with no stairs...)

Not only is it easier to move, but it also allows you to further organize your guns. I have one safe for modern defensive guns, one for milsurp guns, and one for .22s, hunting shotguns, and hunting rifles.

I got rid of big Bertha and went with two smaller, modular safes that can be disassembled and easily moved. Very glad I did.

Big safes need professional movers, absolutely. I will never own one of those behemoths again.