Moving a Safe HOW?

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I'm sure the truck driver has dealt with many a people that have gone "Oh, I have to unload it?" If you can't get anyone over, I'm sure he'll help ya out.

I had something shipped to me FedEx Freight. I'm on the 3rd floor, and the driver tells me "No one paid for in home delivery." Ha! The company I ordered from never even asked. $20 and 15 minutes later, the pallet was broken down and the stuff was in my place. Without an elevator.
 
Lift to get it up a couple of stairs.

Golf balls once you get it in your house on carpet.

Put a golf ball under the safe and roll it over the floor on it, when it gets to the one edge of it put it on the other side and roll it again. Works great for positioning in place too.

Don't laugh, it works.
 
With many safes a significant amount of mass is in the door. You can often remove the door and move the two pieces seperately. For my safe, the door is about 45% of the total mass.

Good luck.
 
GBExpat, they said it would leave the warehouse in 7 - 12 days. 3 days after I ordered it the truck company said HEY its coming tomorrow. SURPRISE

J
 
Since I too will be buying a big ol heavy safe in the very near future I await anxiously to hear how this plays out.
So please let us all know how it goes.
Me?? I will gladly pay the local safe dealership $200.00 for this dangerous and back wrenching job.;)
However since it is being delivered perhaps you can get on the phone and have a locksmith or safe dealer do the installation from your driveway.
 
I think the dowel/ golfball idea is the best one if you have to do it with only a few people. Those teflon "moving men" sliders have worked well for heavy furniture- might work for a safe if you use enough of them.
 
Bear, pizza, and friends.
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So, How's that work? You strap the safe onto the bear and let him do all the work while you sit around and eat the pizza with your friends?
 
Lucky for you I was stuck on the tarmac at Hartsfield for 45 minutes last week. When browsing the SkyMall catalog - a sure sign of a bored business traveler - I came across this miracle product (see attached).

Surely if these nice ladies can move that behemoth you and a friend can move a safe:neener:!

Take care,
DFW1911

P.S.
Bear, pizza, and friends.
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So, How's that work? You strap the safe onto the bear and let him do all the work while you sit around and eat the pizza with your friends? - Mr White
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That's the funniest thing I've heard in quite a while :D
 

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"Hahah, I'm NOT recommending this... but me and a buddy got my 800+ pound safe installed using a skateboard.

And beer.

Yeah, we were a darwin award waiting to happen. "


Which came first the beer or the skateboard idea? :rolleyes:
Just Kidding. Hey, whatever works.
 
Dowel rods work but if rolling over carpet I've used 2" pvc pipe cut to length. The larger diameter seems to roll easier over thick carpet.
Sliding anything heavy on the carpet will likely cause a wrinkle in the floor covering.
Golf balls sounds like a good method that can roll in any direction whereas the pipe only back and forth.
Piano dollys will work but small diameter wheels are hard to roll over thick floor covering. Appliance dollys are far better than nothing but makes it harder to move in tight corners, etc. when you tilt them back to move.
The $150-200 install fee might be worth it.
 
1. do not use golf balls.
I had pros install my 1800 lb safe, they had special hydraulic jacks they placed on each side of safe to get it close, then they lowered it onto hardwood dowels about 3' long so they could roll and get into position. By using this procedure they placed in in a corner, right up to baseboards on each side.

The small dowels work good on a hard surface, on a carpeted surface use larger dowels (1.5-2") or pipe, preferabaly metal. My former brother in law who is a lot smaller than me did this, moving a slightly smaller safer and did it by himself.

Have a minimum of three dowels so you can keep at least two under safe at one time and go slow.
 
I made a large quantity purchase of some concrete product once. They told me I'd have to get it out of the truck and up to my house. Told me I had to own a hand truck. So I went and purchased one.
The guy who delivered it got it out and put it in my garage for me.
Don't sweat it.
 
With many safes a significant amount of mass is in the door. You can often remove the door and move the two pieces seperately. For my safe, the door is about 45% of the total mass.
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Yep.

Step 1: Take the door off.
 
YEP I just call the manuf of the safe and they said no problem taking the door off just dont touch the set screw on the hinge and it should go right back on with no problems.

J
 
Throw a wide strap around it, twist it tight. Place the strap over your shoulder, grunt loudly, lift and walk that puppy through the door down the hall and into position. Grunt again as you set it down gently, untwist the strap and faint.

Nothing to it.
 
I took delivery of a 750 pound safe about three weeks ago. I went with the "bribe the UPS guy" method to get it from the street, around the house and into my walkin basement. I gave him $40. When he protested that $40 was too much I told him no it wasn't and have a Merry Christmas.

I had called a local mover and they told me it would require 4 guys and 250 of my dollars.
 
Throw a wide strap around it, twist it tight. Place the strap over your shoulder, grunt loudly, lift and walk that puppy through the door down the hall and into position. Grunt again as you set it down gently, untwist the strap and faint.

Nothing to it.
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You forgot searching the route you took for where your nuts fell off before the dog eats them... besides that good plan!
 
I bought a 24 gun safe from Dick's and had to pick it up myself. Pushed it into the back of
a minivan drove it home. Backed it up to the garage, tied rope to the boxed safe and the other end to my bench vice and drove forward. Pulled the safe mostly out then I uprighted it
on rollers and rolled it to the basement steps. Here it got interesting. Tied a rope to the safe and layed it on it's back. Tied the other end to the van and pushed it down the stairs. Had just enough slack to start down. Then I had my wife back up the van slowly so it slid down the stairs.

She still thinks I'm nuts.
 
If you are going to use dowel rods to move over any distance, you can save the carpet by laying plywood down in the path of travel. A few small pieces, just like the dowels, as you roll off of one piece, movet it to the front.

When I moved my 950lb safe recently, I used a furniture dolly (layed the safe on it), dowels, plywood and 1 other person.

It went a lot easier than I thought it would.

bob
 
I've done it with friends and professionals in five different states over a period of 20 years. IMHO, find the money and hire professionals
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Humbug. If a man won't suffer a hernia or two for ya, he ain't a real friend. ;)
 
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