I have to move a large gun safe from my garage to the bedroom with only 1 step to go up. Any suggestions before I start? I rented a dolly from u-haul but I don't think it is going to work because the safe weighs 800#'s.

My mom and I moved my dad's old Browning safe full of jewelry, silverware and about 25 firearms by ourselves just using those plastic slider disks on the carpet. I don't know how much it weighed but it wasn't very difficult and didn't hurt the carpet. We were going to empty it but found we didn't need to.

might remove the door 1st


couple guys should be able to tip it up, get the front edge on the higher level, then tip it up and slide it onto the higher floor


the trick is keeping the weight supported by the floor

I can *easily* move 500 lb 55 gallon water barrels by myself just using creative moving techniques

I moved my 450 pound safe several times by myself.  Just keep it upright and flat on the bottom and "walk" it a little at a time.  Piece of cake.

cut 6-12 sections of heavy duty PVC pipe about the same width of the safe. lay them side by side and roll the safe across the top of them. With the weight spread out, they won't crush. Just keep moving them into the safe's path. As for the step... manpower

Quoted: cut 6-12 sections of heavy duty PVC pipe about the same width of the safe. lay them side by side and roll the safe across the top of them. With the weight spread out, they won't crush. Just keep moving them into the safe's path. As for the step... manpower

Try golf balls instead..

All good ideas but I'm worried about the step and getting around the corners to get it into the bedroom!!

Quoted: Quoted: cut 6-12 sections of heavy duty PVC pipe about the same width of the safe. lay them side by side and roll the safe across the top of them. With the weight spread out, they won't crush. Just keep moving them into the safe's path. As for the step... manpower Try golf balls instead..

If you can get them to roll. Depends on if you have carpet - and which kind - or hard floors. Wonder how they'd do on the driving range afterwards?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: cut 6-12 sections of heavy duty PVC pipe about the same width of the safe. lay them side by side and roll the safe across the top of them. With the weight spread out, they won't crush. Just keep moving them into the safe's path. As for the step... manpower Try golf balls instead.. If you can get them to roll. Depends on if you have carpet - and which kind - or hard floors. Wonder how they'd do on the driving range afterwards?

I'm going to have to go from concrete floors to hardwood floors to carpet but it's not real thick.

Don't do it alone. If you get trapped by the safe and no one knows. You are screwed

Moving a large gun safe

sucks.

Quoted: Moving a large gun safe sucks.

Quoted: Don't do it alone. If you get trapped by the safe and no one knows. You are screwed

Ha ha  thanks for the support......keep me in your thoughts this X-Mas!!!    

good info

I was hoping to get one today, didnt get it, like usualy.

One day I'll get motivated and figure how to move it in the car.

Got Tannerite?

A pallet jack is what you need.  There are two different widths, so get one that fits your doors.  Have various length 2x4s to shim/build/increase height, etc.  Also rent a Johnson bar, which is a huge prybar with two wheels on it.  With these tools you can move a 3000lb safe, I've seen me do it.  

Quoted: A pallet jack is what you need.  There are two different widths, so get one that fits your doors.  Have various length 2x4s to shim/build/increase height, etc.  Also rent a Johnson bar, which is a huge prybar with two wheels on it.  With these tools you can move a 3000lb safe, I've seen me do it.

I found a palletjack it needs a rebuild though, someone was throwing it out

Quoted: Quoted: cut 6-12 sections of heavy duty PVC pipe about the same width of the safe. lay them side by side and roll the safe across the top of them. With the weight spread out, they won't crush. Just keep moving them into the safe's path. As for the step... manpower Try golf balls instead..

s'truth, they work well

I'm going to have to go from concrete floors to hardwood floors to carpet but it's not real thick.

I advise putting plywood or something over the hardwood if you are using a dolly. Had a friend who moved and now has two indentations in his hardwood floors following the path the movers took with the safe. He did have one of the largest Ft. Knox models though.

Always use simple thinking.

A step with some 2x12s becomes a gradual ramp you can roll the dolley on.

For the dolley you want the heavy duty type that has the little wheels that hold the safe up when you tilt the dolley back.  Basically the dolley supports all the weight and you just push and manuever.

Plywood and other wood is your friend.  It is easy to mess up all types of flooring with a safe or a dolley and what not.

If you decide you can't do it call the pro movers in the phone book and find some who have done safes before.  The nice thing is these guys should be insured for any damage they do to the flooring or walls.

I tend to avoid getting a bunch of friends to move my big stuff around because I don't want to deal with someone accidently getting hurt trying to help me move stuff.

With a super dolley and some stout wood I have moved all sorts of stuff myself.

One thing to consider on a step if you can't do a ramp is you just need to get the safe to that height.  If you rock the safe back you can put a block of wood under the end that is in the air.  Then you rock it onto that shim and get something under the other side.  I recently loaded a huge stump onto a trailer doing this method with some concrete bricks.  2 or 3 guys may have been able to lift this thing, but a prybar and some blocks let me get the stump in the air to where I just made a 2x12 ramp and loaded it onto the trailer.

If you are forcing something you are working too hard and could hurt yourself or the safe or the house.

Think ramps, wheels, rolling pipe, pry bars, and similar things for being able to move stuff you should most likely not move yourself.

I generally do have someone around to watch the corners of walls and hall ways and to basically just spot me.  They really help with placing the shims and stuff but they are not in much danger of getting hurt.

I am thinking about buying a huge safe and I will pay to get it moved.  For safes like what sam's club sells I can do it but I have to think about it a while.

If you have any friends in the moving business, see if they can loan you any of their gear besides a dolly. My dad moves pianos, and you wouldn't believe the gizmos they have to make moving a Steinway grand that much easier for one guy............