Looks like I'm buying a new townhouse...

While I have absolutely no shame in putting my gunsafe in the living room (great conversation piece!), since this room will be a tad crowded I'd rather put it in one of the upstairs bedrooms (i.e, my office/work/hobby room -'puters, ham radio gear, test equipment, etc.).

Is this grossly difficult for a safe moving co?
Has anyone had this done? Has anyone done this themselves?

For the record, this is a Liberty "Colonial 23" safe, 60x30x22, abt 600lbs. There is a chance I may "trade up" during the move to a bigger one (i.e., Lincoln/Franklin, a tad  wider/ taller/deeper, maybe 750-850lbs). There are all sorts of disqualifiers on the safe co's sales page regarding movers - about # of steps, etc. and refusal to do this & that...

Also, the stairwell is wide enough; it has 2 direction changes (2 mid-run little landings).

Don't really care to have it in garage either, though I might stow it there initially.


-Bill Wiese
-San Mateo, CA

If you rent the right kind of dolly for moving it, you and one reasonbly fit friend should be able to do it fairly easily. The trick is in acquiring the right kind of dolly, or hand truck, I'm not sure which would be the correct term.
The guy that deliverd my newest 800 pound safe did it all by himself quite easily with a motorized dolly/hand truck whatever it's called.

There is an electric dolly that has three rotating wheels on each side that will climb stairs.
I do believe that they are available in a solid wheel configuration that would handle the weight the load.
Try calling some of the better rental yards that service the construction/industrial industry.
Good luck.
Andy

Is there any issue regarding breaking a step with the pounds per square inch the safe puts on the stairs?  Another question is does anybody know about any structural difficulties with putting a 600-800lb (or more) on the 2nd floor of a standard home?

I'm guessing it's OK, but the Mrs. doesn't want to guess on a safe crashing down through...hehe

I'm sorta interesting in this topic as well...  I going to be buying a safe soon, and am going to try to move it myself so I can spend the extra $$$ on a better model.  I don't think we'll have much of a problem getting it around the house on a dolly and up the stairs (I don't trust all the weight on one start at a time, so will prolly try to lay it on it's side and slide it up, therefore distributing the weight), but unfortunately I no longer have access to a truck with a lift gate.  I presume the place I purchase it will have a forklift or something to help me load it into the pickup, but I'm not sure what the best way to get it out would be.  I'm somewhat concerned about trying to slide it out of the bed slowly, and someone losing grip and have 600lbs of safe falling 3 feet...  Any suggestions, or is that about the only way to do it?  I suppose I could make some sort of ramp, but that seems to be going a bit overboard.

Rocko

Perhaps this is a stupid idea, but have you considered a lighter safe (300-400 lbs) behind a steel door upstairs? They make steel doors that look like plain old interior doors (with a steel frame). Given the time, I think no safe is 100% secure, so all you're trying to do is buy time.

Plus in a townhouse, I think your neighbors would call the cops long before they got anything open. 5-10 minutes of someone pounding the safe with a sledge is bound to raise suspicion on the part of your neighbors.

Anyway, perhaps a tiered security system is a better bet? Alarm, steel door, and finally, a mid-weight safe. Just a thought.

A friend bought a Liberty Safe last year (I'm not sure of the model). He paid an extra 200.00 to have it delivered from the the store where he bought it. I wasn't there for the delivery but the way he described it two guys showed up with an electric dolly. The safe was strapped on to it and it took them about 10 minutes to get it in the house and upstairs. There was no way a bunch of strong backs could do it faster. These guys never even scratched the wall. I suggest you contact a safe company to move the safe for you.
Note: Being a cheap bastard myself, I opted for the pickup the safe at the store option. They did load it into the truck for me but I could have used at least another guy at the house as we struggled to get it in.

Quoted: Is there any issue regarding breaking a step with the pounds per square inch the safe puts on the stairs?  Another question is does anybody know about any structural difficulties with putting a 600-800lb (or more) on the 2nd floor of a standard home? I'm guessing it's OK, but the Mrs. doesn't want to guess on a safe crashing down through...hehe

You might use sheets of plywood or long 2x6's as a ramp in conjunction with the hand truck.

Review your stair construction.  Use a dolly.  Try not to stop in the middle (between upstairs and downstairs).  As far as locating your safe on a supportted floor, do not put it in mid-span of your floor joists.  Locate it partially over a beam if possible or near the bearing end of the floor joists.  Verify that your floor joists are blocked at the location of your joist.  Consult a professional engineer if you have questions.  These types of questions are fielded all the time over the phone.

Look into a Zinoti take down safe.  Very solid, and you can move it almost anywhere and set it up.  It's not fire proof but the mobility is worth it.  Then when you move again, take it apart.  

Safes with EXTERNAL hinges are better in at least three ways:

1.  Complete interior can be fire proofed, no gaps at the hinge points.

2.  Weight can be cut in half for moving by simply lifting the door off when it's open.  Simply being a relative term .

3.  Door opens past 90° allowing better access.

-- Chuck

I too like the idea of multiple lighter safes, 300-400lb range.  Pick a well designed safe, and just bolt them to the floor.  You can move a 300lb yourself, or I could.

Don't forget what goes up must come down, someday.  God help you if you decide to move one day and have to have it hauled down...