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Posted: 8/22/2013 9:27:51 AM EDT
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We are two weeks away from our new house being finished. I designed in a recessed spot in out Master Bedroom walk-in closet for my Liberty Safe. The current issue I have is getting the safe into the closet. I made sure during the design process that all the doors on the way to the room are 36" so we are gtg there. I have to cross the entry (tile), the hallway (hardwood), bedroom (carpet) bathroom (tile) and then it is in the closet.
The safe weighs 800lbs empty. I have already moved it from the garage at my old house to the garage at the house we are staying in. When we moved it last time I borrowed a pallet jack from work and loaded it on a pallet onto the trailer and off we went. However the pallet is not going to work this time. I have a heavy duty appliance dolly, I'm not sure what it is rated for but it looks just like the 1200lb rated ones that you can rent. Should I try this with a couple buddies and 3/4" plywood down on the floor? I am not opposed to renting other equipment. They have Piano dollies that strap to both side of an object and allow it to be rolled and they also have hydraulic dollies similar to the Piano dollies. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks |
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If you have a pallet jack, use that. I moved my 3000 lb safe all alone with a pallet jack twice now. Went over tile floors, over thresholds, etc. I bought three 4x8 sheets of 3/4" plywood, cut them in half, then one of the 4x4 into half again. With the 4x4 pieces, you can basically lay a path over any area. A single 24x48 or 24x24 can be used to pass thru doorways. The large 4x4 areas allow enough space to turn and jockey into a good line for moving. The last panel is a 24 x 48 as you roll into position, then use blocks on either side to get the pallet jack out. After that, use the Johnson Bar (4-5 ft long steel bar with a flat blade at one end) to step it down side to side. Once you get the routine, it's actually pretty easy.
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Thanks, this is basically what I was planning to do. Aren't the pallets 4'x4' though? I guess I need to go measure one. Lose the pallet, get the safe on the pallet jack directly without a pallet. You will do better without that big pallet in the way. You can rock the safe and walk it right off the pallet onto the pallet jack, just take your time and think your moves carefully. |
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800 lbs is nothing for a good quality appliance dolly. Even the lighter appliance dollys are rated for 800lbs,some are 1k, and the really heavy duty ones are good for 1200lbs. I have moved my own safes (2 fort knox safes, each around 800 empty) a couple times using an appliance dolly from home depot. Its rated for 800lbs, but I think it is good for more than that. Make sure you have some one in front as well asthe person behind and manuvering the dolly. Use some plywood to protect the floors (I used 1/2" with both sides smooth with no knot holes, cheaper and easier to move around) and go slow, take your time and if you have to make turns, set it down on a piece of cardboard, you can spin it in circles with the cardboard between the safe and the plywood.
A professional rigger who moved my new safe (4,000lb graffunder) told me the secret to moving heavy objects is to plan your move a short distance at a time. Don't try and move it 10 feet in 1 minute, plan to move it 1 foot in 10 minutes. Moving too fast is how people get fingers and toes smashed and amputated. After being in the heavy rigging and safe delivery business for 35 years, he had all his fingers and toes and made moving my safe look easy. He was a stringy thin guy about 160lbs and two young guys each as small as he was, but none of them even broke a sweat. Every movement was done after a walk around the safe and walking the route to the next stopping point, look up and look down, then saying to the other guys exactly how far they were going. |
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Be sure to check for a post tension foundation before you drill & bolt or you could be in for a nasty $100K mistake Thanks, no post tension. It will be sitting on reinforced wood floor. I had them add extra support in the basement ceiling where the safve will be sitting. |
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I also recommend you get some carpet pieces the same size as you plywood. Place the carpet under the plywood when going over tile and wood floors. That way no scratched wood or broken tiles.
I helped move some very tall gunsafes. They were too tall to go through the doors inside the house tilted back on the appliance dolly. So we got some strong inch to inch and a half round pipe and tilted the safe back and placed the pipe under the safe. Then we rolled the safe foward replacing the pipe sections in front of the safe as they came out the back. My sister in law and I moved a 1200 and a1400lb safes no problem. As the poster wisely stated above, GO SLOW. |
| I'm not sure how your safe is built...but if the door is removable (external hinges) it will help you a lot. My Champion is around 700 lbs, the door comes off (probably close to 200 lbs) so moving the two pieces one at a time was much easier. My two boys and I did it with out too much trouble with a regular dolly. Like everybody said...take your time and plan plan plan. If you try to take the door off use a wood block and a 2x4 to gently lever it off the hinges with a couple of guys (at least) holding on to it...make sure nobody gets their fingers between the door and the safe body. (Taking off and putting back on) No matter how tempting it is to grab that side...very bad idea! |
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The Moving company that Moved me used one of these. My safe is 1400 Lbs. The leaned the safe and got the dollie under it the up righted the safe on it hten adjusted as needed.
Dollie MAHA |
| I moved a 700lb safe by myself using an appliance dolly (the one with the ratchet strap in the middle). Just lay plywood over any door sills to make for smooth rolling over the sills. Having a couple guys helping will make it a lot easier. Like mentioned, just go slow and plan out every motion and have your helpers spot you while rolling the safe around. I had to have my wife help me push the safe past the balance point on the appliance dolly so I could get the dolly to rest on the rear wheels that appliance dollies have. You don't have to worry about cracking tile unless you have a tile that has a big gap under it. I had a ton of people tell me I shouldn't place a 1,000lb safe on tile floor...whole house it tile and no problems...2,000lb safes aren't even a problem for tile floors since the weight is distributed over the surface area. Good luck. |
I used one of these for moving a safe that is a bit more than 800lbs all by myself. The extra back legs make pushing it around so much easier and safer. Having some extra hands is always good too. If you have any steps to go up, they do have ramps that you can rent.
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