My wife rules!!!  She's getting me the Winchester gun safe from Sam's Wholesale Club for my 30th birthday!  It's the Emerald green one with gold trim - I believe it's called the "Traditions" model.

Anyway, Sam's Club loads it with a fork lift while it's still bolted to the pallet.  How the heck do you get it down out of the truck when you get it home?  Then, how do you snake it through doorways and other bends in the house to finally get it into the back of the closet?

All help and experiences appreciated and needed!

BBURN

Last time I moved a gun safe was with about 6 strong men, be sure to follow proper lifting techiniques so you don't have any hurt backs.

Go to the local gym and get about 4 body builders.

I paid a guy $150 to pick up, deliver, unload, move up a couple stairs, and place a safe where I wanted it. He had this cool motorized electric hand truck thing to climb stairs. I guess he makes a living moving safes and vending machines. Check the yellow pages, you can probably find a similar guy in your area.

It may actually cheaper than buying pizza and beer for all your buddies who help you, and less potential to damage your safe, house, truck, etc.

Yeah I figured it would take a few strong backs.

Has anyone figured out any neat tricks such as a heavy duty dolly for appliances or furniture?  In the past I have moved heavy objects by rolling them on sections of metal pipe or wooden dowels.  I can probably do that again.

The big problem is how the heck do I get it from the truck bed down to the driveway without dropping it and/or killing some of my buddies?

Please, help!

BBURN

BBURN

I am looking into getting a gunsafe.
What are the specs of your safe.

Thanks

LotBoy

I also vote for the professional mover. He'll be bonded and insured and will know the tricks of the trade. Some things are just worth paying for. That said, a cherry picker (commonly used for automotive engine swaps) would get it out of the truck easy enough.

rent an "Air Jack" that will move through your hallways easy. But it will not work for stairs. Or hire a proffesional

You may contact a local moving company.  I know a few people who did it and paid $100-$150 to have it moved from their vehicle into the basement.  Most moving companies will not insure your property when moving one so move your stuff out of the way.

We got mine in the brute strength method with a dolly.  It went good but getting it up/down stairs can be pretty sketchy.  BE CAREFUL!!!

I also have a friend who slid it down his basement stairs by himself with a come-along attatched to a few 2x6s.  He layed plywood down the tips of the steps and screwed them into the wood steps.  With the come along attatched he just slowly let the safe slide down the steps.

Whatever you do, be careful.  A safe will kill/mame you quick.  

Some models allow you to remove the door, that will lighten it up a bit.  many moons ago, my father bought a Liberty. It weighs over 1200lbs, IIRC.  Luckily, it appears safes are getting lighter.

LotBoy,

I believe it's like the one here...
[url]http://www.ptbo.igs.net/~officequipment/tradition.htm[/url]

It's 985 lbs, 60"x30"x24", 3/16" steel plate, emerald green with gold trim.

Sam's has it for $900 which is hard to beat.

BBURN

Is it already loaded on your truck? My father-in-law bought one of the Sam's Club $900 safes and they delivered it, removed it from the pallet and moved it into a downstairs room for a fairly small fee, I think it was $25. I do not know if that is just a local store policy or if they all do it. You might want to ask.

any idea who manufactured it?

it looks to me like one of amsec's creations.

many moons ago my father bought a fort knox from a rep at a local gun show. I think was abound that weight it sure felt like it anyway.
We hauled it home in a trailer.

I would highly suggest hauling the thing in a trailer behind your truck as opposed to the  ploping it in back of you pickup

all you need is about 4 or 5 guys, a dolly, some tension straps,a bunch of moving bankets, two pizza's and a little patience.
The rest Comes naturaly.

I moved a Liberty safe that weighed about the same as yours.  I rented a piano dolly, which is basically a dolly that comes in two pieces with a set of straps.  You can get one at a Rent-all type place that rents other tools, etc.  With the dolly, you tip up one side of the safe and slip half the dolly under it, then the other.  Wrap the straps around the safe (I padded everything with old towels.)  The way the dolly is designed, you then step on a lever on each side and the dolly lifts up a couple inches, rotating the wheels under the safe.  You can then roll the safe around.  I did this job with one other guy helping me.  We were all on one floor though, and did not have to negotiate any stairs.  Going over the doorplates and all, we used plywood to distribute the load.  The guy I sold the safe to, rented either a U-Haul or Ryder truck with a hydraulic lift.  Once the safe was outside, we rolled it onto the hydraulic lift and up it went.  He then drove VERY slowly across town to where he lived, and unloaded it.  After I sold that safe, and moved, I did buy a 1200 lb safe and hired a couple guys to deliver it and place it in the house.  They came recommended by the dealer who sold me the safe.  I figured 1000 lb was my limit for doing the job myself.  I did save money moving the first one myself, but paying the two big guys that moved the second one cost me about $250.

Awesome info, thanks guys!!!

Slufstuff, you have mail!

If Sam's won't move it for me, then I will go with kolken's idea and find a piano dolly to rent.

As always, this site is a great wealth of info and I appreciate those who operate it as well as all the members who so readily share their knowledge and experience.

BBURN

Its alot easier than you think. Last weekend I moved a 935lb safe (the biggest one they had) with only two friends. I simply cut a broom handle into three equal sections and rolled it into place "Egyptian pyramid" style. The hardest part was getting it through the doorways. We had to remove the doors from their hinges and take off the safe's door handle. You can also use golf balls to turn sharp corners. To get it out of the truck we simply slid it a little at a time until the balance barely tilted to allow the safe to tilt to the ground. Two of us stood it up from there.

Thanks greentimber!

BBURN

BBURN:

  I occasionally help out at a local gun store that sells a lot of safes.

  They normally get $100 to $150 to deliver, depending on the distance and difficulty.

  A friend recently got a Liberty Washington 40.  Big mutha, about 1200 lbs.

  He asked me to help move it.  Easy, since he was going to put it in his garage and leave it on the pallet, for now.  The store had a forklift, pallet jack, and climbing dolly they use.  

  They told me to take the tailgate off the truck, to prevent damage.  The dealer put the safe in my truck on its back, still in the cardboard, with the pallet hanging off the back.  I put the pallet jack in to help, though the guys said I could get by with 3 or 4 3' lengths of 3" PVC pipe to roll it across the floor.

  Got to the house, pushed the safe toward the rear of the truck till it hit the balance point, and then he and I lowered it carefully to the ground before tipping it upright on the pallet.

  Put the pallet jack under it and rolled it into place easy as pie, before taking the jack back to the store.  Put the tailgate back on.

  Lessons learned:

  The safe can be easily moved by two people, assuming you either have the right (expensive) equipment, and do not need to take it up stairs. Without the equipment (using PVC pipe), it would have probably have taken at least four people to get it into the garage. Without a serious heavy dolly, preferably a climber, I believe that it would be difficult, if not impossible to get it in the house and up stairs given any number of people without damage to the movers, house, or safe.

  Bottom line:  If you do not have access to the equipment, I would hire a pro.  $100 is probably less than rental of the equipment, beer and food for your friends, and repairs of damages to property.



 

Moving a safe over smooth, level ground isn't hard.  Going up and down stairs, especially when there isn't much space at the top and/or bottom, is much, much harder.  

If you want to hire professionals for a difficult job, look up "Riggers" in your local yellow pages.  They're the guys who specialize in moving big, heavy stuff under difficult circumstances.  

I had the company that sold me the Liberty safe install it.

Several years ago I watched about four dudes load a 'small' safe on a P/U.  It wasn't a gun safe...just about a 3x3 safe...but real heavy.  They destroyed that guy's truck!  They bent the hell out of the tailgate and the bed.  I think he most likely broke some suspension parts too...and the ass end was dragging the ground as he drove off.  Steering was awful too.

Soooo...when it came time to put my safe in...I paid to have it delivered and set up.  Not sure as to the amount...I just tacked it onto the overall cost of the safe.

The crew brought it in, disposed of the pallet and set the safe right where I wanted it in my basement.  I don't think someone without those types of skills and equipment will ever get that damn thing out.

Don't get hurt.  Go with the pros.

Good luck!

[soapbox]

I have helped a friend of mine move a Liberty Lincoln 25 (750Lbs) a couple of times.  Darn fool moves like some people buy cars.

Anyways, we strap the safe to a refrigerator dolly and 3 of us can load it into the back of the truck(slightly lifted 2WD F150).  One person in the bed pulling up and back, with 2 below lifting.  pivot the safe on the tailgate as it goes up so that it is laying down in the bed.  Strap it securely.

Removal is in reverse.  pull safe out so that about half the safe is overhanging the tailgate balanced.  the 2 below start to lower the bottom of the safe while pivoting on the tailgate with the refrigerator dolly.  The man in the bed controls the rotation of the safe by pulling back and down on the dolly.  As the safes approaches vertical, pull up on the dolly to help with the weight.

Simple, huh?  It helps to back the truck into the driveway so that the back wheels are in the gutter and the tailgate is over the driveway so that the tailgate is closer to the ground.

buy a engine crane
(http://www.mytoolstore.com/astro/tac40.jpg what they look like) should be able to get a used one for 100 bucks or rent one or buy new for 175-300. then rent a ballet jack. should be able to rent (call any fork-left cherry pickers ect. rent place they will have one)for 25 bucks what it cost me last time. and then pull it into you your house. use 2by12's if you need to go up stairs.

if you dont want to deal with the engine crane you can rent a fork left for a day for 200 bucks. i would use the engine crane so you have somthing to keep after yout done :P

if you have some heavy steal or some blocks& 2/12's you could use the ballet jack to get it off your truck make sure you do it slow and make sure the 2/12's are long!and use alot of blocks.

Let a professional bonded company move the safe.
I don't want anyone to know I have a safe in my house and neither should you!
The less people that know, all the better.
It would be best to have the manufacturer install it.
Put it in the garage. So if anyone gets any strange ideas, you will be safer with them outside of your living quarters.
I keep enough weapons at hand, so that I'll have no problem getting to the safe regardless of the scenario.