Safe-moving advice, please.

[Doc Mark]

Morning, All,

I recently bought the Winchester/Granite Security safe, from Costco. Seemed like the best "bang for the buck", and the features and price fit my limited budget.

However, we have to move the safe up two flights of stairs, in order to get it to it's place of repose. It weighs, supposedly, 420 lbs. Do you think that four guys, using a rented strap dolly, could safely move this thing up the stairs, into the house, then up a second set of stairs, to the place I will be installing it?

I'm thinking this should work well, but if any of you have had experience with this particular safe, and moving it up stairs, I'd love to hear about how it turned out for you, and how you best went about it. Thanks, very much, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

[Dougdeb]

I've moved GSA Security safes during my time in the Army. They are similar in size and shape. First, check the weight load of the dolly. Not all of the ones that you can rent will handle the weight (it's funny to watch them collapse, but not if you have to pay for it. ). Make sure that all of you are very careful. I wouldn't recommend having anyone stand beneath the safe while you are moving it up the stairs.
Good luck.
Doug

 

[tomhenry]

That must be some wide stairs to allow four guys to all handle the same piece of furniture.

 

[canoeguy]

I bought a safe in 1992, 24 gun safe, about 500 pounds, had the shop I bought it from deliver and install it. Two guys, a big refrigerator dolly, and some PVC pipe rollers, and they had it in spot in minutes. They did have a truck with a lift gate. They never tried to lift it, and they only had to go up four or five stairs to get it into the house.

Sold the house in 2004, down sized my collection a bit, and sold the safe. Try selling a used gun safe when you know you have to be out of the house in 30 days! Finally sold it to a guy at work, and we agreed to split the cost of moving the safe. Cost $200 to move it out of my house, deliver it to my friends house 30 miles away, and install it in his home. These guys had an electric powered, tracked device with rubber treads, looked like a big refrigerator dolly with treads. Again, they never had to lift it, just strap it to the device, manuever it around the house and down the steps into a truck with a lift gate.

You could try and do it yourself with some strong friends, but I wouldn't try lifting it into the back of a truck. Rent a truck with a lift gate, and use the PVC pipe or large dowel roller trick to manuever it around the house. I have also heard sliding the safe around on a big piece of cardboard works...

 

[foolproofoak]

I am a delivery driver for lowe's, and i delivered a 445 lb safe similar to the one you got the other day. I basically did it by myself with a strap dolly.( I had help holding doors and such.) However, i only had to go up a couple of steps, and i have a lift gate on the truck. That being said, i would think that four guys could easily move it. I've moved front load washers up three flights of stairs into apartment complexes with two of us, and they weigh in the neighborhood of 300 lbs so i think you should be able to handle it. If it were me i would put two guys above the safe pulling and the two stoutest guys beneath it pushing. Just take it slow and rest plenty.

 

[Evil Dog]

Can you remove the door to move the safe? It would make it quite a bit lighter. That's what I did with mine. Door just lifted straight up off the hinge pins when the door was open.

 

[truckemup97]

First, check the weight load of the dolly.

+1!!!

With the proper equipment, one or two men can move almost anything you would find in your average home. Spend a couple of bucks and rent exactly what you need to make the job easy. Also, get a quote from a pro. In case you haven't noticed, things are a little slow right now. They will likely make you a great deal just to have something to keep their crew busy.

Oh, and like the bumper sticker says, "Yes, I have a truck. No, I won't help you move."

 

[cobra44]

I have the same safe.
When I picked it up they loaded it with a lift on to my truck. I had them lay it down on the back.
When I got home, I put pieces of PVC pipe under it to roll it out of the truck.
You can also use the PVC pipe to roll it around in the house if you have to.
I used a heavy dolly to get it up and down the steps. There were 3 of us, and it was easy to do.
If you are going up the steps, one person on top pulling and two on bottom pushing. Opposite for going down.
This safe is easy to move. Just watch your feet and fingers do not get crushed.

 

[Andy Griffith]

Morning, All,
It weighs, supposedly, 420 lbs. Do you think that four guys, using a rented strap dolly, could safely move this thing up the stairs, into the house, then up a second set of stairs, to the place I will be installing it?

That will be @ 800-1000 pounds with the guys, dolly and safe...will the stairs handle all the weight at once?

That was my only question.

 

[Doc Mark]

Hi, All,

Great comments, and suggestions. Many thanks for your thoughts on this. I especially appreciate the comments of the Lowe's driver, and the Gent that has the same safe as do I. I'm thinking that, with four strong men, and a good dolly, plus a bit of common sense, this should be do-able.

Back when I moved my old Cannon safe into it's place, I only had to go up about 6 stairs, and the only dolly I had was an old, solid-tired thing I had bought at a yard sale, many years ago. My younger Brother, and our two wonderful wives, moved that safe up those stairs and into place. The stairs were fairly thin, and they did "complain" quite a bit!! But, none of them broke, and after much huffing, puffing, pulling, and pushing, we finally did the deed.

The door on those Winchester/Granite safes, do lift off, but Granite does not recommend it, and in fact, doing so voids their lifetime warranty. They say the door is so heavy that most folks damage the finish on their safes, when trying to remove and replace it, and that the ball-bearings in between the two hinges, get lost, or are hard to replace, after they are removed. In any case, they told me not to remove the door, but that it was OK to remove the interior of the safe. Hummmmm.... I may remove the door, anyway, as I'm more concerned about safety, than a perfect finish on my safe!! Thanks, again, Guys, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

P.S. By the way, back when we bought our huge KitchenAid refridgerator, with side by side freezer, two guys moved it up one of those flights of stairs, without any problem, though I did help a bit. I am thinking that the KitchenAid may well well as much as does the safe, or darned close. The stairs up which the safe has to go are thick, and heavy. I think they can handle it. Good question, though!

 

[flagman1776]

I know a guy who buys heavy old safes... town halls, businesses & the like. He hires a comany of "riggers" used to moving machinery.
Russ

 

[Crazy K38]

If you go to any good home depot you can rent window suction devices, not the overs sized suction cups but ones with a vacuum pump if you put those on the sides of the safe it will give you a GREAT handle to help lift and support the load up the stairs I used them in construction for 500 lb windows and they were amazing

 

[BarbC]

Movers sometimes use dollies with stair crawlers. Maybe you can rent one from a local U-Haul.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31N8cgLbvHL._SL500_AA250_.jpg

 

[vero1]

I have the same safe as yours also. We moved it fro Fl to Tn also up two flights of stairs. If you take out the inside panels it makes things a lot lighter. All the padded sides, floor shelves, etc come out very easily. My wife and I actually took it out of the semi-trailer by ourselves. Brother and law and I took it upstairs. Just go slow and keep it balanced. One of the "fancy" handtrucks would have been great, we just used my Lowes cheapie!

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Find a place that rents the electic powered stair climber hand trucks. My buddy has a 48X72 fire safe that weighs 1100 pounds and it was delivered by one man who had to navigate a full flight of stairs and make a fairly tight turn and through two doorways. The hand truck did all the lifting and the delivery guy didn't even break a sweat. It's safer too...the operator goes up the stairs ahead of the safe and nobody has to be under it.

 

[Doc Mark]

Good Morning, All,

Thanks, very much, for the thoughtful and very helpful replies to my query about moving my new safe. Much appreciated! I will most certainly make some calls to see what it would cost me to have this done professionally. The one local company I called, wanted around the same price as it cost me to actually buy the safe. For that price, and for the lesser weight of this safe, I'd rather go it myself, with help from a few good friends. But, we'll see how it all turns out. Thanks, again, Merry Christmas, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

[n4zov]

Find a place that rents the electic powered stair climber hand trucks. My buddy has a 48X72 fire safe that weighs 1100 pounds and it was delivered by one man who had to navigate a full flight of stairs and make a fairly tight turn and through two doorways. The hand truck did all the lifting and the delivery guy didn't even break a sweat. It's safer too...the operator goes up the stairs ahead of the safe and nobody has to be under it.

I had never heard of electric powered hand trucks before, but take a look at these beauties!

Stair Climbing Solutions: Powermate® HandTrucks and Stairclimbers

I was afraid to check the price, but you can rent them, problem solved.

 

[Doc Mark]

Hi, n4zov,

WOW! Those stair climbing dollies do look like the cat's pajamas for tasks such as the one I have ahead of me! I'll be checking out a rental of one of the L-series Powermate stairclimbers! Thanks, very much, for that bit of great info, Sir! I'll let everyone know how it all turns out. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

[Kanewpadle]

I used to moved safes for the last company I worked for. Thankfully I no longer have to.

We quite frequently used an appliance dolly. Then we bought a Stairclimber.

You don't need to pay a professional. You can do this yourself.

However, have a plan and discuss it with your helpers.

These are things that should be discussed:

1. The route the safe will be moved.
2. It's final resting place.
3. What each persons role is.
4. Safety

You don't need four people. Three can do it but four is better. Two up top and two on the bottom. Obviously your lifting/pushing sequence should be coordinated. The two guys on the bottom should be the strongest as they need to handle the complete weight of the safe. The top two mainly need to guide the safe in the right direction and keep it stable.

Make sure the safe is strapped tight! I know it's common sense but I've seen a few safes tumble down the stairs.

Wear decent shoes. No slippers, flip flops, or just socks.

Be careful not to hit the dial on anything. It will bend. Also the handle is made to shear off so don't hit it either.

When you get it to it's resting place, please bolt it down. Too many people have come home to see thier gun safe gone. I have seen 1000 pounds safe's that have been stolen or damaged in the process. The last one I saw was pushed by two guys 20 feet across the carpet down the hall. Then they pushed it down the stairs and it went through the front door. They couldn't get it into the back of their truck so they wrapped a chain around it and drug it down the road. They were met by an off duty cop on his way home.

Good luck!

 

[Big Cholla]

Doc: Back when I was a gunsmith, I sold Liberty Gun Safes. One guy with the 'proper' hand dolly can move them 500lbs) in and out easily with a little help going up the stairs. Also, if you lay them on their back in a pickup truck on good grade cardboard (i.e. their shipping carton) they can be slid in and out by one guy. I highly recommend that you DO NOT remove the door. Go rent a "stair climbing handtruck". It will be worth its weight in gold when going up that long flight of steps.

Also, have you considered the total load the safe and its contents are going to be putting on that upstairs floor? If you don't know house construction get someone that does to look at your selected location before you sit the safe, load the safe and then get a sinking floor condition. .......... Big Cholla