Safe moving

[jscheck]

Anybody moved their own? We're going to be moving across state around April and I've got a Liberty Fatboy Jr. safe I don't want to leave or attempt to sell. Anybody attempted to move their own? I tried to contact a couple of companies to get an estimate and no response without an address (can't just tell me how much per mile). Very frustrating! I thought maybe a heavy duty hand truck and my son and grandson's help along with a rented liftgate, but what are your experiences?

*On the way to work so please forgive me if I don't reply right away to suggestions. Any help appreciated.

 

[Nomadmax]

Call four friends you never want to hear from again. Same goes for treadmills and pianos.

 

[Farmer17]

Safes under 350lbs(my safes) are fairly easy to move with a good two wheel dolly and a couple of stout guys. When they get a lot heavier than that it can get really difficult and a bit dangerous along with possibly tearing up door frames and thresholds. How much does the OPs safe weigh?

 

[Protocall_Design]

Also, going up or down stairs or just level surface? It can be a dangerous operation without the right knowledge and equipment. You might check with a machinery moving company. A safe would be the lightest thing they ever moved.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

A while back now, a Blackpowder Buddy was moving.
He had a big heavy Safe that he needed to load onto a trailer.
I let him moan and groan for a while, when I couldn’t stand anymore I called a Buddy who had a wrecker.
Once properly strapped up, the wrecker lifted, the trailer backed under, problem solved.
And I specialize in heavy lifting!
What did that Dude say?
‘A man’s got to know his limitations.’

 

[AJ]

A friend has moved several times in the last year (long story as to why). He calls the folks he bought the safes from (he has two of the biggest safes that they sell). They move them for him at a minimal cost. Try the folks you bought it from.

 

[rockquarry]

I'd only consider a professional to move a heavy gun safe. They have the equipment to do it properly and do it safely. Otherwise, there is too much potential for injury to yourself and others not to mention damage to floors, etc. Whatever you spend to have the job done right is worth it.

 

[Narragansett]

I gave a Browning Silver safe to my son 10 months ago. 450 lbs. 3 of us with an appliance hand truck moved it with ease. When he got it home, 2 people put it in the cellar.

I replaced it with a Zanotti 6 piece modular unit. 650 lbs.

A mover will want to know the number of stairs and distance from the truck along with size and weight. I had a company tell me 950 for a 600 pound safe with 3 stairs and they could get right up to the garage. That was to deliver a new one from 125 miles away

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My early 80's 30-gun Browning weighs 700-800 pounds. 60"Tx 36"Dx30"W. The door comes off (open 90 degrees and lift straight up) which is 35 to 40% of the weight. A good appliance dolly and two good men can easily get it up stairs in 2 trips. Most tool rental places have these.

When I moved the household, the regular moving company was $5.75 a mile 12 years ago! Safe movers will probably be more. Plus, so much an hour per man or per crew. (maybe both ways) To load, drive 6 miles, and set everything in place was almost $1500 (packing done by us) and took about 3.5 hours. (They had an unwritten rule about a 700-pound limit. But with the door off the safe, it was pretty easy! Watch out for "RULES" that materialize out of thin air! They would not touch my guns, ammo, and reloading supplies and equipment.)

If everything is street, drive and good sidewalk, (and LEVEL) you should have no issues at all doing it yourself.

When dad had the largest Fort Knox made (1400+ pounds) moved, nothing was level. The safe moving company, kept it tied off at all times with a minimum of 2 (and as many as 4) ropes. If you think it is hard to move with good conditions, wait until one gets away from you!

Ivan

 

[Kinman]

Piano movers will move safes, they have electric dollies that walk the thing up the stairs from the basement, worth a check.
Since you are only moving across state you probably will not be parking unattended. I learned a valuable lesson from a friend that moved everything he owned which included a Bobcat with accessories and all of his lifetime accumulation of mechanical tools, all in an enclosed trailer towed behind his late model 1 ton Chevy truck. He arrived in California but needed to rent a motel unit for at least one night, he brought his suitcase into the motel, showered, slept the night. When he awoke the next morning he looked out the window and everything was gone, truck and trailer. He called the police, filed the report and shortly they found his truck and trailer, stripped. I would suspect an inside type job but according to the law in California, this sort of thing happens all the time. Out of state plates on the truck assumes you are moving lock stock and barrel, or at least thats what the coppers had to say. The guy was a dick but noone deserves that kind of loss.

 

[jscheck]

Thank you for the response. In reply to the suggestion I use the company I bought it from I tried them first- they were the ones who initially refused without a from and to address. At the moment I don’t have an address I’m moving to (got to sell the house we’re in first). They made it seem like there was a waiting list for safe moves which didn’t inspire confidence I’d be able to get mine moved when I needed to. All I was trying to do was figure out how much they were going to charge me.

 

[Rodan]

In 2023 I moved two safes about 300 miles. One I already owned, one I purchased specifically for the new house, but because of availability, the new one had to be picked up in our old location. The old safe is 1000lbs and the new one 600lbs.

I got a couple of sky high quotes from a couple of different outfits just to load (or unload) the safe in my trailer, and just decided to move it myself. I bought a set of hydraulic moving dollies for considerably less than the loading quote (at one end!), and built a heavy duty dolly and tie-down 'hat' for the safes to use in my trailer. No stairs were involved, but there was a 6" step out of the old house, and a 6" step into the new house.

I won't say it was 'easy', but I was able to move them with just myself and my wife, and it wasn't terrible.

HD Dolly (1" square steel frame w/ 3/4" Ply & 500lb casters)

Safe tied down in trailer (on hydraulic lift movers)

This video is where I stole most of my ideas... it shows how to use the dolly & the lift movers to get the safe over a short step.

https://youtu.be/5mkPtqh799E?si=8baXc6DX1XEcUqKX

 

[Golddollar]

I had a pair of 900 pound safes that a regular moving company was able to bring up from Maryland to my present house in PA. They had a device that resembled a wide tank track that they could put over the cast concrete steps going down into the basement. To them it seemed like just another job. Now when I had the 1100 pound safe moved it was by a recommended specialty mover and that cost me a fortune. How big are your safes and where are they going in the house? Those might be critical questions.

 

[mike4sigs]

Rodans set up looks like it would work and othiers have some good ideas.
but i dropped my Cannon safe on the way down a rental truck ramp using a refrigerator cart. I broke the cart ended up have to pay the rental company for the cart. i did get the safe where i wanted it but i have always said i would hire it done next time and i still believe i would.
if i was to ask my that is setting next to me she would demand i hire it done and she is easy gone and usually does not demand me to do anything.

 

[llowry61]

I had a Pendleton Knight safe moved into my basement. The safe mover was recommended by Pendleton.

We had it shipped directly to the safe mover, they stored it then delivered it to my residence on an agreed upon date.

It weighs 1200lbs and I had it put in my walkout basement.

I paid $600.00 for the service.

They had a slick battery powered machine that laid it back then they took it through the yard. They put down plywood to ensure a level surface, but it was a pretty steep incline. It was worth every dime considering the cost of the safe and the high gloss show quality automotive finish they protected.

The hardest part was getting it through the door. I thought I could remove both sliding doors but only one was removable! We had 1/2" on each side but got it in there.

I think the price was a little better since this same company moved 90% of Pendleton safes sold in Ohio and he was able to store it and coordinate multiple deliveries in my area on the date he requested.

Find a reputable, qualified safe mover and pay what it costs. If it were me I would budget 1k FWIW. I can tell you that coordinating the date and time to move it with a home sale may be a challenge. Might move it to a storage facility then to the new home. Just a thought.

Good luck to you.

 

[Onomea]

I, too, vote for hiring a pro. No way I would try to do that on my own. Not only the aggravation and difficulty, but the physical danger to those involved puts me off.

 

[Rudi]

Much easier with a pro.

 

[Kenna]

Sell it with the house and buy a new one once you have picked out new home. Thats my plan.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

One in the house..........4 ea 2 ft 1 1/2 " dia PVC rollers(cut from PVC pipe) will allow anyone to move a safe from room to room easily

 

[SteveJewels]

There are no small mistakes when moving a 1,000+ lb safe. That is enough weight to crush a hand, a foot, an arm, a leg, a head, a person.

I bought a safe from about 300 miles away. I arranged for the Liberty safe dealers on both ends to bring the safe out of the sellers house and load it on the trailer. It almost got away from him as he was moving it. If it had gone a few more inches I would not have been able to stop it from going over.

I dragged it home and the dealer on this end unloaded it from the trailer and moved it into my house.