Moving a Gun Safe

[montanaman]

Hi Dave,

I've rented a "Low Boy" trailer for moving a Bridgeport Mill. It has a mechanism that raises the axle and puts the trailers steel deck right on the ground for loading. The yard I rented from is in San Leandro CA.

Makes me think of another idea. There is a material yard near me that has a trailer that is like a backwards forklift. You can back it under a pallet and it uses a jack or something to raise up the forks. I assume it has some type of mechanical lock too.

I wonder if you could rent one of those??

I did the roller thing with my new safe but I used plastic pipe and the safe still had cardboard on it.

For the price of a good safe and as fancy as the paint is, you hate to mess it up moving it!

Forgot to mention that the truck I had at the time made it even more fun because it has 35" tires and 6" of lift. Floor of the bed was about chest high!

Ken

 

[RHughes]

My safe is listed at 1250 lbs. empty. When I picked it up, I too used a rental truck with a lift gate. I found the trick to keeping the "tippiness" to a minimum when raising and lowering the lift was to strap the safe down to it. I used a thick ratchet strap to go up and over the safe and just hung the hooks on whatever was handy on the sides of the lift. It worked like champ. The gate still jerked when starting and stopping, but the motion of the safe was limited by the strap so, no tipping
I'd to the same think if I were to hoist the thing up with a forks on a FEL or a forklift. The extra minute or two it takes to tie it down can save a lot of grief.

 

[archerynut]

Just had my 1500# gun safe moved a couple of months ago and it was not really a job that anyone would tackle alone. Too many factors that could get you really hurt, really fast, really bad. Mine was an easy move, from one ground level basement to another ground level basement with concrete floors. Started with powered industrial dolly then to pallet jack. Then into heavy duty enclosed trailer with ramp that pallet jack rolled up.. Reverse for delivery. 3 guys, 1.5 hrs (only went 4 miles). Still would never think about doing it alone. Do you know approx how much your safe weighs?

 

[schmism]

Id go piano dolly. and heavy duity lift gate truck.

or a small utility trailer, mine sits only about 18" off the ground, an easy push up a long-ish ramp.

 

[CurlyDave]

I found the trick to keeping the "tippiness" to a minimum when raising and lowering the lift was to strap the safe down to it.

That is a very good idea. If I have to use a lift gate, I will do it that way.

I was just in the local Harbor Freight, and it looks to me like I could get a shop crane which would have enough lift to get it up so I could take the tailgate off & back the pickup truck under it. This has a lot of appeal, since I only need to put a hook in the existing hole in the top. Holding it from the top prevents tipovers.

I would probably rent a shop crane. Can't be more than $30 to $50 per day, and I only need one day.

Once I get it into the pickup I can strap it to the lumber rack to prevent a tipover, and then use the same hook to get it out with a chain from my FEL hook at the other end. Put it down on the pallet jack and roll it where I want it.

 

[VA_Joe]

Hate to say this --- but --- if you are not going that far the best solution would be to get a piano mover to do it. The guys that do that work are gorillas. Much easier (and probably cheaper - if you are renting equipment) than trying to move it yourself. Plus they solve the problem of getting in/out of the house. A short trip (within town) should cost about $200 (longer trips get expensive quickly). Although it may not be as much fun - it is certainly a whole lot easier on the back.

Joe

 

[tommu56]

Dave
My old Servel weighs almost as much as your safe and I used a good refrigerator dollies.

The guys that service our halon system were I use to work have one that is battery powered and it lowers bottles off the back of their pickup truck to the ground.

maybe you could rent one of these
Escalera Stair Climbing Handtrucks - MODELS PAGE




or these as some one else sugestedAir Casters, Air Bearings, Pallets, Lifts, Glides, Dollies, Pads, Cushions & Air Sleds

tommu56

 

[CurlyDave]

...if you are not going that far the best solution would be to get a piano mover to do it

The problem is that I am going ~500 miles.

I already own a pallet jack, and I have a tractor at the end of the trip. Getting it out of a pickup is no problem at all. The only issue is getting it in to start off.

If I can't it it with a shop crane, I can always rent the lift gate truck for a few hours, get it in there on the pallet jack and then back my pickup up to the lift gate and just roll it into the truck.

The spot where it is going at the end of the trip is very easy to get into, and I will bolt it to a concrete floor so it is hard to get out.

 

[goodoleboy]

Hmmm. You could get an ATV ramps rated for the job with the safe strapped to a Dolly. Then use a come-along or similar and Winch up the dolly into the bed. The Problem is finding a Mounting point in the bed of the truck for the comealong winch..

Plus when you get to your location you can unload the safe in the truck with the ramps by letting it roll out onto the ramps.

 

[4sarge]

My safe delivered (empty) weighed in at 1325 lbs. Delivered by the dealer (one person) on a moving type low floor truck (van). Wheeled it in on the pallet jack, placed it where I wanted it, unhooked and voila, instant gun safe. I too will need to move mine but only about 100 miles from where it is now located. No steps or stairs, he made it look easy He did tell me that the doors are removable but (by him) to lighten the load but he didn't need to do that.

Good Luck