Lift a gun safe?

devildog1 · Jan 2, 2009

Meddac,
I put a 28 gun safe in my house that was fireproof and water proof, It weighed #980. I used 1,200 lb. dolly, I removed the door which was about half the weight, lifted the safe part on dolly with my backhoe. Then put down plywood and rolled it in place. Next came the door which could not be handled with a #350 lb. moving cart. I picked it up with the FEL and set it on dolly with a frame I built with 2X4's and teaks. You'll have to messure the height on hinges on safe and allow about 1/16 to 1/8" higher, to drop door on hinge. If you plan it you can do it, Oh by the way I have a BX23TBL.
Devildog

AMR · Jan 2, 2009

I moved about the same safe with my B3030 from my garage into my basement, I got the safe in the bucket and strapped it no problem, drove it around like nothing. My BH75 was a different story, it wouldn't touch it, when I got the lift chart for the BH75 it became clear that it wouldn't handle it. I ended up using the BH to take the load while I man-handled it, it worked, but I wouldn't do it for a living. I didn't have a hole in the top to thread a bolt so I had to choke it with straps, when you get the tractor backed up and hooked up you will realize your BH has less reach than you think, your BH gets much smaller and the safe much bigger, believe me.

Having had a BX23 I think that I would try the loader but I would have a plan B for sure.

If it is really only 12" I would try to use a ramp, like an ATV ramp or something, and either an appliance dolly or even a pallet jack, getting "egyptian" includes inclined planes.

George2615 · Jan 2, 2009

If you do try to use your loader make sure you have plenty of counterweight on the 3Pt. I think you'd be better to use the 3Pt with a carry all. It would easily lift it the 12" you need to go.

CurlyDave · Jan 2, 2009

It is much safer and easier to move a gun safe with a pickup truck than any kind of trailer.

You need 3 strong guys and a piece of carpet. Drape the carpet over the tailgate & about half way into the bed. Just back up to the safe about 12-18" away from it. Just push the safe over so it lands on its back on the carpet and push it into the truck.

At the other end of the trip reverse this process.

I have done this and it works like a dream. The only problem I had was that I had to use cribbing in the bed of the truck to keep the safe from sliding forward in case of an accident. An 800 lb safe moving at 50 mph has more kinetic energy than the bullet from an elephant gun, say the .600 Nitro Express. Could you kill an elephant by hitting him with a gun safe at 50 mph? You bet. You really want that hitting the back of your cab if you should happen to hit someone at a stoplight?

It works because you are really only rotating the safe about its center of gravity, which is about in the same place when it is standing up and when it is lying on its back in the truck bed.

To move a gun safe on level concrete the tools of choice for a safe one-man move are a lever dolly lever dolly from Northern Tool + Equipment and a pallet jack. I have one of the Harbor freight pallet jacks and have used both the Fairbanks and the Northern Industrial lever dollies with equal success. Lift one side of the safe with the dolly until you can get a 2x4 under it. then lift the other side until you can get two 2x4s under it. Back to the first side for 3 2x4s . When you have 3 under each side slip the pallet jack under it , and away you go.

Once you have it on a pallet jack you can keep lifting it up and cribbing it with 2x4s until you run out of them, or until you get too nervous to go any higher.

If you really have to use your tractor, most safes have a hole in the top with a 5/8" coarse threaded nut welded under the top. A 5/8" eyebolt will screw into the nut and provide a safe lifting point. This is how they are moved at the factory during assembly. I have used a chain to lift mine from the top, but my FEL rates for ~ 2800 lbs.

I would try hard to avoid trailering or trucking a gun safe in the vertical position. Too much potential for it to fall over in either a minor accident or even just heavy braking.

mscheer772 · Jan 3, 2009

I used four strong guys, five pieces of pipe carpet and 100-150 golfballs to get the safe in my pick-up truck.Drove the safe home,rolled the safe off the truck ,lifted up vertical, then opened the safe door which lifted the opposite corner of the safe off the concrete. I then placed the golf balls under the safe and moved it myself to where I wanted it in the garage. Removed the golf balls and loaded the safe.

I bought the safe at auction from a Police Department that was moving their headquarters.They wanted nothing to do with the safe at their new headquarters. I bid $50.00, no one else bid,(darn).Better than the $2000.00 safe my brother bought from Cabela's that wouldn't fit through his front door(hehe).

-Mike-

mcnitt · Jan 3, 2009

The use of the golf balls is intriguing - but I don't understand how you did it. Did you build a frame around the safe and fill it with balls?

Hoosier_Daddy · Jan 3, 2009

Hey, Why use the tractor? I have an 800 lb Gun safe. Moved it with my old Ford Ranger.

The best way to haul a gun safe is to take off the tailgate of the pickup and lean the safe on it's back on cardboard and slide it in. Down the road you go. Been there a few times and some times smaller and simpler is better..... Tom

George2615 · Jan 4, 2009

The last gun safe I moved was for a friend who bought it new. It was crated in a foam lined cardboard box to protect the safe from scratches. 4 guys at the store tipped it into the back of my pickup with the safe on its side. I took it to my friends house and luckily backed right up to his deck where we slid it off the truck onto his snow covered deck and slid it along right through his sliding glass doors into the house. Then we stood it up and unboxed it. I'll probably help him move it again this spring / summer since he tells me he's going to sell his house.

mscheer772 · Jan 4, 2009

The golf balls go underneath the safe. The safe is supported by the golf balls. You can then roll the safe anywhere you want on level surface.

-Mike

RichT · Jan 6, 2009

You won't be able to lift 800lbs using bucket forks. I used my BX22 with bucket forks to lift a 450lb Quincey compressor off a 17" high trailer and move it into my barn. I was RIGHT AT the lift limit of the FEL with forks. Managed to lift the compressor about an inch by carefully curling the bucket in, then used some metal rods as levers to help lift it off the trailer.