Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How do you move a gun safe to the basement?

I wish I'd have filmed it when I moved a new safe into our basemant. You'd all get a kick out of the polish way of doing things.

It involved a chainfall and some nylon lifting slings. I didn't calculate THAT much stretch in the slings. A 600lb+ safe will fly down carpeted stairs... if you let it!

This.

I moved mine UPstairs, which is magnitudes more difficult. However, it's just a 16 gun safe, the much bigger ones wouldn't have made it upstairs, I don't think. Too wide and too heavy.

I've had to move a couple of times since I bought a safe so hired professional movers to move it. It was right at $150 per move (in town) and worth every penny. I only had a couple of steps to deal with each time, but the movers used a heavy duty appliance dolly with straps and didn't have any trouble with it.

I've since moved it myself from one room to another both with a dolly and just sliding it on carpet. I wouldn't consider moving it my self if I had a basement to deal with...

Hey, related question... I'm having one delivered either tomorrow or the next day. Right now (pre-delivery), it's standing on a little set of steel brackets so they can get a lift under it.

Do y'all recommend leaving that on there? Does it affect stability? Take it off and save it till the next time it has to move?

The safe is about 910#, 72"x44"x27" (about). Will be on a slab (former garage) floor. Slightly sloped to the rear. No plans to move it in the near future, etc.

Thanks.

My safe is about 950# EMPTY. I ain't touching it, as far as moving goes . . .

I don't know how your stairs are framed, but a couple temporary posts would probably be a good idea to beef things up. Lot's of ways to get hurt moving heavy stuff...

Either hire it out (easiest) or get a heavy duty appliance dolly and a couple friends.

I like the ultra lift idea, although several of the other ideas are interesting. Thanks for the replies.

Mine weighs about 950 pounds. After letting it just sit in the garage for 18 months I decided that if I was dumb enough to buy it, then I was probably also dumb enough to get it into the basement. Basically, my neighbor and I did it ourselves. We covered the 7 steps into the basement with a heavy aluminum ramp. We then attached the safe to an a moving dolly capable of holding 1300 pounds. We lifted the safe/dolly into a horizontal position with a skidsteer that had a ginpole on the bucket and poked it through the back door which opened onto the stairs. We sat it down on the ramp and lowered it with a come-a-long all the way to the bottom of the stairs. We then enlisted two teenage flunkys to help us stand it up. After that, we just wheeled it into the appointed space and spent the rest of the day drinking beer.

I actually think it would be easier to get it out of the basement than it was to put it down there.

Safe dollies can be rented at any of your rental yards and work great until you reach the stairs if that's what you have... no need to take safe dollies off if there are no stairs involved... they'll roll it out of the house on to the truck, off again and back into new location...

Phil

Northern Tool does sell a 1200# appliance dolly, which helps a lot.

That said, I'd hire movers to do it, unless there were an easy way to use a hoist/come-a-long to safely lower it, and it was a reasonable sized safe. One amatuer mover slipping could mean a real bad day for everyone.

Position it on the first floor above where it will sit in the basement, then cut the floor around it!

Jack the house up, slide it in, lower the house. Or, maybe it's time to find a place on the main floor.....

Last one I was involved in we rented a dolly like the ultra lift in the video. They really work BTW. Our only causalty was rocking the safe back onto the wheels...one of my compadres saw foot to put his foot behind the wheel to hold it in place. He was last seen hopping off into the darkness on one foot screaming like a banshee. Luckily...he fell down in a short distance so he just went into a death roll in a small circle. After we got the safe in place we wheeled it over to him and loaded him up...taking him back to the pick up and off to get xrays. He did celebrate that Christmas in an air cast.....

+1

GREAT minds - etc etc, Terry (see above)

This is how they moved my safe too, worth every penny.

When I was a young, hungry college student, I was one of the hired flunkies that helped move a couple of big safes when a business relocated. It was an eye-opening experience. Without the right equipment and training it was a very difficult and dangerous task. We barely accomplished the mission and were lucky no one was hurt.

As a mature adult with a few dollars in my pocket, I have paid professional safe movers both times I have needed to move a big safe. They are amazing to watch, and well worth any reasonable cost. And much cheaper than a trip to the Emergency Room.

If it's under 980 lbs you can use a stair climber - which is a modified hand truck with a motor and battery that will lift / lower it up or down each step.

Better yet hire a safe moving company to do it and sit back and watch.
Most people who sell safes know who to call.

TFF!