What's the best way to move a gun safe?

[richtes]

Only 500lbs? This is 1,300lb or so using my drop bed trailer and an old big joe lift. Were more big straps on it by the end. These got us out of the driveway and out of the way.

[Cooler]

Our office was broken into a few years back and the thieves tried to break into our ancient and massive office safe.  Afterwards we could not open our safe so we called the safe company that sold us the safe.  

Their "technicians" started out very scientific.  They looked up the make and model of the safe and pulled out a template that they taped to the front of the safe.  They then spent about twenty minutes drilling four 1/2" holes and filled with self-confidence they turned the handle.  When the handle would not turn their self-confidence evaporated.  

They spent the next six hours with right angle grinders, massive sledge hammers and cold chisels.  The two big, burly "technicians" took turns working about 10 minutes each.  Eventually they got it open.  Not a fun job.  Not even a fun job to watch (or especially to listen to).

I don't think gun safes are built quite as robustly as the old office safes were, but I'll bet it would take at least two or three hours to break into one.  Ours had walls that were about 5" thick (I think they were filled with concrete for fire resistance).

[crokett™]

Sam's Club will have a 40-gun safe on sale here in the near future.  It's just what I'm looking for.  The question is, how do I get it into the house?  The thing weighs over 500 lbs!  Would it be best to rent an appliance dolly?  Even so, I still need to get it out of my pickup truck.

Any thoughts?

for getting it out of the truck, do you have an engine hoist, or can you slide it out?  For moving it, a set of piano dollies.  I hope you don't have to go up any stairs.

[vernonator]

I've said this before - hire Two Men and a Truck (or your local equivalent) I did this to move my Cabinet Saw into the basement - best $100 I have spent on the shop. Three guys showed up and 30 min left without a scratch or ding on the saw or the walls, railing, etc (finished basement).

[Bob10]

Have you ever moved a refrigerator?

[daddo]

Mine is about 800 lbs and though hard to move, some have been stolen instead of broken into.
I fastened it to the concrete floor and to the wall studs- both from the inside of course. Try if you will, you can't move it.

[TDKPE]

You should be able to rent the stair climber from a local rental house. Not as easy to use as it looks

We use them for moving vending machines. I would seriously think of using your check book

What he said.  You are the counterweight.  If it goes just a little too far, you can't stop it, and you may even end up not letting go in time (human nature) and getting pulled right over the top or riding it as it flips, with you under it at some point.  

I'll do just about anything myself, but moving a safe up the stairs with that gizmo is probably not one of those things I'd take on.  Not any more, at least.

[daddo]

These are interesting.

[fixtureman]

I just wonder how that one would do with 800 LBs going up stairs would if start to slipe back down

[goaliedad]

If I were around and 800 lbs started to slip on a stairway? I would get the heck out of the way and repair some drywall