How to move a high end gun safe?

Planning a major house reno later in 2023 and starting to plan.
Got the idea will be a good to to get a high end gun safe. Something i always wanted.
Will have a closet built around it.

The high end gun safes are between 550 to 900 pounds.
Luckily there is only one step between the garage and level it will be placed on.
Delivery from Cabela's is estimated at about $300. Do you know if they will place on driveway, garage or in house for that price?
Is it strictly muscle power to carry through the one door, combined with one step?
How many guys will it take to carry a 850 pounds safe through a door?

Having a pickup and a trailer i know the curse of helping many move. The pain of carrying certain furniture and appliances through doors.
Having trouble visualizing moving a safe as i am brainstorming the reno.
Especially with no handles on corners to hold lifting and carrying. Lifting heavy weight with no finger holds.

A good dolly and a few straps around it, a few guys should be able to move it around pretty easily.

I just helped moved an older video game 750 pounds with 3 guys up from a basement up the stairs and out side.

Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk

At 300 for delivery I would hope they will bring it inside and place it where you want, 800 pounds is around what a Yamaha Kodiak weighs.

How this works with the floor load bearing capability-i was always wondering that?
Small area, yet 1000 lbs load safe with guns included!

You can try to rent or buy(Princess Auto has nice ones) a dolly(as mentioned earlier)then put a smooth carpet down,and dolly it in on the carpet or sheet of plywood(to save your floor).We do that with huge machines all the time.



However-lifting it over the door sill or on/off the dolly is still a manual job.
Lever can help there though........

Good luck and send us some pictures.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by greatwhite

At 300 for delivery I would hope they will bring it inside and place it where you want, 800 pounds is around what a Yamaha Kodiak weighs.

---

300 for delivery I think is pretty normal depending on how far it's being delivered from .
Some would only be to the door others will bring it in closer to the location all depends on the contract.

2 guys 1 hour drive to get there at say 20 bucks an hour is 80 bucks probably a diesel at 2 bucks a liter another 80 bucks in fuel. Half that 300 is just expenses to get it there.
If they have 3 guys add in another 40 bucks. Insurance and truck expenses are also added in.

We did a 1200 delivery fee this year but that's a 2 way trip delivery and pick up. 3 guys 3 hour one way. That's 12 hours of pay and fuel just to get there and back. And that was friends deal lol.

Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big Tuna

Planning a major house reno later in 2023 and starting to plan.
Got the idea will be a good to to get a high end gun safe. Something i always wanted.
Will have a closet built around it.

The high end gun safes are between 550 to 900 pounds.
Luckily there is only one step between the garage and level it will be placed on.
Delivery from Cabela's is estimated at about $300. Do you know if they will place on driveway, garage or in house for that price?
Is it strictly muscle power to carry through the one door, combined with one step?
How many guys will it take to carry a 850 pounds safe through a door?

Having a pickup and a trailer i know the curse of helping many move. The pain of carrying certain furniture and appliances through doors.
Having trouble visualizing moving a safe as i am brainstorming the reno.
Especially with no handles on corners to hold lifting and carrying. Lifting heavy weight with no finger holds.

---

When dealing with that much weight,it would be very wise to enlist the help of a residential architect to measure weight bearing capacity of the floor. I was "recruited" to help a buddy move one into his house. The minute we set the safe down where he wanted it,we heard the floor start to creek. Two days later,we removed the safe,but,the damage was done. He had to replace 8-2X10 floor beams and sub floor. His insurance company wouldn't cover the repair. It cost him a small fortune.

If the weight can be spread over a larger area then the footprint of the safe it would help as well. A full waterbed can weigh in excess of 1000lb and you never hear of them falling through a floor or cracking joists.
John

Good point GBK

and just an idea with forklift cut out the outside wall and for sure make a new foundation for the gun cabinet

But there is one more solution just sell all your guns keep one ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gbk

How this works with the floor load bearing capability-i was always wondering that?
Small area, yet 1000 lbs load-safe with guns included!

You can try to rent or buy(Princess Auto has nice ones) a dolly(as mentioned earlier)then put a smooth carpet down,and dolly it in on the carpet or sheet of plywood(to save your floor).We do that with huge machines all the time.



However-lifting it over the door sill or on/off the dolly is still a manual job.
Lever can help there though........

Good luck and send us some pictures.

---

Are you sold on the safe from Cabela's? I bought a Hunter Gun Vault from Canadian Safe in Hamilton. It was a few years ago but, at the time, they delivered the safe into my gun room and lagged it to the concrete floor for what I considered to be a reasonable cost. I do not know if they still do this but it would be worth giving them a call to see if they do installations.

https://canadiansafe.ca/product/hunter-gun-vaults/
https://www.facebook.com/huntergunvaults

If you are determined to do it yourself remove the door from the safe. Without the door the safe is much lighter and easier to move and then reinstall it once you have the safe situated to your liking.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badenoch

Are you sold on the safe from Cabela's? I bought a Hunter Gun Vault from Canadian Safe in Hamilton. It was a few years ago but, at the time, they delivered the safe into my gun room and lagged it to the concrete floor for what I considered to be a reasonable cost. I do not know if they still do this but it would be worth giving them a call to see if they do installations.

https://canadiansafe.ca/product/hunter-gun-vaults/
https://www.facebook.com/huntergunvaults

If you are determined to do it yourself remove the door from the safe. Without the door the safe is much lighter and easier to move and then reinstall it once you have the safe situated to your liking.

---

Thanks for sharing extra places to shop.
I am still in the design, planning and nearing final quote stage.
The safe will be on the lower level which is a cement floor.
House is raised bungalow, so outside ground average, garage and lowest level of house are same level so weight bearing won't be an issue in this case.
Would likely plan to buy before reno starts so floor damage isn't a concern. It can stay in the middle of room until time to push into final resting place.
Will share later in year final story.
If not taken inside house by delivery guys then i am thinking of borrowing from work a hand pump forklift and make a custom platform by using 2 layers of 3/4 inch plywood. plus edging on the plywood underside so don't slide off.
Then lots of muscle.
Hand pump fork lift will help move safe and lift the 8 inch for the one step so it can be pushed forward and inside.

Firstly back to step one. Select a safe to buy so i can start working with specifics.
Step two will be keeping a roll of extra $20 bills in my pocket when delivery comes incase i need to bribe the delivery guys to carry it the extra 15 feet.

Another vote for Canadian Safe they were great when I bought mine

I moved a piano that was supposedly 800lb out of my house this past summer for a reno. There were three of us, but we could have done it with 2. I bought a 4 wheel dolley from Princess Auto. Strapped the piano to it, used some plywood and 2x10s to get it over the door threshold and down 3 patio steps and across some grass and into a Pod. No problem. Work smart, not hard.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big Tuna

Thanks for sharing extra places to shop.
I am still in the design, planning and nearing final quote stage.
The safe will be on the lower level which is a cement floor.
House is raised bungalow, so outside ground average, garage and lowest level of house are same level so weight bearing won't be an issue in this case.
Would likely plan to buy before reno starts so floor damage isn't a concern. It can stay in the middle of room until time to push into final resting place.
Will share later in year final story.
If not taken inside house by delivery guys then i am thinking of borrowing from work a hand pump forklift and make a custom platform by using 2 layers of 3/4 inch plywood. plus edging on the plywood underside so don't slide off.
Then lots of muscle.
Hand pump fork lift will help move safe and lift the 8 inch for the one step so it can be pushed forward and inside.

Firstly back to step one. Select a safe to buy so i can start working with specifics.
Step two will be keeping a roll of extra $20 bills in my pocket when delivery comes incase i need to bribe the delivery guys to carry it the extra 15 feet.

---

LOL, do the same thing with appliance deliveries, why give it to the suits when it can go directly to the guys humping it up and down stairs. Surprising what a bit of green and a cold drink accomplishes.
John

If you are determined to do it yourself remove the door from the safe. Without the door the safe is much lighter and easier to move and then reinstall it once you have the safe situated to your liking.[/QUOTE]

Definitely! Taking the door off is usually easy and makes a big difference to the weight.

We just got a high end very heavy safe in our basement. Lifting straps and a trolley was all that was needed. We have a walk in basement so we trolled it on the lawn around the house and right up to the basement door.

I wouldn't place it directly on the cement floor. I'd build a small sturdy platform to keep off cement.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sabmgb

I wouldn't place it directly on the cement floor. I'd build a small sturdy platform to keep off cement.

---

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought of this. That was going to be the plan. Will put a coat of think on this.
Some vapour barrier material and then a custom made 2 to 4 inch tall solid base of some kind.

My safe sits directly on a concrete floor and I saw no need to put it on a platform. What is more important IMO is that the safe be lagged into the floor making it more secure.

https://tntlibertysafe.com/blogs/new...tingdown-safes

my basement is damp and my gun cabinets are rusting on the bottom. I guess if no moisture problem, directly on the floor would be better.

Had ours on a cement floor l. One room away from the wood stove so moisture’s not a problem.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big Tuna

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought of this. That was going to be the plan. Will put a coat of think on this.
Some vapour barrier material and then a custom made 2 to 4 inch tall solid base of some kind.

---

That's how mine is done. Wood base is 4x4 pressure treated. Still lagged to the floor - just need to use slightly longer anchors. Mine is in a corner as well so also lagged to concrete walls on two sides. Going down the stairs was not really that hard. Good dolly with me, 2 sons and a friend. I picked it up in the truck to save delivery charge. They put it in the truck at the store and we took it from there.

Basement has been finished since than. It is now inside a large closet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sabmgb

my basement is damp and my gun cabinets are rusting on the bottom. I guess if no moisture problem, directly on the floor would be better.

---

I have a walkout basement and a dehumidifier. So far no rust.

As much as i was always wondering about what happens with heavy load of a gun safe on a 2x8-2x10 joists and the floor ,i was not less curious why one would place a gun cabinet in any basement?

Maybe walkout seems reasonable-but basements are the lowest point in the house.If one has so much money invested in guns(and an expensive safe)any issue will be going to bite........
Backed up sewage,flood from outside,broken sump pump,neighbours storm water.......you name it.
Dehumidifiers can crap out too,and while in the winter a furnace /stove may help-there is only 6 months of heating season in a year.

I heard on this very Forum,many years ago-that the oldtimers kept their guns in the basement -between joists.That made perfect sense-the warmest(driest)place in the basement, and the highest too.

If there will be ever water up to the joists,the guns stored there will be the least concern.

To each their own.

In the case of my house 3 bedrooms up stairs, kitchen, bathroom and the tv room which has a 6 ft x 4 ft bay window. I would not want anyone to easily see I have a gun safe. In my basement there are many places where I could put it out of site out of mind.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gbk

As much as i was always wondering about what happens with heavy load of a gun safe on a 2x8-2x10 joists and the floor ,i was not less curious why one would place a gun cabinet in any basement?

Maybe walkout seems reasonable-but basements are the lowest point in the house.If one has so much money invested in guns(and an expensive safe)any issue will be going to bite........
Backed up sewage,flood from outside,broken sump pump,neighbours storm water.......you name it.
Dehumidifiers can crap out too,and while in the winter a furnace /stove may help-there is only 6 months of heating season in a year.

I heard on this very Forum,many years ago-that the oldtimers kept their guns in the basement -between joists.That made perfect sense-the warmest(driest)place in the basement, and the highest too.

If there will be ever water up to the joists,the guns stored there will be the least concern.

To each their own.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by greatwhite

In the case of my house 3 bedrooms up stairs, kitchen, bathroom and the tv room which has a 6 ft x 4 ft bay window. I would not want anyone to easily see I have a gun safe. In my basement there are many places where I could put it out of site out of mind.

---

Same with me. Lots more room in the basement. Houses come in different shapes and sizes. Sewage back ups aren't a worry for us and should there ever be a flood high enough to threaten my gun safe it will be on the news. :)

Moving a big gun safe like that is tough, especially since it's heavy and hard to lift. You’d probably need 4-5 strong people to get an 850-pound safe through a door, even with just one step. Make sure to check with Cabela’s if that $300 covers bringing it into your house—usually, they just drop it in your garage or driveway.

This^ I know a couple people who live close to me all houses got broken into, the one place none of them went to rob stuff? The basement, people don't associate basements with expensive stuff, if you think about it, people always think to go upstairs to the bedrooms to look for jewelry cash etc.

Sent from my SM-G991W using Tapatalk