Moving the gun safe

[JKSNIPER]

I promised this would make its way to the humor forum so here goes....

My wife, seeing the legal stuff coming down the pike, notices in Costco online that Cannon has a Scout model gun safe for sale.

So we buy one for me and one for my son who lives literally .9 miles away.

The delivery company's deliver policy is "curbside"delivery. Which means they will take it off the truck and drop it where your driveway meets the street.

I have had 2 discs repaired in my back by a neurosurgeon in 1998 who told me then that I shouldn't return to work. I DID return to work and beat the odds for almost 10 full years before my luck ran out and I then HAD to retire so Johnny ain't moving any safes around by brute force.

I call the delivery company to see if we can pay a fee to get them to move the safe into the house for me.

No dice.

They flat out refuse to deviate from their curbside policy.

I figure when the guys come to deliver it I'll offer them some $ and get it done that way.

See I ASSUMED there would be 2 guys to deliver it....and associated equipment to accomplish same.

No dice.

The driver is the only guy present. He very nicely backs the truck into my driveway and with his hydraulic pallet moving thingy moves it into the garage space previously occupied by my motorcycle.

I sign the papers and he leaves.

I start calling moving companies especially those that advertise moving safes and pianos.

One business calls me back right away but they're based in bumshit Arkansas and "Can't git up thar to move that thar safe 'cos we all ain't certified to op-pure-rate in New Yawk"

Another calls back and although their ad says they have an office 15 minutes from my house the man cheerfully informs me that " we trucks come from de Bronk" and when I ask him how much they charge to move the safe his reply was " Ohh meester you don wan to pay that much money"

The ONE company who called me back and had a native english speaker talking to me would charge $850 to move the safe from my attached garage into my basement ( 1 flight of stairs).

The freaking safe cost $300 less than that....so I tell him fuggedaboudit.

GOing online I find a thing called a motorized dollie or hand truck. I didn't know such things existed. It goes up or down stairs using a battery and chain drive with these rubber feet attached.

Looks good on paper. I find a place that rents these and with my son we hop into the pickup truck to go get it. I figure with the thing taking the weight up the stairs how hard can it be?

We get it home and play with the mechanism for a couple minutes to familiarize ourselves with how it works and we're off to the races.

We go to move his safe first (going upstairs in his house in his bedroom closet) because he has to work a 3-11 and we're burning daylight.

Got it strapped to the thing and moved up the porch steps where it works ok and into the house and now for the long staircase going up.

We get started ok. Now in all fairness the guy renting the machine had told my son and I that when going up stairs"Don't try to adjust the angle" I wasn't sure what he meant but found out. My son is operating the think and I'm basically maintaining back pressure on it from below and it starts tipping over towards me.

At this point we're up a good 5 steps so I'm not bent over or anything I just "lock out" everything to full extension trying to keep it from going. My son's yelling "Let it go dad!" and I'm yelling "Bull****! Pull!" and he finally gets it back under control.

We get the damm thing up about the 3/4 mark and the motor starts to go r e a l l y s l o w.

All I can think is its coming down or going up but we can't stay here.

If you could have seen my face and took a pic you could use that to show people what the word "fear" means.

It made it up the stairs thank the good lord. We're both out of breath by then and he says "Well that was fun.....lets do it again!"

We get it into his closet but the motor is shot from going up one freaking flight of stairs.

And 'cos we took so long he now has to go to work and can't help me move my safe.

I go home and call the rental place and the guy there says to put it on trickle charge overnight and he won't charge me for the extra day.

Sanity prevails in the morning and I call the guys I used to work with and 2 of them show up and we get it moved into the basement in about a half an hour.

This was for a safe that weighed 360lbs. Not the best safe they make and no where near the biggest model out there.

I dread buying a bigger one someday because theres no freaking way its going inside the house.

I'll have to put it into the garage and anchor it somehow.

Oh and the following day every muscle in my body was screaming....thank God for medication prescribed by doctors.

[Poppa Bear]

I thanked God for my brother. We backed his truck up to the door and used his truck mounted hoist to lower the safe down the back stairs and into the basement.

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

I own an Electro Truck Dolly. I have moved safes but no longer rent myself out. I Never allow my dolly out ($3500 replacement) Being the "Bottom Man" is the most dangerous position and I never use it. If the dolly and load want to fly down the stairs, I would rather let them go as I have no time to go to visit you in intensive care

Not me but you can get the idea what one experienced man can do.

[jmbaccolyte]

I bought a safe several years ago that came in separate pieces, bottom, top, sides, back and door. It was made in Iowa by Zanotti Armor and uses hardened steel pins (like in door hinges but much more so) to lock the pieces together. The door was the heaviest piece at 175 pounds. It wasn't cheap. I could have got a much bigger safe for the same price, but wasn't sure I'd be able to get it out of the basement if I were transferred. I was never transferred and eventually retired. Maybe I overspent, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I guess I missed out on all the excitment though.

[eric4069]

I bought a safe several years ago that came in separate pieces, bottom, top, sides, back and door. It was made in Iowa by Zanotti Armor and uses hardened steel pins (like in door hinges but much more so) to lock the pieces together. The door was the heaviest piece at 175 pounds. It wasn't cheap. I could have got a much bigger safe for the same price, but wasn't sure I'd be able to get it out of the basement if I were transferred. I was never transferred and eventually retired. Maybe I overspent, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I guess I missed out on all the excitment though.

Yep, the Zanotti safes are nice. Fairly easy to assemble.

Eric

[Powder Finger]

I own an Electro Truck Dolly. I have moved safes but no longer rent myself out. I Never allow my dolly out ($3500 replacement) Being the "Bottom Man" is the most dangerous position and I never use it. If the dolly and load want to fly down the stairs, I would rather let them go as I have no time to go to visit you in intensive care

Not me but you can get the idea what one experienced man can do.

wow, that is cooler than a pig in slop.

[Dan Sierpina]

Another Zanotti owner here. My safe won't fit through the doors in the house.

[rhgunguy]

I own an Electro Truck Dolly. I have moved safes but no longer rent myself out. I Never allow my dolly out ($3500 replacement) Being the "Bottom Man" is the most dangerous position and I never use it. If the dolly and load want to fly down the stairs, I would rather let them go as I have no time to go to visit you in intensive care

Not me but you can get the idea what one experienced man can do.

That's a neat dolly. But I think I've seen that house and music combo somewhere else...

[NoSteel]

College kids, nuff money to pay for a couple kegs for the next Frat party when job done, sit back and relax!!!! (Of course their of drinking age).

[JKSNIPER]

One thing I forgot to relate was that before my wife ordered the safes I had expressed concern over the moving it into the house process. How it was going to be accomplished without professional movers etc....

A well intentioned person told me "Once the safe is opened you can remove the door to make it about 30% lighter.

I thought: "Fantastic! That takes away about a hundred pounds so between 2 of us and a hand truck we should be able to get it in.

The safe gets delivered and I'm going through the manual (RTFM) and I can't find the section on removing the doors. I look at the safe and theres nothing readily apparent as to how one would do this so I call Cannon's customer service number.

The cannon rep answers and I ask "I can't seem to find the instructions on how to remove the door to make it lighter to move it in."

Theres a long silence and the Cannon rep finally says "Uhhh thats because you CAN'T remove the door on a Cannon safe. Its a uni-body construction so no one can remove the door."

The well meaning helpful person must have had experience with a competitor's safe.

Oh and I will echo what others have said reference the size of the safe and I wish I had read and listened to their recommendations......take the size you think you want and double it.

I literally can't fit all my rifles in the safe without some serious jockeying for position.

[ivan]

More food for thought on safe moving...

I called a safe moving company and asked what it would cost to move an 800 lb safe from garage to basement. The price was high because the first step of the process is to inspect the stairs and insure they will support the weight of two guys, one large dolly, and 800 lbs of safe (you do the math). Since it was a staircase that's supported on only one wall meant we would have to do construction to brace the stairs first before starting the move.

I bought a lighter safe.

-ivan-

[B_Seehawer]

I cut some scrap 2×4's and braced my basement stairs when I moved mine downstairs.

[Jaxshooter]

I bought an old two door safe that was removed from a bank when they demolished it. It was pricey due to the age and also the size. But there was a method to my madness as my wife liked the looks of it, black with the handpainted gold leaf accents and big brass combination lock and handles. It sits in the livingroom and is really nice to look at. Thinking the company I bought it from would deliver it was a big mistake. They had an arrangement with a local moving company to move safes. The price for delivering the safe was as much as moving a small house.

[Youngeyes]

Not only could I not get it into the basement, I couldn't even get it off the shipping pallet. It's very happy in the corner of the garage.

[Chris Keen]

I'm not afraid of stairs, but decided long ago to only live in 1 story houses if I could help it. 10 years later, and it's paid off. (Well except for that Super Bowl party incident!)

I got my "gun" safe FREE from work, when they were getting rid of the old "Big" safe they used for petty cash, and replaced it with a small floor-safe they got at Office Depot or something. You know, a "small" safe (compared to a shooter / our standards).

It stands 4' high, and is only 2'x2', so I cant put any rifles in it. I mean literally, the door is only 22"x42", so its small, but it's made by Meilink so it's a reputable brand. It came already with 4 shelves inside, so I lined the shelves with felt, and use it for pistols only.

But the last time I moved, I called a moving co. to just get the big stuff. You know, beds, dressers, couches, entertainment center, tables, chairs, and ..... the "small" safe I told them I had. They sent 2 guys, you know, regular moving men, didn't charge me any extra to move it, but they did kind of mention when they first saw it ..... "You call that a small safe?" I was like .... YEAH, 2x2x4' High is what I call a "small" safe! I didn't tell them what I need it for, but hell yeah I'd call that small! LOL

Anyways I moved it myself the first time I got it, using an appliance dolly, and a friend. It wasn't bad, but I live in a little 3 br Ranch, so easy peasy. But hey you get what you pay for! I'd love to have a bigger safe, but I sure do love having a good quality safe that can hold all my race guns, for FREE!~

Edited March 21, 2013 by Chris Keen

[Guest]

One of the more creative ways to deal with lots of guns and limited access to where you want the safe is to buy 2 or 3 quality smaller safes and position them adjacent to each other and then match drill and bolt them together with hardened bolts. Kind of a cool arrangement as you can have one safe with your safe queens which are in long term storage, and guns you use more often in the other safe(s). Once bolted together they are almost impossible to move, especially if you add floor and wall anchors.

One of the best low cost safes for pistols I found are the old Mosler classified document two drawer (500 lbs) or 5 drawer (1000+ lb) safes. I got one for about 40 bucks from a gov't surplus sale and really liked it with the old S&G lock. Great for handguns and assorted small stuff you want to keep in a safe.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Bamboo

[Miranda]

Not only could I not get it into the basement, I couldn't even get it off the shipping pallet. It's very happy in the corner of the garage.

'k... how did you get to the corner?

[james57]

I sell safes (3-6 per day) for Cabelas-KCKKS and we use a licensed, bonded, and insured locksmith operation. They charge $150 per hour with a minimum of 2 hours. They have a stair climber and will look at your stairs ahead of your purchase. Remind yourself what you are paying for your auto mechanic per hour before you get upset with the moving costs. Also do you really want just anyone knowing you have a safe?

Always bolt the unit to the floor.

[Youngeyes]

Not only could I not get it into the basement, I couldn't even get it off the shipping pallet. It's very happy in the corner of the garage.

'k... how did you get to the corner?

Nice delivery guy had a motorized pallet lift thingee and shoved it into the corner.

[Merlin Orr]

Loaded mine at the drive way onto a dolly. Moved it into the house by myself. While taking the wood strips out from under the safe I lost it and it fell forward in the direction my wife who was on the floor on her hands and knees looking under the safe as I removed the blocks. 875-900 lbs crashed to the floor. I could not see over the top of the safe when it fell toward her..... Susie, all 95 lbs of her, was gone, scampered out of the way, by the time it hit the floor...

It is a gut wrenching feeling knowing that you nearly killed or crippled your wife.

[Miranda]

Merlin,merlin,merlin,

you clearly have an intellegent wife. She knows to keep an eye on you.

However, you left out the funny part.

how do you explain the safe sized hole in the floor?

miranda

[JKSNIPER]

Yeah I learned that they are top heavy and seem to like falling forward...especially when you're on the stairs.

Tips I got here and from the safe company (Cannon)

Always bolt it to the floor

NO safe is 100% burglar proof. The only safe a thief can't get into is one that YOU also can't get into.

The purpose of the safe is to make it tough and time consuming to access illegally to discourage theft.

Try and position the safe so at least one side of it is inaccessible. Best is to position it where you want it then build the walls up to it surrounding it so only the front is easily accessed.

Do NOT tell your neighbors what you store in your safe or even that you purchased one. Mine was moved directly into my garage from the delivery truck so there was nothing outside to inspire curiosity.

It helps to have neighbors who are in law enforcement. The guy across the street is a K-9 cop and I told him that if he sees any suspicious activity to feel free to come over and check it out....with the dog. "Hunter" can move QUICK. I feel sorry for the bad guy who becomes an improvised chew toy.....nah just kidding....I don't.

I'm getting a less expensive stack on type to use as an ammo storage locker.

I may take a suggestion here and bolt it to my Cannon if I can do so without voiding the warranty.

Otherwise I'll anchor it to the concrete floor next to the Cannon and then finish the walls and floor so it won't be easy to move.

Merlin...man that must have been a scary feeling when you realized that no matter what you did that safe was going to fall on her. Good thing she moves quick.

[D.Hayden]

I got some quick estimates about moving my safe from my old house to new.. then in the new house to get it into the basement.. forget-about-it

Had 2 new ones lowered into the basement with a crane while the house was being built, and sold the old one

[Guest]

I lived only about 10 miles from the epicenter of the '89 Loma Prieta earthquake but wasn't home when it happened. When I got home to my 3rd floor condo I found my gun safe face down and it had traveled about 8 feet from the closet to nearly the middle of the room. (also found my water heater off it's pedestal....but that was strapped and thankfully not leaking!) The folks downstairs were home and said they heard a crash and thought the building was giving way. I never said it was probably my safe. Got a few dings on the contents, but nothing major. My .45 single stack still has a dimple on the bomar rear sight from that day. So securing to the floor and wall studs for is a good idea for safely as well as security. Also had the manufacturer (who was local) come out and check the safe out as that one had a glass plate in it.

[ranger]

When I bought my moderately sized safe - I got it delivered to the driveway in front of basement. I used multiple dowel rods as rollers under the safe and moved it around the basement until I got it to the spot I wanted. Made sure to get rid of the dowel rods so no one used them to get it out!