El Cheapo Gunsafe Movers, Inc.

[AxiTech]

My wife needed a new sofa and two recliners because our stuff was over twenty years old. We ordered new stuff after she researched and found exactly what she wanted. The walls needed painting, and the carpet is over 11 years old and needs replacing. Some guys would go "STOP" and cry about the money. NOT ME!! My wife is the kind that if she gets a hint that I have my eye on something, it arrives before I can ask for it. The guys at the local gun shop, have more than once, 'advised' me to make sure I don't cheap out on an upcoming holiday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthday, Christmas. You get the picture. They won't go so far as to say "Bob, she was in here and bought you XYZ" , but they will make sure i get a 'heads up'.
So, we are getting new carpet and furniture. My wife's brother does a wonderful job of installing carpet, so he came down today. The only problem was, how to get the gun safe out of the room. I rented a dollyu/handtruck yesterday, but it turns out to be far too wimpy to handle a 750lb plus safe. I came up with an idea of buying a bunch of 1/2" schedule 40 pvc pipe and 'rolling it out of the room'. Seventeen dollars and a bunch of handsawing the pipe down to 3'4" lengths and we are ready to try it. My wife laid the pipes out in my path, and my daughter and niece picked up the pieces as the safe rolled off of them. Then they transfered the pipes to my wife who laid them down in my path, all the way out of the room. The only hard part was getting it up onto the first pipe. Prybar and a block of wood was all that required. Brother in Law gave directions as to which way to push, when to turn or stop, or slow down. Worked like a dream.
We didn't even empty the safe. Fully loaded with ammo, and pistols and lots of ammoit rolled like a dream. Oh, reading some papers on the safe a few minutes ago, my wife tells me the safe weighs 900lbs empty! It has to be over 1200 lbs with all I have in it. I was the only one pushing it, and if it hadn't been so darn hot today, I wouldn't have broke a sweat.
Anyway, if you are going to need to move a safe, give it a try. Can't say that it will work on stairs though. You're gonna need help for that.

[thanker92]

Why am I visualizing Egyptians and pyramids?

[Kurt_M]

Thanks for the tip. Safes are a bitch to move; my brother and I needed four other guys to help us get our current 800 lb. monster into the basement. We slid it down the stairs on the end of a pair of ropes. I'm pretty sure it will be sold with the house when we move.

[-JD-]

Moved a 2 ton milling machine the same way, including on and off a trailer. I was using "rigid" metal pipe and (and a come along for the trailer loading) though for a 4000 lb machine.

[unclejumbo]

Another method that worked wonders for mine. Strap an appliance mover to it then push from the other side. Safe is too heavy to tip but it takes away enough drag that it almost glides. Lay down plywood to protect the floor, deck or whatever.

[ithinkimamedic]

In the future go to your local driving range and get 3 or 4 buckets of balls, take them home and do the exact same thing. When your done, take them back to the range and have fun!

[ErSwnn]

In the future go to your local driving range and get 3 or 4 buckets of balls, take them home and do the exact same thing. When your done, take them back to the range and have fun!

I was going to pose a simular method. I once moved a 100 ton machine with 3/4 ballbearings and a couple of brooms. We had to use a pretty serious come-a-long as well. It was an experiment that worked, but the hassle of moving a barrel full of ballbearings wasn't worth the effort. So now I'm wondering, for something like a safe on concrete, would bb's git-r-done?

[-JD-]

I was going to pose a simular method. I once moved a 100 ton machine with 3/4 ballbearings and a couple of brooms. We had to use a pretty serious come-a-long as well. It was an experiment that worked, but the hassle of moving a barrel full of ballbearings wasn't worth the effort. So now I'm wondering, for something like a safe on concrete, would bb's git-r-done?

I would think that BBs would be a little bit too small unless it was a VERY smooth surface (I.E. honed) they'd likely get hung up on the slightest surface imperfections and dirt.

100 Tons! Now I'm feeling inferior.

[ErSwnn]

I would think that BBs would be a little bit too small unless it was a VERY smooth surface (I.E. honed) they'd likely get hung up on the slightest surface imperfections and dirt.

100 Tons! Now I'm feeling inferior.

If that intimidates then I'm really gonna mess your head up. We moved objects much heavier than that. The rotor alone for a medium sized electrical generator comes in at 144 tons. The turbine is about the same and the housing is hundreds more. Now when I say generator I mean in a powerhouse, not that thing in your camper. Stuff that was 5 to 10 tons was our light stuff. Best part is these things tend not to be square but instead eclectic in their construction and seldom balanced for moving. Figuring out the best pick points can be a dangerous challenge. It's not unusual to need two cranes along with other equipment to make something move. I've used 16" sockets that had to be placed with a crane. Their hydraulicly actuated. I think the most challenging move was three nuclear steam generators that normally live inside a containment building. They weigh somewhere in the 50 ton range and have to be eased out through an opening in the building with about a 1/4 inch clearance. Gantry crane inside, mobile crane outside working in tandem. Between weigh, clearance, multiple lifting devices AND it's highly radioactive....it get hairy. Most moves are measured in yards, and lots of them, some in feet...these are done in fractions of an inch. One takes a few days of 24/7 work just to get them out the door. Many weeks to get them ready to move. Then we have to put the new ones in. The powers that be are much more concerned about the new ones. One bad bump and the integrity of the device is compromised. We're talking nukes, there are no compromises.

[yawns]

My wife needed a new sofa and two recliners because our stuff was over twenty years old. We ordered new stuff after she researched and found exactly what she wanted. The walls needed painting, and the carpet is over 11 years old and needs replacing. Some guys would go "STOP" and cry about the money. NOT ME!! My wife is the kind that if she gets a hint that I have my eye on something, it arrives before I can ask for it. The guys at the local gun shop, have more than once, 'advised' me to make sure I don't cheap out on an upcoming holiday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthday, Christmas. You get the picture. They won't go so far as to say "Bob, she was in here and bought you XYZ" , but they will make sure i get a 'heads up'.
So, we are getting new carpet and furniture. My wife's brother does a wonderful job of installing carpet, so he came down today. The only problem was, how to get the gun safe out of the room. I rented a dollyu/handtruck yesterday, but it turns out to be far too wimpy to handle a 750lb plus safe. I came up with an idea of buying a bunch of 1/2" schedule 40 pvc pipe and 'rolling it out of the room'. Seventeen dollars and a bunch of handsawing the pipe down to 3'4" lengths and we are ready to try it. My wife laid the pipes out in my path, and my daughter and niece picked up the pieces as the safe rolled off of them. Then they transfered the pipes to my wife who laid them down in my path, all the way out of the room. The only hard part was getting it up onto the first pipe. Prybar and a block of wood was all that required. Brother in Law gave directions as to which way to push, when to turn or stop, or slow down. Worked like a dream.
We didn't even empty the safe. Fully loaded with ammo, and pistols and lots of ammoit rolled like a dream. Oh, reading some papers on the safe a few minutes ago, my wife tells me the safe weighs 900lbs empty! It has to be over 1200 lbs with all I have in it. I was the only one pushing it, and if it hadn't been so darn hot today, I wouldn't have broke a sweat.
Anyway, if you are going to need to move a safe, give it a try. Can't say that it will work on stairs though. You're gonna need help for that.

This technique works well. I have moved several large items with pvc rollers