How I move my safe

WestKentucky

WestKentucky

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Joined
Feb 1, 2014
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Western Kentucky
IMG_5769.jpeg I have moved this safe 7 times, and for a while I delivered furniture for a company who sold as many safes as they did anything else. I say that to say that I am experienced, though somewhat out of shape and out of practice.

There are constantly comments about how hard it is to move a safe. It’s not easy, but it’s also not the nightmare that people make it out to be. I took pictures as I loaded. Unloading is much easier since gravity helps, but the unloading part is exactly the same as the loading part, only done in reverse. So here we go, end result is that the safe is in the back of my F150 and I did it by myself. Not bragging there, my kids wanted to help but I made a point of doing it alone just to keep them safe and out of the way. Another adult helping would have been very nice, but it’s not necessary.

Cannon safe, I forget what the count is supposed to be, the safe weighs about 500 pounds empty. Hobo freight straps, hobo freight dolly. Furniture dolly makes the job easier but it’s not worth renting one just for this.
 
IMG_5770.jpeg Get prepped. Think through your twists and turns. Most safes don’t fit through doors when laid on their back. It’s much easier to cart them around on their back because you have better leverage to get them up and balanced on the dolly. In my case I was going through a door 12 ft away into the garage where my truck was waiting. Note the straps. Strap the safe securely to the dolly. Tie up loose ends of straps. There’s nothing more dangerous than a poorly secured heavy load, unless you add a trip hazard to it.
 
Again, think through your steps. If I were in a room with 1 door, I would be stuck from this direction. I actually did move the safe from the back to get it here. Palms at the top of the safe puts pressure on the tires of the dolly and the safe just scoots along. The floors are vinyl and they can take this. I would not do that on wood floors for fear of scratching. IMG_5772.jpeg
 
IMG_5773.jpeg IMG_5775.jpeg IMG_5776.jpeg
get it in position and strip it down. You need nothing in the way at this point. This is easily the most dangerous and hardest part. I did add a strap at the top just to use as a handle for coming through the door, and then I put it on the bottom to use as a handle for the next part.

Centered on the truck with roughly 9 inches gap. Just enough to really start it to tilting over. You want height to work in your favor and have as much weight above the tailgate (fulcrum) as possible. I tilted mine and put a 4x4 and a block under it since I was by myself. It’s easy insurance that you’re not getting the bulk of the weight and trying to lift it. It’s awkward, and bulky, so it’s best not to add heavy to the mix.
 
IMG_5779.jpeg Time for a cold beverage of your preference. I’m going with Diet Mtn Dew. That’s about as hard as it get for me these days. A strap to keep it from sliding under braking would be good but my bed liner doesn’t let stuff move at all. It’s definitely not gonna blow out.

took longer to write up than to do…
 
Good job. I don't like to move my safe. It's 60x40x26 and 900 pounds empty. The two guys who delivered it knew their job. They used a heavy-duty four-wheeled dolly like the one pictured. They also had a square plate of somewhat flexible steel alloy that fit flat inside a standard door. They put it on the threshold and rolled the dolly over it. I don't know what it was made of, but it flexed a bit. Really cool to watch guys who have the right tools and know what they're doing. No way would I attempt to move a safe solo.
 

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When inside, I’ve always moved mine with 3/4 galvanized pipe and/or golf balls. When outside I use my tractor and some hay forks, never had any issue. Around here tractors aren’t hard to come by, I do understand that isn’t true everywhere, not everyone can live in paradise.

I’ve never done it myself, but don’t doubt I could. My 16 year old (at the time) was the most help I ever had. He was 12 the first time but it still went off without a hitch.


Excellent job moving yours with the resources available. I’ve always wondered the load capacity of the cables holding up a tailgate, they make me nervous anytime much weight gets put on them but I’ve never seen one break.
 
DeepSouth said:
When inside, I’ve always moved mine with 3/4 galvanized pipe and/or golf balls. When outside I use my tractor and some hay forks, never had any issue. Around here tractors aren’t hard to come by, I do understand that isn’t true everywhere, not everyone can live in paradise.

I’ve never done it myself, but don’t doubt I could. My 16 year old (at the time) was the most help I ever had. He was 12 the first time but it still went off without a hitch.


Excellent job moving yours with the resources available. I’ve always wondered the load capacity of the cables holding up a tailgate, they make me nervous anytime much weight gets put on them but I’ve never seen one break.
Click to expand...

Smart thought==During my time as a GM Tech we had several re-calls on those tailgate cables..
Be CAREFUL and do NOT have ANYTHING under the safe...
 
DeepSouth said:
When inside, I’ve always moved mine with 3/4 galvanized pipe and/or golf balls. When outside I use my tractor and some hay forks, never had any issue. Around here tractors aren’t hard to come by, I do understand that isn’t true everywhere, not everyone can live in paradise.

I’ve never done it myself, but don’t doubt I could. My 16 year old (at the time) was the most help I ever had. He was 12 the first time but it still went off without a hitch.


Excellent job moving yours with the resources available. I’ve always wondered the load capacity of the cables holding up a tailgate, they make me nervous anytime much weight gets put on them but I’ve never seen one break.
Click to expand...
I have broken tailgate cables, but never any that werent obviously compromised. Most are braided steel cable with ends cast or brazed onto them. If the rubber shield gets cut and they start to rust then I go ahead and replace them. The bigger concern anymore is in folding the tailgate in half. Since the safe is so wide I trusted that it would hold since it would have to crush in 2 places rather than 1.
 
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Outlaw75 said:
Harbor Freight hand truck? Got one of those, best $40 I ever spent.
Click to expand...
Yes, $65 now. I still have the first one that dad bought. $20 back in 1998 moving my older sister into the dorms. The floor plate is wore thin and has been re-welded to the frame at least twice because I did it both times. I bought this one a couple weeks ago knowing it would be easier to have one at each house… and knowing the old one is basically shot.
 
I used my small Harbor Freight motorcycle jack to move my safe into the house. I left the shipping feet on and slid the jack right under it. My safe is 26" x 43" and weighs around 700 pounds empty. I used the jack to get it off my trailer too but that took two people so it wouldn't roll away from me.
 
Not the support cables quite so much worry as the bolted-on hinges on the tailgate that get to be an issue. A 500# and under, you are probably in the "abuse" design envelope for more p/u trucks.
Get to or over 800# and I'd be very leery of most truck tailgates holding up. Of course, 800# is more than the quarter ton loading for too many p/u trucks. And, in more modern trucks, the tailgate hinges do not dismount nicely (like they ought to).

This is where a fairly simple flatbed trailer can be your friends--rented or borrowed. Trailer with 800-1600# capacity easier to find than trucks of that capacity. Trailer is like to have a ramp, and much shorter height change, too.
 
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