Safe moving questions.

[the naked prophet]

The wife and I are getting a safe (850 lb model) and suddenly she freaks out about not being able to move it in. I mean, we've already ordered it and committed to pay for it.

So the new questions she brought up are this:

Can our floor support an 850 lb safe? I know people with 900 lb safes on their second floors, and ours will be on a first floor (only floor) with wooden floor joists and a crawl space underneath. Is this ridiculously heavy for a wood-joisted floor, or is this not a concern? I hadn't seriously thought about it before, because I know lots of people just plop these down in their houses (and bolt them to the walls, etc).

Second, how many people does it take to move in a safe? There is only one step up into the house (from front driveway up to house interior) and it's maybe 4 inches. Assuming I had a refrigerator dolly for leverage, and used 2 inch wood dowels for rollers (the recommended method based on other peoples advice), would four average-sized guys be enough (two college guys, me, and my 50s dad - all in decent health)?

Third, is it particularly dangerous? Men in my family have a history of hernia, and all of us have had at least one operation to bring back one of "the boys" that got lost. With only four guys, all of whom have had an operation for this, would we be likely to injure ourselves again? Just pushing a safe on rollers, and lifting it up one 4 inch step?

Have any of you found it necessary to hire movers, and if so what did it cost?

 

[a1abdj]

Yes, it is possible to move it yourself. No, it's not rocket science.

However, I always advise people to hire a professional. Not only because I am one, but because I can do it faster, safer, and set it up right. When I say professional, I mean somebody in the safe business, not just a moving company.

Us professionals also have millions of dollars worth of liability insurance in the event something does go wrong.

A delivery like that in the St. Louis area would run around $200 to $250, which is definately cheaper than a trip to the hospital. If you're not in the St. Louis area, I can certainly refer you to somebody closer to you.

 

[leadcounsel]

Search is your friend. This was just discussed last week in depth.

 

[Taurus 66]

N/A

 

[offthepaper]

I had a safe delivered by the safe dealer I purchased it from and was lucky enough to live less than 2 miles from the store. they delivered and placed it exactly where I wanted it for $175.00. But like I said, I made a purchase, and lived very close to the store. That said, I would advise paying the delivery fee. You've already made the investment, a good professional delivery and setup, and final instruction of funtion and feature will leave you with a good feeling and understanding when it's sitting in the homestead. Just keep one thing in mind, if you're concerned about the floor support for the weight of the safe alone, consider the combined weight with the secured goodies.

 

[FireBreather01]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=212681

I'll also add - I'm aware of at least two people that ended up with broken bones by having a safe tip over on them while attempting a move. Be careful!

 

[JohnKSa]

I paid to have my safe delivered and to have it moved both times I've moved since then. Money well spent in all cases.

I'd want to ask a pro about the floor support issue. There's enough at stake that it's probably wise to have a professional put his reputation on the line rather than for you to just guess at it.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Do those delivery prices include them bolting it to the floor or going in the crawlspace to make sure the floor will support the weight in that particular spot?

 

[the naked prophet]

Yes, I did a search and read that thread. Very informative. All of my questions were not answered in that thread, and I didn't want to hijack it so I thought the appropriate thing to do was start my own thread.

I still need to know if a normal floor can support that kind of weight? It appears that nobody seemed concerned about it in the other thread...

I guess some of my questions were answered in that other thread, now that I re-read it. The first time I was more interested in technique.

 

[heysox]

I had a Ft. Knox safe that weighed about 2000 lbs in my living room with wooden flooring. I had a full basement beneath it. I set it (actually the dealer delivered it, which I recommend) in a corner. In the basement, I doubled the joists by bolting additional wood to them. I also braced them horizontally. Lastly, I cut 6x6 lumber and used a sledge to tap them vertical under the joists. Maybe it was overkill, but the full ton sitting over the basement made me cautious. Never had a bit of a problem.