According to Giffords Law Center, about 46% of gun owners keep all their weapons locked in a gun safe, case, or cabinet, or inactivate their guns with a trigger lock. While gun safes keep your weapons and valuables out of unauthorized reach, moving them to another location can be quite a daunting task.
Their heavy and bulky nature poses safety risks, and this complete guide will equip you with the right knowledge and tools for the job. Read on to find out how to move a 1000 lb gun safe.
Best Way to Move a Gun Safe
Planning is key
Whether you’re moving your gun safe to a new house or buying a new one from a store, you need to plan how it will get inside the house. There are a couple of factors you should consider before moving the gun safe.
1. Gun Safe Dimensions
You need to know the dimensions of your gun safe for logistics purposes. How tight are the corners around your house going to be?
Will it fit through your doors? Will you be able to handle the gun-safe weight alone?
You can find the dimensions of the gun safe in the product details from the gun safe store. These will help you answer some of the questions about how you will maneuver it around the house.
2. Plan Your Route
From the moment the gun safe is dropped in your yard, the way should be clear up to the room where you’re going to place it. You should find a route that has the widest pathways, and clear any furniture out of the way. This way, you prevent damage to walls and floorboards by knocking objects on your way to the room.
Are you going to use the stairs during the transit? Make sure the stairs can withstand 1000 lbs of steel. Consider covering your floor and walls with thick blankets and heavy cardboard to protect them.
3. Ask for Help
You might be wondering how to move a gun safe by yourself. Well, for 1000 lbs, it’s not safe to attempt Superman’s strength, because you will end up pretty disappointed in the zero results.
You will need heavy lifting and skillful maneuvering, so we recommend that you get a few friends to help you out.
Three to five people is a safe bet, but don’t have too many people on site, because this will prevent ease of movement through doorways and stairs.
Discuss the risks and dangers with your helpers so you can come up with the best plan to get the job done.
When you have a specific plan on how the gun safe will get out of or into a house, you’re halfway there. This way, you’ll decrease your chances of making expensive mistakes.
The Equipment and Tools You Will Need
Lifting and moving a 1000 lb gun safe requires heavy-duty safe moving equipment. You will need two significant items to make this job a success. These are:
- Gun safe moving dolly
- Supporting straps or ropes
The thing is, you will need to move the gun safe from point A to B, and having four strong men lift and carry it just won’t cut it.
The gun-safe moving dolly carries all the weight, while the straps ensure that it stays in place as it gets transported.
If you’re moving house, you will need to hire a moving vehicle that has a motor-driven loading ramp.
If the vehicle doesn’t have one, you can get a standard loading ramp to wheel up the heavily-loaded moving dolly.
So what exactly is the procedure for moving a 1000 lb gun safe?
Safest Procedure for moving a 1000 lb gun safe
Ensure that your safe is empty first. Remove all your documents and valuable items, and keep them somewhere safe in the meantime. If your gun safe door is removable, remove it to reduce the weight that needs to be transported.
Next, take the following steps using the safe moving equipment:
- Secure the gun safe onto the dolly. Have your helpers tilt the safe slightly and place it onto the dolly. Use proper lifting techniques so as not to hurt your back while you do this
- Use the supporting straps to reinforce the safe onto the dolly so it won’t move around
- Tilt back the dolly onto its wheels and make sure the weight is evenly distributed
- Take your time while you walk and ensure that you navigate corners and stairs very carefully. If you need to overcome a slope, take one step at a time and slowly help each other get to the bottom
- When you get to the truck, use the motor-driven loading ramp to get the safe up to the truck
- If you use a standard loading ramp, have one person pull the dolly up while the others push the heavy load from behind. Work together to keep the momentum so you won’t have to push it up several times
- When you get to the final destination, undo the straps and gun-safe moving dolly.
- Reinstall any parts you need to (like a removable door)
We can’t emphasize enough how much thought and safety should go into this process. In case of any doubt, it’s always safe to hire a professional to move it for you.
An important note should be on how to navigate the stairs. This is the trickiest part.
How to move a gun safe up steps
Once you’ve ensured that the steps are sturdy enough to handle the weight of the gun safe, double-check that your straps are secure. Position your helpers and carefully tilt the dolly, letting it fall to each stair step slowly until you get to the bottom. Hold the handle of the dolly to get some control over it, and be sure to put in some strength.
If you’re moving up the stairs, tilt the dolly and slowly move up the stairs while lifting the dolly one step at a time. Remember, slow and steady steps.
If the stairs happen to be many, it’s always advisable to get professionals to do the job. Lifting heavy steel is no easy task and you should know going forward that it is dangerous.
Safety precautions
Always make your safety and that of your helpers a top priority. If at any point during the exercise, you feel that it may be too much to handle by yourselves, don’t shy away from getting professionals to do it.
A few things we would recommend you do for your own safety include using the right safe moving tools and equipment and wearing heavy gloves to protect your fingers and for more grip.
If at any point the gun safe starts toppling over, let it. You can fix a damaged floor but you can’t get the life of your helpers back.
Discuss the risks and dangers with your helpers so you can come up with the best plan to get the job done. Moving a 1000 lb gun safe is difficult but not impossible. Remember not to rush the process and you’ll be just fine.
