How to Move a Heavy Safe: 10 Tips to Keep You Safe

Every time you are moving to another home by yourself, you often get to handle large, heavy, and awkwardly-shaped household items. Moving house without hiring movers can be a tricky and risky job that will require exercising extra caution on your part, implementing rigorous safety measures, and following specific safety moving tips.

One such troublesome item to be relocated can be a large and heavy home safe. Now, unlike portable safes which are designed to be easily transported, the purpose of a big safe is to be really hard to move out of the house by unauthorized persons. That security feature is the whole idea behind the home safe, isn’t it?

Your guns and valuables are securely stored for safekeeping, and the impressive weight, size, and sturdiness of a large safe should be such as to discourage and ultimately prevent any potential theft attempts.

So far, so good.

But how to move a safe by yourself when the need comes? How are you supposed to move a gun safe by yourself when that monster of a strongbox can weigh between 500 pounds and 800 pounds, sometimes much more?

What a good question!

To answer it, we have prepared some great tips for moving a heavy safe by yourself – that is, not entirely on your own but rather, without having to hire professionals to do it for you.

1. Re-evaluate your options for moving a heavy safe

If you own a small portable safe for documents or cash, then you’re safe – you won’t have to worry about how to move that small vault simply because it’s meant to be transported easily from one place to another.

However, since you’re reading this, the chances are that you own one of those huge high-security (gun) metal safes, one that is almost as big and tall as a fridge, only much heavier. Those types of safes offer the ultimate protection for your valuables and guns – burglar-resistance, fire-resistance, environmental resistance, etc. – but a home vault of that magnitude is really difficult to move, be it to another spot within the same residence.

Before anything else, it’s time to do a quick risk assessment in order to figure out whether or not you can handle the tough task. Moving a big safe is anything but a joke and the safe relocation job can be rather dangerous too. This is why the safest option you have is to hire professional movers with years of experience in moving large safes safely between homes or offices.

Nevertheless, if you feel confident that you can manage it SAFE-LY without having to pay experienced movers to get it done for you, then the first thing you should do is gather a team of helpers – at least two other people, preferably three.

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2. Prepare the safe for moving

It’s always better to leave the moving of large and heavy items to professionals but if you strongly feel like you need to move your heavy safe by yourself, then the first thing you need to do is prepare your heavy safe for moving.

To do that,

• Empty your safe of its contents: banknotes, documents, jewelry, guns, and so on. This way, you won’t only lower the total weight of the strongbox, but you’ll also eliminate the risk of damage to your valuables while the safe is being transported to its new place.
• Find another secure method of transporting the valuable items that you’ve just taken out of your home safe.
• Make absolutely sure that the door of the safe is closed and locked because its accidental opening during the relocation process can cause irreparable property damage or lead to personal injuries.
• Wrap thick furniture blankets around the entire body of the safe, then use packing tape or stretch wrap to keep the blankets in place. This way, you’ll provide sufficient padding for the safe that will keep it fairly protected from accidental hits during the move.

How to Pack Heavy Items for Moving

3. Get the right moving equipment

You’re going to want to move your huge safe with a dolly – a heavy-duty appliance dolly that will handle the extreme weight and dimensions of your strongbox. You may have heard about other “cool” methods of transporting a large safe – for example, rolling the big vault over golf balls, or metal or PVC pipes. Don’t do it – see Tip #10 to learn why.

Instead, use the safest safe transportation method that’s been proven to work well and that’s been used exclusively by professional movers – using a strong appliance dolly to move your heavy safe. After all, there must be a good reason why professionals use moving dollies for lifting and moving heavy stuff on a daily basis.

• Rent a moving dolly from a local moving company. However, before you go up to them, you’ll need to know the dimensions and weight of your house safe. It’s important that you know those two values so that the pros can lend you the right type of heavy-duty dolly – one that will withstand the enormous load. Consult your safe documentation or look up your safe’s characteristics online – as long as you know its brand and model, you’ll be fine.
• Purchase or rent durable supporting straps or ropes as well to secure the super-heavy item on the moving dolly.

Essential Moving Equipment to Have When Moving

4. Work out your safe exit strategy

Remember that haste makes waste. Before you make any attempts to move the heavy safe, plan carefully your way out of the house all the way to the transportation vehicle. Be 100% sure about what you want to do and how you’re going to do it.

Never rush things – rather, think at least two steps ahead before taking one actual step forward. Tricky corners, flights of stairs, and tight corridors present formidable challenges and may lower significantly your chances of success.

Here are a few important things to consider before you start the actual safe moving operation:

• Measure all doorways and tight spots along the exit route, then compare those measurements with the dimensions of the big and heavy safe to make sure you won’t run into trouble on your way to the moving vehicle.
• Check to make sure that the exit path is absolutely clear and free of any obstacles such as randomly scattered moving boxes along the way.
• Map out the entire route from the current resting spot of the (gun) safe to the awaiting moving truck.
• Share the safe moving plan with your helpers so that everyone in your team is on the same page. Agree on some warning signals among yourselves to avert trouble before it happens. It’s a good idea to have a person walking in front and making sure things are going as planned.

5. Protect the floors and the walls

Moving a large and heavy gun safe is not to be underestimated. Even when you’re confident that you’ll be able to handle the extraordinary weight and size of your safe without calling in the pros, all it’ll take is one wrong step to cause more trouble than you can possibly handle on the day of the move.

And even though you’ve already protected the safe itself by wrapping it with thick furniture blankets, that protective measure may not always be enough to ensure the smooth damage-free moving of your huge safe.

So, go the extra step and cover any tight spots that the safe will pass by while it’s being taken out of your home – door openings, tight corners, walls, and even other furniture pieces that the big strongbox might have contact with during the trip to the moving truck.

For extra protection, consider protecting the floors by placing old rugs, old blankets, or large sheets of thick cardboard that should soften the impact and minimize the damage should the safe accidentally fall off the heavy-duty dolly and hit the floor.

How to Protect Floors When Moving

6. Secure the safe onto the dolly

Having the right equipment for moving a safe is often cited as the most important aspect of your decision to move your enormous home safe without using the services of a professional moving company.

And as mentioned above, you’re going to need a heavy-duty dolly rented from a local mover in line with the actual weight and dimensions of the home vault you’re moving.

Here comes the critical step – to load the safe SAFELY onto the moving dolly. To do it properly, follow these steps:

• Align the moving dolly right next to one side of the safe.
• Have all your helpers stand on the other side of the heavy safe and lean it back slightly.
• Slide the dolly underneath the safe until the latter rests safely against the two-wheeler.
• Use the supporting straps or pieces of rope to strap down the safe to the moving dolly. Tighten the straps or ropes as far as they will go to eliminate any movement of the huge load.
• Tilt back the dolly on its wheels and keep the heavy safe well-balanced and stabilized to avoid tipping. The weight of the strongbox should be evenly distributed on the moving dolly so have your friends keep the load completely steady until you reach the truck.

7. Navigate around corners and stairs with the utmost caution

The most important thing when moving a safe with a dolly is to proceed extremely cautiously when wheeling the home vault within the house towards the exit door.

The first trouble that you may encounter is having to go around a tight corner. That can be tough so it’s important to remain calm and go very slowly, one small step at a time. To maneuver safely around corners while having the huge safe loaded onto the moving dolly, you’ll need to go wider than usual, positioning the L-shaped first-class lever a bit further out than you think it necessary. This little maneuvering trick will enable the dolly and its load to turn at an easier and smoother angle without any danger of hitting the wall.

Without a doubt, the hardest and most dangerous part will be to move the safe downstairs when moving out of the old location or upstairs when moving into the new residence. If you only need to overcome 2-3 gently-sloped steps, then you may be able to pull off that risky job – take only one tiny step at a time while having all your helpers support the heavy safe from the sides.

Remember that moving heavy items down or up many stairs is very dangerous and if you’re staring down or up at a long flight of stairs, then do yourself a favor and call in professionals who’ll know what to do.

8. Load the heavy safe onto the moving truck

Once you reach the moving vehicle – which should be large enough to fit your big safe, then it’s time to load the home vault into the moving truck. How do you do that?

The safest way to load the enormous safe onto the transportation vehicle is to do it with the help of a motor-driven loading ramp. Such a loading ramp is a must-have prerequisite for a successful safe transportation, so make sure the moving vehicle is equipped with one before renting it.

However, if the moving truck does not come equipped with a mechanized loading ramp, then you’ll need to use the standard loading ramp to wheel up the heavily-loaded moving dolly. And that’s not going to be something that you will enjoy, that’s for sure.

To load a heavy safe using the regular loading ramp of the truck, you’re going to have to have one person pull the dolly up while the rest of the helpers stay behind and push the enormous load. The trick here is to keep the momentum going all the way up without hurrying things too much.

So, once you begin to move the dolly up the ramp, don’t stop – instead, use the gathered momentum to your advantage and get the heavy load inside the truck in one smooth attempt.

Once inside the back of the truck, secure the safe tightly to the side of the vehicle with the help of straps or rope.

How to Load a Moving Truck the Right Way

9. Make SAFE-TY your top priority

Don’t ever forget, not even for a moment, that your safety and the safety of your helpers should be your top priority. Nothing is more valuable than a person’s health, not even a heavy safe full of… gold.

To ensure that everything goes as safely as possible, follow these safety tips when moving a heavy safe to another home:

• Be aware of your limitations as a person who’s not a professional mover. If something seems too risky for you, then it probably is, which means you should play it safe and hire professional movers to get it done properly.
• Take hold of the proper safe moving equipment. If you don’t, can’t, or won’t, then do the smart thing and request professional assistance.
• Make sure you have 3 people to help you out when moving the huge safe around. Also, discuss the risks and dangers in advance and seek out the best solutions before you rush to get the job done.
• Wear comfortable clothes (not baggy) and select close-toed shoes with sufficient ankle protection and anti-slip soles for better traction to eliminate possible slipping accidents.
• Protect your hands and fingers by wearing durable work gloves. Good-quality gloves will also improve the grip while you’re handling the enormous safe.

Safety Tips to Avoid Injuries When Moving

10. Don’t make your safe moving job riskier than it needs to be

Moving a big and heavy safe by yourself is a risky endeavor no matter how you look at it. So, our final advice to you is to NOT make it any riskier than it already is.

• Golf balls. No matter what you’ve read or heard, moving a safe with golf balls is a bad idea. Why? The enormous weight will push down hard on the balls and their small contact areas will press down into the floors, most likely leaving dents or scratches on hardwood floors and possibly breaking tile floors. If you’re using golf balls on carpeted floors, those balls will simply sink deep into the thick fabric and won’t roll at all.
• PVC or metal pipes. Using PVC or metal pipes to slide your heavy safe is not a great option either. Even though the pipes will spread the enormous weight over a larger area while protecting your floors at the same time, it’s easy to lose control of the rolling pipes and thus send the huge strongbox crashing into something, or worse – into someone.

Therefore, the two viable options before you are either to self-move your home safe by using the dolly-assisted method described above (beware of the risks and dangers!) or to hire professional movers (zero risk of damage or injuries for you).

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