Are you moving and trying to decide if you should hire a moving company to transport your gun safe or do it yourself? Safes are heavy, and some weigh thousands of pounds and becomes a tricky attempt. So what is there for you to do—let us see the available options before you decide.
Costs of Moving a Safe with a Professional Moving Service
Moving your gun safe inside the home or to another house costs money and can be unsafe if not following the correct guidelines. You need to have a plan in place and budget accordingly. The critical thing to remember is that when you hire a professional to do the job the safe needs to be empty.
Further, you will have to inform the company of the exact manufacturing brand and model number for them to determine the size and weight. Alternatively, you will have to make a clear path when they arrive whether it is moving the safe to a new home or upstairs.
The reason for this is that a safe does not provide you with handholds and needs special equipment such as a dolly to move it. Next, you need to consider if there are laws with transporting your weapons if residing in a different state. You should not have problems with the Gun Safe Regulations. You might also be interested in my other post on the Best Rifle Cases.
If you do have a couple of firearms, you can keep it in the padded compartment within the gun safe. Make sure the clips removed and store the ammo separately. The best solutions to move it empty as it makes the safe lighter. Using a professional service is costly and best to get different estimates from various companies.
Gun safe moving costs
Depending on where you live and where you plant to move plus the weight and size of the safes taken into consideration. The costs for transporting 8000 lbs to 9500 lbs safe can be up to $4900 including extra costs for the safe moving equipment. Some movers do not charge for the additional tools.
How to Move a Gun Safe by Yourself
First, you need to plan your move and make sure you have the correct equipment. You need the weight of the safe and plan your route with potential obstacles taken into consideration as well. Make sure you get experienced help and get a professional to handle the job if it gets complicated.
The best way to move a safe is by using a dolly, but you need to know what the weight is. Further, you need to know how much weight the trolley can handle and consider the dimensions as well. You do not want to move the safe and find that you are not able to fit it through the doorway.
Measure the areas where you plant to move the safe through whether it is in your house or moving it to another one. Empty the safe before moving as it helps to lighten the load. Make sure you have a pair of protective gloves on and have other people helping you.
Place the dolly next to the safe for quick loading and make sure someone is holding the dolly while someone else is holding the opposite of the safe. Tilt the gun safe while the other person slides the dolly underneath the safe. Make sure to strap it securely before moving it to keep it balanced. Now you are ready to transport the safe to the next secure place.
If you think, moving a safe upstairs is tricky wait until you want to get it downstairs. However, with the correct equipment, it is possible to do it yourself. So what should you do? Rent a motorized stair-climbing dolly – you can rent them in different sizes, and the essential thing is to rent the right one. The device makes the process simpler and safe. You might also be interested in reading my post, how to move a gun safe downstairs.
Moving the Safe from One Location to another Yourself
Here you need to know what you are dealing with as every safe has a different size and weight. You need to know the exact specifications to understand how to approach the challenge. Having the precise dimension and weight will help you to hire the right moving equipment when moving a large safe.
Now you need to get at least three reliable helpers as moving a safe by yourself is not easy when it weighs more than 300-pounds. You do not want to be stuck when transporting the safe and end up needing assistance. The next steps are necessary as you need to get proper and safe moving equipment.
To move the safe out of the house, you will need a sizable dolly, and for hauling it up and down stairs, you need electric stair-climbing equipment. Further, you need pallet jacks, steel rollers, an aluminum plate, or a heavy-duty hand truck. The dolly and heavy-duty hand truck are a must-have.
Now that you have found the right equipment, you need to have a plan in place with all the obstacles that may come your way. Now you can create a strategy on paper or in your head, as you do not want to end up hurt by the massive metal beast. Once you have done this, it is time to move the safe:
- Remove all items from the safe temporarily to make the process easier. You do not want your valuables damaged in the process.
- Wrap a thick blanket or even two around the metal structure and tape it securely to prevent damage to the property.
- Tilt the metal beast to one side and slide the dolly you have chosen underneath it and wrapped with straps to minimize movement. Tilt the dolly back to distribute the weight evenly to prevent it from falling.
- If you do need to move, it up or down a flight of stairs we recommend you get yourself an electric lift model. Alternatively, you can have one helper guide the dolly while you and the others lift the dolly one-step at a time.
The important thing for you is not to get hurt in the process. Wear the proper clothing to protect your hands and feet as personal safety comes first. When moving the safe and you see it is going to tip over leave it and run!
Check out my post – Best Gun Safes under $500
What Option Do You Have?
If you have the lack of experience in not handling oversize safes, we recommend you spend more on using a removal company to manage the transport of the safe. But if you feel you can handle it by yourself, the costs can be less expensive than using a professional service to get the job done. Always remember SAFETY comes first.