moving 520 lb gunsafe

[paul s]

I am a subcontractor to a company that delivers and assembles/installs things.  They want me to do a 520 pound gun safe.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopNavCatalogSearch?Ntt=winchister+gun+safe&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=0&storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051

Pick up at the store and drive about 10 miles and go up 4 steps into the living room, across the hardwood floors and into the bedroom.
.
I have a 1000 lb appliance dolly and the path thru the home is a straight shot.  I have one husky helper.  The job pays $ 120.

I am worried about getting it off the truck, up the steps, not scratching the floor.

I am thinking of just saying I do not see any safe way to do it.  would help if i had at least one more husky guy but  that is hard to find.

any bright  and safe/sane ideas out there?

[flyingvan]

Once you get to the hardwood floor, just slide it on ice blocks

[bayview]

Lay down some plywood on the wood floor . . .    Two pieces . . .    Roll on one, pickup other, place in front of the first . . .

$120.00 ?   Cheap!

/.

[Tickhill]

There is only so much to grab a hold of, don't know if another person would help. Height is another issue if you use wheeled dolly to move the safe.
Carry an old quilt (blanket to non-Southerners) and buy a couple of good, wide bottom straw brooms. Lay quilt on floor, then lay brooms side by side and put bottom edge of safe on the wide part of the straw brooms. Pick up broom handles and quilt and have someone push while you pull, you will be amazed how you can move the safe.
The quilt protects the floor.
You might be on the ground floor of a niche service field, I see more and more people purchasing gun safes, perfect your unloading and setting of the safes and who knows what you can make, seems like it would be worth more than what they are currently paying.
Good luck.
Tickhill

[rick91351]

Looks like this has an electronic lock.  Mine does not.  FYI - The fellow that placed it told me never tip one of those that has the mechanical lock or tumblers on its side or you render the lock useless.

I think it cost me about $120 many years ago to get my safe placed.  They took a tractor with forks to set it on the landing.  I had to sign a release of liability stating that the tractor would put grooves in the lawn......   Once they got it over the threshold and then  un-crated, they wheeled it right in with three short sections of inch and a half or inch and a quarter schedule 80 conduit.  They were protected with a cloth material.  They tipped the safe slightly and slid a couple under and feed the third one in as the first one was coming out.  Which they refed and so on and so on as they just rolled it where they had to go.  Later Ellen and I remodeled the up stairs and her and I rolled that safe all over with just three pieces of regular metal conduit. 

[OlJarhead]

Remove the door.

When I installed mine I removed the door -- made life so much easier!  The door carries most of the weight anyway.

[Steve_B]

With many many years of delivering extremely heavy and large furniture for Bloomingdales.... I would often be offered cash paying jobs while in the house of the customer to move this or that from there to here....

$120 for an even smaller move of a 520 pound safe like this post is for is something I would NOT ever say yes to!

Someone could easily get hurt or damage will be done costing well more then the pay involved

Example... I had two helpers with me and was offered $300 cash to move a Sub Zero fridge from a garage, up two small stairs through a door and right into the kitchen..... 2.5 hours later and one helper went down with a smashed hand and the other helper blew out a shoulder..... they paid nothing for the attempt and my work day was done with no one to help me

NOT worth it in my humble opinion

[flyingvan]

I was serious about the ice blocks.  Your floor gets wet, that's it.  Freeze your own in tupperware containers so they are about 2" thick and slip them under the safe as it enters the house.  Slide it SLOWLY---when it gets going it's hard to stop.  slide it into place and wipe up the water after the ice melts (we turned a fan on to help the floor all dry out)

[paul s]

thanks to every one, i did turn the job down.  I also found a guy who has a complete setup for doing this a powered hand truck that climbs stairs that he paid 3200 dollars for  8 years ago . the whole setup is on a trailer and the trailer does not go out for less than 400 dollars.

ice blocks, at first i thought that was a trade name or something, make me remember of a neighbor in syracuse that mved a big rock in the winter by  using a garden hose to create an icy path.

[Huge29]

Probably a good decision to decline.  The same cheapskate is the one most fired up over a small scratch on the floor, often entering a no win deal.  The climbing dollies are the way to go.  I delivered mine myself with the help of only one guy and a traditional appliance dolly.  We laid it on its back with the electronic lock and never had an issue. 

[paul s]

well the district manager  threatened my contract with the compay unless i moved the safe.  i called the manufacturer and they insisted it weighed 520 lbs.  i do not think it weighs that much if it does one of two things, at 57 i am getting stronger every day or appliance dolly can move it rather easily.  from back of pickou on 3/4 in plywood to more 3/4 inch plwood thru the front door and off to the bedroom. 
last time i do that dm a favor for a while.  ps did it all by myself and pocked the whoe 120 dollars