Introduction to Moving Gun Safes
Being big on home protection may mean having a gun safe. Moving a gun safe is a challenging task, and the biggest question is: How do you protect yourself, your gun safe, and your home from damage during a move?
Pre-Move Planning
The first step to safely move a gun safe is getting the dimensions and weight of the safe you're moving. Understanding the weight, height, width, and depth of the safe itself will help determine a number of issues that should be addressed up front, including:
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What exit path to use for the existing house, so you don't get stuck or damage walls and trim
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What entrance path to use at your new place for the same reasons
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Where can you place the gun safe at the new location for the right blend of access and house structure considerations?
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How heavy the safe is so you can determine your abilities to move it yourself, enlist friends, or hire a professional gun safe mover to do the job
One of your first moves is to find out what your gun safe weighs so you know who can move it. A small to medium-sized gun safe can weigh between 200 and 600 pounds, and a large safe can weigh from 600 to 2000 pounds. At 3 Men Movers, we can move empty safes that weigh up to 600 pounds.
If you're not sure of the exact weight of your safe, resist the urge to try weighing it yourself. That will end badly! Instead, Google the make and model of your gun safe and find out the weight specifications and take note.
If it weighs more than 600 pounds, we recommend hiring a professional safe mover with the equipment for the job. If your safe is teetering on the brink of 600 pounds, give or take, our movers will remove the door and handles, since that's where most of the weight is.
Proper Moving Equipment and Supplies
As with most jobs, the right tools and proper equipment make the job easier. Even a small gun safe will require gathering up some basics like:
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A pickup truck (not recommended for any safe over 200 pounds)
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A rental truck with a proper ramp or hydraulic lift that has the appropriate weight capacity
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Moving blankets or some means of protecting the outside of the safe
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Moving straps and/or ratcheting straps for securing the load
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Wood planks and plywood can be used to create ways of dealing with stairs and uneven ground
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Heavy-duty appliance dollies
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A load-rated hand truck (you can rent them from rental companies, check the load rating)
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Tape to prevent moving blankets from shifting and creating a hazard (blankets getting under the dolly wheels)
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Gloves with decent gripping ability
Safety Precautions
Heavy things like gun safes make for dangerous situations. That's why planning and risk assessment are so critical. If you're a do-it-yourself person, it's far better to put ego aside and enlist the help of friends than to get hurt. Some things to consider when executing the task safely are:
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Warm up and stretch before starting, to prevent pulling a muscle or injuring your back
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Enlist the help of strong friends, and communicate up front about how you plan on moving the safe out of your house and back in at your new location
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Use proper lifting techniques, keeping knees bent, a firm grip, and using your core to do the heavy work
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Use measured movements to lift, making sure your helper has as good a grip as you do
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Rest when and where it makes sense
Moving a Gun Safe
There are many considerations to consider when moving a safe. Equipment, securing the safe for transport, and even the vehicle you use. Transporting a gun safe takes as much planning as getting it out of your house. Some issues to figure out for transport include:
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How do you get the safe into the vehicle for transport? The weight of the safe typically dictates the method. A tiny safe may be lifted by hand, but probably not. An inexpensive way is to rent a truck with a ramp or lift gate to handle the loading and use an appliance dolly to roll it to the gate. Larger safes are best left to professionals with the right vehicle.
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Securing the gun safe to the vehicle. Gun safes are heavy but can still shift or tip over, so having heavy-duty ratchet straps on hand is a must. Whenever possible, strap the safe at multiple levels to better handle the load. If your gun safe is part of a larger move, consider strapping it and placing it in the front of the truck bed or box for more security.
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While it might be tempting to lay the gun safe on its back or side to secure it while moving, most gun safe manufacturers do NOT recommend this method. Gun safes have doors and walls with varying reinforcement levels, and are meant to be upright for that reason. Putting stress on the unit by not following the safe maker's instructions can create door alignment issues and cause the safe not to function once set up at the new residence.
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Plan and choose the new location, using all of the weight and dimension info you've gathered, and plan out how the new location move-in process will be done.
Working with a Professional Moving Company
Suppose you determine during the planning process that the weight of the gun safe will prevent you from doing it yourself. In that case, you should consider leaving it to the professionals. And while most residential movers can do the job up to 600lbs, gun safe movers do the job every day, and with practice comes a a level of skill that residential pros or DIY guys don't have. And while there's a cost involved, chances are that those costs pale in comparison to harm you could cause to yourself, your friends, not to mention damage to the safe, vehicle, and your house.
Things to Consider When Hiring Gun Safe Movers
Well, you're hiring movers who should know how to move a gun safe the correct way! So, ask them the same questions you would ask yourself when planning the move to help select the right movers. Here is a list of questions and concerns to think about:
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How much will the move cost and is there an hourly minimum?
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What is the gun safe mover's vehicle capacity?
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How will the movers protect floors, walls, and the gun safe from damage?
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Can they handle stairs and uneven surfaces?
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How will they load/secure/unload the gun safe?
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Are the movers bonded and insured to protect you from damages and liability?
Things You Need to Do for the Gun Safe Movers
Gun safe movers are concerned with two main things: Safety and security while executing any gun safe move. For that reason, most professional gun safe movers will ask the owner to do the following things:
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Empty the gun safe of all firearms and ammo. The safe owner must be responsible for transporting their guns that are in their name, for the value of the items, reducing weight and contents shifting, as well as preventing weapons from getting into the hands of people other than the owner. It is a liability most moving companies will not take on. In fact, 3 Men Movers will not move firearms or ammo for liability reasons.
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Communicate any special needs for the move, including best exits/entrances, and where the gun safe will be placed in the new location. Doing so will ensure proper equipment and planning are arranged up front.
Things the Gun Safe Mover Will Do
When the gun safe movers arrive, they will perform the following:
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Ask for details about the move, exit strategy, and placement at new location
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Inspect the outside of the gun safe for any damage, and take note of it
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Move the gun safe to a large enough space to properly wrap the safe with blankets, taping the blankets to protect both the safe and blankets from shifting
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Lay down floor protection, including floor runners, Masonite (durable compressed wood), sliders, and use a furniture dolly to perform the move
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Can Residential Movers Move a Gun Safe?
If using professional gun safe movers is not an option due to distance or the fact that the gun safe is part of a whole house move, then asking the proper questions will help you find the right residential moving company to perform the task. Ask the questions from above, but also ask these additional questions:
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Does your moving company move gun safes?
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What is the weight limit, if you do so?
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Does your company have trucks available with lift gates? Most moving companies' trucks have ramps for both ease and speed of tackling most household goods
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Do you charge extra for moving gun safes?
Suppose it turns out a residential mover can indeed move your gun safe. In that case, you will need to communicate the details to the mover, providing the moving crew leader information about weight, location at current house, destination location, and any other things of note about walkways, best entrances, and dimensions to help the mover plan ahead.
Final Thoughts on Gun Safe Moving
As professional movers ourselves, we always recommend you hire a professional for the job, but which professional is typically determined by the weight and size of the safe. At 3 Men Movers, we understand the importance of treating your gun safe (and your home) with care. Contact us today to see if we're the right fit for your situation and/or to schedule your move!