It is a wonderful moment when your new gun safe arrives at your home. You can rest assured that your firearms will now be in the best possible place to keep them out of harm’s way.
Well, almost. There is still a little bit of work to be done before you can put your guns into their new home. Given that many of these safes are incredibly heavy, moving it into place could be a real effort. So how can you do it most easily?
The following tips will ensure that your new safe gets into the right place with a minimum of fuss. They will also be just as useful if you are moving an existing safe from one part of your home to another.
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Understand the Weight and Dimensions of the Safe
Did you read the weight and dimensions of the safe when you bought it? This information is contained in the product details of any safe that you buy on the internet. Yet, some people neglect to take it fully into account.
You should take some time to consider these details, ideally before you even buy it. Is it the right size that you need and is it a weight that you can handle? It can be difficult to get an idea of how heavy something like this really is just by looking at. Does a friend have a similar safe that you can go and check out?
You need to remember that good-quality gun safes are made out of thick steel, which makes them very heavy. If you don’t need such a heavy robust safe then maybe it makes more sense to look for smaller models that are easier to move around.
Plan the Route You Will Take
If you order your new safe online then the site should tell you where it will be dropped off. Typically, this will still leave you a fair distance for you to get it to the place you want it to be. Some delivery guys will go the extra mile but you shouldn’t be counting on them doing this for you.
The most you can expect is for it to be left in your drive or somewhere else that still leaves some work to be done. If the delivery firm offers to take it further for an extra cost then this is worth considering, as it will save you some hassle.
Either way, you need to work out where it needs to go next. Do you already have a spot designated for it in a certain room? If not, then now is the time to think about it. In this way, you will avoid any rushed decisions that you might end up regretting.
With the safe’s destination sorted, it is time to plan the route there. Are there stairs or narrow gaps along the way? Do you need to move any pieces of furniture out of the way? If in doubt, make a bigger gap for your safe than you think it really needs.
Walk through the proposed route and work out how to overcome any obstacles that are in your way. It should only take a few minutes and it will make the whole task a lot less stressful.
The last thing you want is to get halfway to your destination before realizing that the route there is blocked for one reason or another. If you plan well then you will know exactly what to do every step of the way. However, if there is something in the way then planning in advance will allow you to work out how to resolve this problem.
Get Some Help
It is unlikely that you can move a heavy gun safe on your own. Even if you were to somehow manage it, you run the risk of causing yourself a bad injury. Apart from the weight, they are also big and bulky. It is a far better idea to look for some help to do this.
Do you have friends, relatives or neighbors who could lend a hand? Having a group of 3 or 4 people to move the gun safe can make life a lot easier. Having said that, you shouldn’t forget that there is a limit to how many people can get a grip on a safe at one time.
If you have a group of 8 or 10 people gathered around the safe then they are just going to get in each other’s way. It is a lot better to have a smaller group that you know will work well together.
Perhaps you could organize some food or drinks as a reward for them afterwards. Letting them know that it is going to be a fun day might encourage more people to come over and help you out. The actual time spent lifting and moving should be pretty short anyway.
Understand the Basics of Lifting Heavy Objects
Have you ever lifted heavy objects like this in the past? If you have then there is a chance that you already have a decent grasp of how this has to be done. If not, then it is important to find out what technique you need to use.
Lifting heavy items in an incorrect way is one of the main reasons why people get injured at work and at home. Yet, it is fairly easily to lower the risks just by understanding what it is that you need to do. If you use a good technique and don’t try to lift more than you can manage then you should be fine.
The first step here is to adopt the correct posture. This means getting as close as possible to the safe and keeping your back straight. Once it has been lifted into the air move your feet to change direction, rather than twisting your body. Remember to bend at the knees and keep your back straight when lifting it up and setting it back down again.
Don’t try and rush the move. Steady, firm steps will allow you to get there far more safely than rushing will.
Use a Furniture Dolly
Our ability to move heavy objects is made a lot easier by putting something under them to slide them over. The Egyptians knew this when they built the pyramids and the people who built Stonehenge knew it as well. The technique still works as well now as it did back then.
The best, modern way to do this is with a furniture dolly. This is a simple piece of moving equipment that makes any load lighter. They aren’t particularly expensive to buy but you might prefer to try and borrow or hire one if you are unlikely to ever use it again.
Be sure to choose a dolly that is strong enough for the weight of the safe. These dollies are easy to use and will take a lot of the strain for you, if you’re after a recommendation, you cant go wrong with this Cosco dolly from amazon.
What About the Stairs?
If you are lucky then there won’t be any stairs in your way. But what if there are? Some people like to store their firearms in the basement, which usually means going down some stairs. Is this going to be an obstacle that you simply can’t get past?
This video shows how a team of professional removers move a big safe up a flight of stairs. While they make it look pretty easy, this is a task that you shouldn’t underestimate. It is probably going to be the trickiest part of the job for most people.
As you can see from the video, they keep the safe on the dolly as that move it up the stairs. It is vitally important that it is firmly fixed on here and doesn’t have any chance of slipping while you move it.
Take Out Anything That Can Be Removed
If you have just received your gun safe then it is going to be pretty much empty. Your firearms are no doubt sitting somewhere, waiting for you to put them in it.
Yet, might there be something inside the safe that you can take out to lighten it at least a little? Generally speaking, the only removable objects inside will be the instruction manual and maybe a couple of removable shelves.
You might decide that it isn’t worth the effort to open the door in order to take these things out. After all, it can be far better to sit down in a more relaxed moment to open it for the first time and discover how it all works.
Things are different if this is an existing gun safe that you are just moving from one room to another. In this case, it makes perfect sense to take out the guns, ammo, and anything else that is inside it just now.
It is still going to be pretty heavy, of course. However, this will remove a little bit of weight. Just as importantly, it means that the contents won’t be rattling about and potentially getting damaged as you move it.
Don’t Damage Your Property
There are likely to be a few moments in the moving process when the safe is in danger of damaging your walls, doors or furniture. This is especially true when it has to go up some stairs, round corners or through narrow gaps.
What you don’t want to do is to scratch, break or damage anything as you move through the house. Therefore, it is worth putting some effort into protecting your property.
For a start, you could wrap some protective material around the safe itself. Old towels or clothes can be used to prevent the edges of the safe scraping or otherwise causing damage as it is being moved.
The other aspect here is that of clearing fragile items well out of your way. In fact, it is best to clear a path by removing anything that could get damaged by the safe in its progress through your house. By working steadily and carefully you should get it all done without any problems.
Fix It Into Place
Now that that your safe is exactly where you want it to be the work is almost over. However, there is still one last thing that you need to do. That is the task of fixing the safe into place.
The thing is, if you are capable of moving your safe then so are thieves. So, if someone breaks into your home they can just take the safe away with them, to open at their leisure later on.
This is why good gun safes all come with locking bolts. These bolts are used to fix it to the floor, or in some cases to the wall.
The thing to bear in mind is that you need to drill holes for the bolts and then put the safe into place to fix them. If your friends have left and taken the dolly with them then this could prove to be impossible for you to do alone.
Therefore, once it is in position you should look to bolt the safe into place while you have help at hand. Try and have the tools ready so that you can do this quickly and effortlessly. Having done this, it is now ready to use and you shouldn’t need any more help.
Take Your Time
Finally, it is understandable that you will be keen to get your gun safe into position. If you have been waiting for this moment for some time then you won’t want to wait any longer. A gun safe is a terrific purchase and the sooner it is ready to use the better you will feel about you and your family’s protection.
Yet, rushing in to move it can turn out to be a big mistake. It is far better to take your time and do it right. Spending just a few minutes here can make all the difference.
After the job has been carried out satisfactorily, you will be ready to enjoy years of faithful service from your new gun safe.
