The Dangers of Moving a Safe on Your Own

Are you moving soon? Do you have a safe in your home that you have no idea how to relocate? Your first thought may be to just move it on your own, but think again. Safes can weigh hundreds or thousands of pounds, and you would need special equipment to safely get yours out of the home.

It’s best to rely on professional movers who have specific experience in moving safes. They bring the equipment, tools and muscle to get the safe moved efficiently, without damage to your floors, walls or to the safe itself. If you attempt it yourself with a couple of friends, you could hurt your back or neck, or worse. Or, you could drop the safe and it can gouge and crack your floors.

Before you move a safe, consider all the dangers of attempting this task on your own.

Risk of Serious or Even Fatal Injuries

The greatest danger is the risk of serious physical injury. But you don’t just run the risk of hurting your back or neck. With big safes weighing upwards of 500 pounds, you could also experience crushing injuries that could lead to permanent disability or death in the worst cases.

Damage to the Safe or the Property

Navigating a safe through narrow stairwells, passageways, out the door and up a loading ramp takes a lot of planning and forethought. Otherwise, damage to the property or the safe itself is likely. Consider that:

• Stairs are not as sturdy as you think. If you drop the safe on stairs, they could collapse under the enormous weight.
• The equipment you have on hand is not strong enough to adequately secure or hold the safe.
• The loading ramp you have on hand could crumble under the weight of a dropped safe.

Tips for Moving a Safe

It’s always best to hire professional movers to relocate your safe, no matter what its purpose or its weight. But if you insist on doing it yourself, you’ll need to invest in the proper equipment, such as an appliance dolly, supporting straps and ropes, and moving blankets. Wrap the safe in blankets to protect it and the surrounding area. Make sure they are secured, because if you trip and fall, or lose your grip, this can spell disaster. Use a heavy duty loading ramp to get the dolly up onto your moving truck. Strap the safe in place so no shifting occurs during transport.

Contact Heroes Moving and Storage

Here at Heroes Moving and Storage, we are your local safe-moving experts. Contact us for a free quote on a move involving a safe of any kind, such as gun safes, money safes, fire- and flood-secured safes, and floor safes. We also move any large or awkward piece of furniture you may have, such as pianos, large appliances, stoves and pool tables.