[trains2planes]

As one of members mentioned earlier removing the door is approximately half the weight and also leaves hand holds for managing the move. I did the same thing many years ago with six of us when we were young strong guys. going down on 2x8's the weight of the safe - door removed still overcame us and it did not lower slowly as planned.
However looking back in retrospect i'll probably never be able to get it out of the basement - so think this over. The other alternative is to disguise or camouflage the safe in some way - think trogan horse? whichever way you go can you undo what you've done if and when necessary? peace. Jim

 

[capstan]

My son and I got a couple safes down into the basement. The heaviest one was around 600lb and the lighter was around 400lb. Since the ext. door and the door to the basement open up so its one straight shot from outside to the stair, we backed the pickup right up to the door. we slid the safe on its back over the tailgate and when it could pivot we let it tip down unto the floor then got it down flat on its back on the floor we left it in the cardboard box and slid it down the stair. we both had to get on the downside and push against the bottom so it didnt slide down to fast. at the bottom we tilted it back up and then walked it over to where I wanted it. They are both up agaisnt the foundation wall.
and advantage to having safes down in the basement is that if there is a fire, they wont come crashing down through the burned out wood floor above . Also noone is going to get the safe out unless they are like Hercules.

 

[what would you say]

I've moved a 600 pounder before. 900 is getting on the realm of call the pro. problem is you can have an army to help, but there isn't space enough around the safe to use the amount of force necessary to manipulate it safely. With the proper equipment it doesn't need that many people and unless you already have the equipment, it's just better to call them.. Now moving a piano is all kinds of fun.....

 

[crc1514]

i'll do some calling tomorrow, but searching the net, the nearest listing for safe or piano movers is in tulsa, ok which is about 1 1/2 hours from here. there is a sporting goods store about 45 miles from here that i can check with for info. on the plus side, about halfway down the staircase it does open up on one side, and the only thing at the bottom of the stairs is a wide open concrete floor. i wasn't planning on buying anything as big as i did for just this reason, but i got a deal i thought was too good to pass up.

 

[crc1514]

called the nearest sporting goods store today and they gave me the number of a safe mover. they charge $120/ hr from the time they leave their building to the time they get back. the problem is its over a 2 hr round trip to my house and back for them. i opened the box and the door does come off. we have pallet and tire jacks around the farm that will help in taking it on and off. i think i'll try to rent a dolly with those belts on the back that will let it slide lying down, take the door off and give it a try with ropes like i did the last one. as i mentioned earlier, nothing at the bottom of the stairs but a concrete floor to tear up, i'll lay some rubber mats down just in case it does get away from us, and make sure no one gets below the safe as its coming down. the 500 lb safe wasn't hard at all, so hopefully with the door off this one won't be a whole lot tougher. it may be a few weeks before i try it, if i tear anything up real bad i'll let you all know. i don't mind hearing "i told you so" as long as its not from my wife.

 

[ka64]

Cost me 200 to have mine put in the basement. Money well spent..........

 

[Rick]

I have to stress what oyeboten said. How old is the house? Check the stairs closely. That is a serious load. If notched "stringers" are not 2x12, serious temporary propping is NECESSARY! What are the "treads?" 2x10? 1" thick particle board? Either is fine if in good shape. Chances are there is 3 notched stringers. That's over 16" spacing. Notching actually reduces the 2x12 to 2x6. Prop anyway! If the stairs give way somebody could die.

I'm a licensed builder by the way, so I actually know what I'm talking about. Good Luck!

 

[crc1514]

I have to stress what oyeboten said. How old is the house? Check the stairs closely. That is a serious load. If notched "stringers" are not 2x12, serious temporary propping is NECESSARY! What are the "treads?" 2x10? 1" thick particle board? Either is fine if in good shape. Chances are there is 3 notched stringers. That's over 16" spacing. Notching actually reduces the 2x12 to 2x6. Prop anyway! If the stairs give way somebody could die.

I'm a licensed builder by the way, so I actually know what I'm talking about. Good Luck!

the stairs were built in the late 70's. the stringers are 2x12. treads are 2x10. the front 2" of the treads are supported by sitting on top of a 2x8 on edge that closes in the front of each step. there are only 2 stringers, 42" apart. not planning on having anyone on the stairs as the safe is going down. we'll lower it down on its side with ropes from the top. there is enough room to get plenty of guys at the top to help with the ropes. the staircase opens up on one side halfway down so someone could help without being in front of the safe. who knows, i may wake up tomorrow and decide the $400 for a safe mover is a better option.

 

[capstan]

900 lb is a pretty heavy load for typical cut 2x12 stringers. Mine only have 2 stringers as is pretty typical of most stairs. My heaviest safe was around 600 lb. The load capacity of the stringers is based upon the grade lumber ,the type of lumber,the span, the net section of what is left after cutting,whether or not it was overcut, whether there are any reentrant corner splits/cracks at the cut outs and where they are located,the duration and distribution of the load,the moisture content of the lumber,and other factors. If the load of the safe distributes pretty evenly to all the vertical edges of the risers(uniform load) then you will have less bending stress than if the safe's weight ends up on one riser at mid-span (point load) and maximum bending moment. Also if when easing the safe down, the safe impacts into a riser at mid span ,the stress is increased. The allowable stresses for lumber can be increased for short term duration load, but the applied stress is also increased for impact loading so be careful not to let the safe slam down on the stair and be careful that the load distributes as evenly as possible. For a safe that heavy I think Id shore up the stringers underneath at midspan with 2x4 studs down to the floor.
I suppose you could get 4 people that weigh over 200 lbs each and all of you stand close together at about midspan and maybe jump up and down some, and see if your stair stringers start to crack. But then you might break your own stairs with the load test and people might get hurt some. You should probably
have a structural engineer check it out before you consider using the stairs to support the 900 lb safe. dont forget it will be the 900 lb safe plus whoever is on the stair with it.

 

[A1A]

FWIW the shelves and dividers are usually a dense fiber board and weigh up considerably just like the door. For anyone shuffling a safe around at all, it is worth removing them too.

 

[HK4me]

I just moved a Liberty Fatboy into my basement. Rented a stairclimber for $80/day. Got the safe off back of the pickup onto 2x6's to allow the stairclimber to roll. Moved it down 1 stair at a time being very careful to maintain balance. It just cleared the bulkhead doorframe at the 2nd to the last step. Iron pipe in the basement to roll it into position. Google safe stairclimber. Make sure the rental guy shows you how it works and how the support legs pop out-didn't know about support legs until we finished. And practise using a smaller file cabinet to get the feel for hoe the stairclimber works.

 

[pecosriver]

Please let us know how it works out.

 

[Armyphotog]

I guess I don't understand "gun safes." If it was a REAL safe, you could just put a bunch of old mattresses at the bottom of the steps and give it a good push. Shouldn't hurt a real safe. Might wreck you floor however.

 

[BigO]

They have special dollies that are battery powered and walk up and down stairs. Some professional movers will have them but they are expensive about $4,000 to $5,000 but they are designed for moving items like safes. You may be able to rent one!

 

[Rick]

I would imagine your 2 stringers are spiked or lagged into the framing or TapConned into the concrete. This leaves the treads and 1x8 (riser) to support the weight. The risers DO increase the load bearing capacity but sliding the safe over the "toes" of the treads could cause them to crack if they are not in great shape after 40 years. Make sure all treads are securely fastened so they won't "tip" if fasteners pull out.
Consider a couple 2x12s to lay over treads and slide it down on them thus distributing the weight. Once again, Good Luck!