A short story about what happens when you're drinking on Black Friday.............One man, his Kubota, and a lever

[Bearcatrp]

And what did your wife say when she saw it? Any marks on your face from a flying fry pan? Haha

 

[Geezer3d]

I have what looks like the same safe, or maybe a little bigger, that I won in a raffle. When I brought it home I was able to get it off of the trailer and onto my porch with a block and tackle. Once I got it upright and stable I used what I call the Egyptian method to move it into the house and around to where it is now resting.

My Egyptian method is to cut several lengths of 3/4 inch PVC to about the width of the safe. Once I tipped the safe up enough to get one length of pipe under the safe it was simple to get a few more under it and roll it along while placing the lengths of pipe under it as it rolled. As a length of pipe came out the back I placed it in the front.

FWIW, I also braced up the floor from underneath once the safe was in place to prevent the floor joists from sagging over time.

 

[NCL4701]

Nice work even if you didn’t have it all planned to the last detail from the outset.

My “big” safe (which my wife took over for stuff she thinks is important) I ordered from I forget where, included delivery in the price. At about 1900lb I figured that was not a bad idea but also thought that meant they’d drop it in the driveway and I’d have to use the trip bucket loader on the Farmall to get it in the house. (This was pre-Kubota). No clue how I’d get it to its final destination in the house.

So two guys show up with a 30’ box truck with a lift gate and ask me where I want it. Told them in the drive out basement but assume that would be up to me. They inform me I’ve misunderstood. They have to put it wherever I want all the way to final destination so long as it fits without dismantling the house. Cool (sort of). They couldn’t get their big ass truck to the garage door end of the basement and are pondering how to roll it through the yard because their monster hand truck is just going to sink in the somewhat muddy front yard if they try to roll it.

The loader on the Farmall might have been ideal but my Dad was still alive, it was his, and my using his tractors, even though they were 100 yards from my house and I had hundreds, nay thousands, of hours on them for his benefit, for anything that didn’t benefit him was a royal PITA that was often unsuccessful (which eventually resulted in my purchase of the Kubota) so I preferred not to take that route. So I told them, I got this little Nissan Frontier and that thing will likely set it on the axle stops but we’re just driving about a hundred feet.

We cobble up this plan that they’ll lower it on the lift gate to the level of the Frontier truck bed and dolly it into the Frontier. I’ll drive them and the safe in super slow motion to the basement garage door. These guys are confident they can hand truck the thing off the back of the Frontier to the floor without damage to person or property and they’re the professionals so off we go. The way the trucks mated up we agreed we’d leave the tailgate on the Frontier to load it to cover the 2” gap between their lift gate and pickup bed BUT when we got to the point of unload, they’d let me take the 200lb rated tailgate off before rolling the 1900lb safe off.

Sure enough as soon as I get the truck in position half way through the door, these two guys, who were taking the ride in the back with this thing immediately roll it off the tailgate before I can make it all the way out of the cab. The tailgate, which had way over 2000lb on it between the safe and these two silverback gorilla sized dudes, bent into a rather sickening U shape as it took the full weight. Miraculously as soon as the weight came off, it sprung right back to dead straight. Probably could have made a Nissan commercial out of it if I’d been videoing.

After that, it was nothing for them and their Xtreme hand truck to put it into position. They did stop for a minute when they got it close because one of them saw a Pittsburgh Steelers banner over the 72” TV near where I wanted the safe. He said he wasn’t sure he could, in good conscience, finish the job for a Steelers fan. Asked him who his team was. He said he was a Browns fan. Thought for a minute and told him, I’d probably say something insulting but nothing I could say would hurt any worse than what the Brown’s performance had already done to him for years. He said that was cold, hurtful, and unfortunately very true. They finished the job.

At one point, wife wanted it moved. Told her no. Later tried to move it. Then told her no again.

We got a second gun safe for the guns sometime later. Picked that one up at the store. Told the wife we could put it anywhere the forklift could set it.

 

[Trimley]

Do yourself and your floors a favor, buy an AirSled

All you really need is the Appliance model.

I've used them for over 30 years, to move MANY things single handedly.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Awesome lights…Looks aweful empty in there.

Yea, the ATF is requiring me to a take a "boaters safety course" before I can "replenish" my collection that was lost in a tragic boating accident.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Last safe I owned , I turned INTO a liquor cabinet. Put all my $$$ booze in there, closed door, spun then the air turned blue from the nonstop muttering of 4 letter words, in several languages.
Combination was in the envelope....IN THE SAFE....
Couldn't even drown my sorrows.....

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Which model & type S&G lock did you pick up? and Group 1 or Group 2 S&G makes some nice locks to work on and maintain.

Did it come with a "Change Key" so you can set your custom combination? It's an easy task with the change key.

David

edit: nice job on the precarious install!!

Thanks.

It's a group 2 model 6730 with the change key.

Now Liberty Safe can't give my combo to the FBI....hahahahha

 

[GeoHorn]

Believe it or not…those cheap appliance dollys from Harbor Freight will actually hold 1,000 lbs or more despite their fragile appearance. I’ve got a full safe similar to the one being discussed which has sat on one of them for 6 months so it can be moved around the room during an extensive remodeling job. It can be rolled-around by one person… and placed upon the dolly by two persons…by tipping it over about 30 degrees to lift one side up on a block, then tipping it the other way to get a dolly slid beneath it.

PS: My Finance-ChairWoman approved the purchase when it was explained that her heirloom jewelry and our property deeds, passports, Titles, Certificates and Wills were protected within.

 

[tsp159]

My "24 count" tubular projectile accelerating equipment model safe was moved out of my old residence and into my new one using a skillful combination of a furniture dolly, hand truck, and foul language. It helped loading up on pizza the night before to provide some counter-balance leverage

The biggest problem I have now is the highly optimistic quantity of tubular equipment that it claims I can store is much greater than the number of tubular equipments I want to possess. The Chief Executive has said my equipment collection can not exceed the confinement of said safe.

Seems like I need to get some boating lessons from @Runs With Scissors

 

[GrizBota]

I have what looks like the same safe, or maybe a little bigger, that I won in a raffle. When I brought it home I was able to get it off of the trailer and onto my porch with a block and tackle. Once I got it upright and stable I used what I call the Egyptian method to move it into the house and around to where it is now resting.

My Egyptian method is to cut several lengths of 3/4 inch PVC to about the width of the safe. Once I tipped the safe up enough to get one length of pipe under the safe it was simple to get a few more under it and roll it along while placing the lengths of pipe under it as it rolled. As a length of pipe came out the back I placed it in the front.

FWIW, I also braced up the floor from underneath once the safe was in place to prevent the floor joists from sagging over time.

Just curious, was that Egyptian PVC or Schedule 80? I’m thinking Schedule 40 would make some nasty cracking noises and be less round after a stint?

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Nice work! What always enjoy your stories. You are a good author.

That mid point support did look a bit concerning. But you got it, albeit sans carpet (dang it!).

You’re a brave man. I had two buddies help me get mine in the house and upstairs, and it's a small one compared to yours.

I have to laugh at the optimism the manufacturer has as to how many “long guns” can reasonably fit in a given space. I think they are optimistic by a factor of two or more, unless they mean Red Rider BB guns.

Good luck with the finance committee. Can you say it just fell off a truck on the trailer and you had to deal with it?. TSC to the rescue on the pricing. Too bad the independent fellow has to sell for so much, presumably to cover overhead.

Thanks for the kind words.

I agree about the number of guns too its a BS marketing ploy.

I too kind of feel for the other guy as well; I think this is "last" years model and they are brooming them cheap to make room for the new models. If it was only a hundred or so I would have bought it from him for sure, but I can't spend 1100 bucks more.

 

[GrizBota]

My "24 count" tubular projectile accelerating equipment model safe was moved out of my old residence and into my new one using a skillful combination of a furniture dolly, hand truck, and foul language. It helped loading up on pizza the night before to provide some counter-balance leverage

The biggest problem I have now is the highly optimistic quantity of tubular equipment that it claims I can store is much greater than the number of tubular equipments I want to possess. The Chief Executive has said my equipment collection can not exceed the confinement of said safe.

Seems like I need to get some boating lessons from @Runs With Scissors

Not that I’d know for sure (since I lost all mine in a terrible boating accident as well), but if a person separates the loweres from the uppers, a few more can fit.

 

[GrizBota]

Thanks for the kind words.

I agree about the number of guns too its a BS marketing ploy.

I too kind of feel for the other guy as well; I think this is "last" years model and they are brooming them cheap to make room for the new models. If it was only a hundred or so I would have bought it from him for sure, but I can't spend 1100 bucks more.

Yup, I’ll go 10-30% more to support the local guy and/or buy US, but I’m not of the means to pay double to do so.

 

[GrizBota]

Do yourself and your floors a favor, buy an AirSled

All you really need is the Appliance model.

I've used them for over 30 years, to move MANY things single handedly.

I had a second hand hockey table like that when I was a kid. The principle is simple, but it’s pretty amazing as to what a little 10 amp blower can do. Kind of like gas in a chainsaw, impressive.

I have to wonder if it’d work at all on carpet. But I suppose that’s nothing a nice piece or two of cardboard couldn’t overcome.

 

[Trimley]

I had a second hand hockey table like that when I was a kid. The principle is simple, but it’s pretty amazing as to what a little 10 amp blower can do. Kind of like gas in a chainsaw, impressive.

I have to wonder if it’d work at all on carpet. But I suppose that’s nothing a nice piece or two of cardboard couldn’t overcome.

They work just as well on any surface (common sense) that the average person would walk on barefoot. The kit comes with (use too?) four high density (thin) sheets that you can use to daisy chain as you move. Cardboard also works fairly well. Once you see how they work, you'll see how to simplify the functionality.

One key thing to using the AirSled is the fittings. DON'T FORCE THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE >>> THEY WILL CRACK.

As I mentioned. I used my "standard" set a LOT LOT when I was installing flooring and remodeling kitchens. I also used them for every other opportunity where it made physical labor less.

Treat them with care...be aware of things that can puncture and/or slice the air chambers, and they'll serve well for a long time.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

And what did your wife say when she saw it? Any marks on your face from a flying fry pan? Haha

Funny you should mention that.....She was so focused on spending 2300 (+tax) that there might be a "happy ending" for all persons involved.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Too bad the door swings the wrong way!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Too bad the door swings the wrong way!

Actually I put it there precisely because that wall is there.

I wanted that wall there to get in the way of a "pry attack"

There were only 2 other places to reasonably put it.

In the "scuba room" closet (which was my 1st choice) .....but according to my calculations it would have been a very, very, very tight fit....

or in the front room, but that left all kinds of room for a "pry attack" from both ends.

Lets face it, anything can be "gotton into", its just a fact.

But I am reasonably sure, your average "Joe Crackhead" is gonna give up before they get in.

I may attempt a move to the "scuba room" in the future, but for now I'm ok with it.

 

[Trimley]

Actually I put it there precisely because I want that wall there to get in the way of a "pry attack"

BEST

Better fire protection Wedge and stack a layer or two of sheet rock on all sides but the face. Then trim it out in wood trim.

 

[GrizBota]

They work just as well on any surface (common sense) that the average person would walk on barefoot. The kit comes with (use too?) four high density (thin) sheets that you can use to daisy chain as you move. Cardboard also works fairly well. Once you see how they work, you'll see how to simplify the functionality.

One key thing to using the AirSled is the fittings. DON'T FORCE THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE >>> THEY WILL CRACK.

As I mentioned. I used my "standard" set a LOT LOT when I was installing flooring and remodeling kitchens. I also used them for every other opportunity where it made physical labor less.

Treat them with care...be aware of things that can puncture and/or slice the air chambers, and they'll serve well for a long time.

Cool. Thanks for the common sense clarification and following it up that the manufacturer might have considered this via the inclusion of some sheeting. Which I suspect the instructions might even suggest. are for use on carpet (common sense). But I’m only guessing…