[harrypottar]

HI,

Looking at purchasing a gun safe to keep my starwars figure collection safe.:act035:

I know the tail gate is rated at 300lb dynamic, what ever that means?

This safe is 507lb but I would assume it has packaging and a pallet.

Would I best to just rent a uhaul trailer and instead of trying to get it in the bed?

thanks in advanced

 

[bulwnkl]

Open the tailgate sideways so the safe is never resting on it. Problem solved.

The phrasing "xxx-lbs 'dynamic'" _MAY_ not be used properly. As written, what that phrase means is that the dynamic load may not exceed xxx-lbs. Dynamic means moving or changing, so dynamic load is the load experienced when the truck is moving (like when going through a dip, for example), and the force of gravity is multiplied, thus making the 100lb weight you have sitting on the tailgate 'feel' like 300lbs. Dynamic loading is always greater than static loading. Static in this context means not changing, so static load is the load experienced when the truck and the load are stationary (static).

IF the above is not how the person who wrote that 'spec' meant it, then that means the writer did not understand how to correctly write, or say, what they meant.

 

[Carsmak]

That said,

If it were me, I'd go with rent a "cheap" trailer from Penske or Uhaul or some local rental place. I believe even Home Depot has them for rent.

Your benefit with the trailer is the "Load" height would be reduced and no unnecessary stress on your RL.

 

[Dnick]

Your decision is completely dependent upon the method of placement & removal of the safe to/from the truck. If you've got a fork lift with fork extensions placing /removing it, then no problem.... you never put the weight on the tailgate.
If on the other hand, you & some friends are planning to "gorilla" it out & into the house, I agree with the lower trailer approach.

With respect to the tailgate itself..... you'd probably be fine, but why risk it if you don't have to...... AND if you did intend on testing the limits (especially in a personal safety situation like that), be SURE to check the tailgate retention cable & attachment points for security...... probably load-test first with something more stable & safe (not pun intended).

Honestly, if you had 3 friends; each 166 lb. adults sitting on the tailgate, you probably wouldn't be concerned..... and that is 500 lb. I might be concerned if that whole load was placed totally out at the end, however (as in sliding a safe off the end).

 

[KSPhoto]

Don't forget you could just swing open the tailgate and load it directly onto the bed. Never has to be on the tailgate.

 

[Heli ATP]

Wait, What, did you say the tailgate swings open? Wow

You may want to put a sheet of plywood in the bed to protect it and disperse the load.

 

[ridged4herpleasure]

wait...you have a star wars figurine collection AND a drivers license?

 

[schwejo]

I did the same thing a few years ago and for the life of me I cant remember what I did with the tailgate. All in all it was an easy move. Four of us loaded it up.

While unloading, if you don't use the leading edge of the trunk or tailgate as a midpoint teeter-totter with the entire weight and pull the safe out level and farther out before lowering then you have something closer to only half or 3/4 the weight supported on the truck because you and crew are holding up the rest. If you pull it out farther (and have the help to support it) then you wont have it come rushing out at you as the weight shifts and you lower the end to the ground.

I would be more concerned about the tailgate end/top cap but I think its pretty tough. I do recall using a moving blanket to help it slide and of course ratcheting tie downs. The safe was bolted to a pallet and had a cardboard cover.

When I got home, my neighbor, and my daughter helped me to pull it out and lower one side to the ground, and right the safe. Obviously with 500 to 600 lbs you can kill yourself or lose a body part so you don't want to be under gunned, but not such a big deal with 3 or 4 helpers.

After that I used the old trick of 5 or 6 schedule 40 PVC pipe lengths to move the safe. Best to have a helper to pass the rollers back to the front after they roll out the back. Obviously all the normal precautions need to be taken not to drop that kind of weight on anybody or thing like a wall, but with a little planning, we moved the safe from the driveway through the house and down a hall into place in just 10 or 15 minutes.

I had a couple thresholds to go over, but the pipes were taller than the thresholds and the PVC provides a pretty slick surface so we just positioned a pipe on the other side of the threshold and pushed and slid our way across using the same process of keeping pipes in front as we slid and rolled past the thresholds. I also had one step so we positioned pipes farther ahead and laid the safe on its side across the step and then righted it again on the other side.

It was all a little like laurel and Hardy moving Co. but piece of cake with a few extra hands.

 

[Bogus919]

I moved a 600lb engine in the back of my truck and I had an issue at first removing the engine with the tailgate swung open.... ya see, the tailgate doesn't swing open all the way so I couldn't just pull the lift straight back and my engine lift couldn't maneuver enough to pull this 600lb swinging load back and to a 45 degree angle away from the truck.

I couldn't pull it out with the tailgate down because the engine lift couldn't reach far enough into the truck with the gate in the way.

How did I solve this problem? well, I chocked the wheels on the engine lift, had the gate swung open as far as it would, and then got in the truck and turned right and drove the truck away from the suspended engine

The truck doesn't like it when you drive with the gate swung open but luckily it still let me go.

I would second the notion of getting something low to the ground if you can.

 

[northernlights]

Last fall I went on Criags List and found a mover to move a VERY heavy gun safe. Cost me $120.00 delivered and set into place. My back and anything that could happen to my truck is worth a lot more then that. All I did was watch and have a beer.

 

[harrypottar]

Update, Finally picked up the safe tonight. No issues what so ever.

Tailgate down with some cardboard over, moved the safe on a pallet truck about a foot and half away, tipped the safe over and then lifted onto the bed on the pivot point. Tailgate held up like a champ. Rode home with the tailgate down has the safe was a little to long to close the tailgate.

At home, slide the safe over the truck, made easier with the card board to it's pivot point and lowered to the ground. Rented an appliance dolly from Home Depot 10$ and wheeled it around back and into the basement.

No issues with the truck, tail gate or bed.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Parsec]

Update, Finally picked up the safe tonight. No issues what so ever.

Tailgate down with some cardboard over, moved the safe on a pallet truck about a foot and half away, tipped the safe over and then lifted onto the bed on the pivot point. Tailgate held up like a champ. Rode home with the tailgate down has the safe was a little to long to close the tailgate.

At home, slide the safe over the truck, made easier with the card board to it's pivot point and lowered to the ground. Rented an appliance dolly from Home Depot 10$ and wheeled it around back and into the basement.

No issues with the truck, tail gate or bed.

Thanks for the input.

I just saw this thread, but thanks for the update. The comments on here are hilarious. Why bother driving a truck if you are too scared to haul a 500 lb safe? Ridiculous... don't these people look at the "Ridgelines can tow" thread? BTW, next time you are in Framingham you should stop by Harbor Freight to buy a 700-lb hand truck. It's like $40 and will come in handy from time to time.

 

[Dnick]

I just saw this thread, but thanks for the update. The comments on here are hilarious. Why bother driving a truck if you are too scared to haul a 500 lb safe? Ridiculous... don't these people look at the "Ridgelines can tow" thread? BTW, next time you are in Framingham you should stop by Harbor Freight to buy a 700-lb hand truck. It's like $40 and will come in handy from time to time.

In all fairness, I think most of the concerns were with overloading the tailgate (which 'could' be a serious safety hazard).

If he was loading/unloading with a fork lift it would be one thing.... but to seriously 'assess' before doing, was good sound thinking in this case (IMHO). The last thing you need is to get 500# on the tailgate & have the tailgate support cable snap..... (you can read about cable failures elsewhere on the forum).... potentially damaging self &/or helpers, not to mention the truck & safe.

All worked out great, and I don't think an advance discussion to think it through was a 'scared-y-cat' move at all in this case.