Safe Space Episode 8: What to Know About Delivering Gun Safes

Customers often underestimate the space needed for a safe or forget to clear a path, making delivery difficult; securing pets and measuring diagonal clearance inside closets are key. The team shared stories of heavy and complex installs—including hidden rooms, pulley systems, and moving 8,000-pound safes—emphasizing that skill, teamwork, and the right tools matter more than brute strength, and while delivering ten smaller safes is usually easier, big jobs offer unique challenges and pride.

As with all things we do here at NW Safe, our goal is to help customers invest in their piece of mind. That’s what we’re continuing to do with the podcast — offer transparent insights into the world of safes, safe manufacturing, safe delivery, and safe maintenance. 

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Episode 8 Discussion Questions

1:13: What's a common mistake customers make when preparing for a delivery?

2:54: Where is the best place to install a safe?

5:35: If your job were a video game, what would your power-ups be?

7:41: Where is the strangest place you've installed a safe?

9:45: What's your biggest pet peeve when you show up to a delivery?

12:05: What is the heaviest safe you've ever had to move, and how did you do it?

14:17: Would you rather move a 1,500-pound safe up three flights of stairs, or deliver ten small safes in one day?

16:52: How many deliveries do you do on average during a day?

Episode 8 Discussion Question Synopsises

1:13: What's a common mistake customers make when preparing for a delivery?

A common mistake customers make when preparing for a safe delivery is underestimating the space needed—especially when placing a safe inside a closet. The safe might fit through the doorway if turned sideways. Unfortunately, many closets don’t have enough interior space to rotate the safe into its final position.

To prevent this, we strongly recommend taking the "diagonal measurement" of a space. If there isn’t enough room to turn the safe, installers may need to come back later or even modify the space, which can delay the process.

Another frequent issue is clutter or obstacles in the delivery path. While it’s not always seen as a “mistake,” having cars parked in the way, boxes in the hall, or pets roaming freely can slow things down and even create safety hazards. Our team loves animals, but we do ask that pets be secured during delivery.

Overall, the two biggest tips are:

1. Make sure the safe will fit where you want it after turning it.

2. Provide a clear, obstacle-free path for the delivery crew.

These small steps make a big difference in ensuring your safe gets installed quickly, safely, and in the exact spot you want.

2:54: Where is the best place to install a safe?

Gary keeps his safe in his master bedroom closet because it's convenient for how he uses it. He emphasized that the best place to put a safe is where you’ll actually use it. Before moving it to the closet, Gary had his safe in the garage, which worked for him at the time. Around 50–60% of safes are installed in garages, especially for people who use them for things like hunting gear.

However, for items like jewelry, a garage isn’t ideal. If it’s inconvenient to access your safe, you’re more likely to leave valuable items in places like a dresser drawer, which increases your risk during a burglary. A safe is only helpful if you use it regularly and consistently.

Some people worry that burglars often check the garage or master closet first. While that may be true, the team explains that a high-quality, properly installed safe — especially one bolted to concrete — makes it extremely hard for thieves to break into. Concrete anchoring is much stronger than bolting to wood, which can be pried up more easily. Ultimately, the key is buying a good safe and installing it in a place that fits your daily habits and needs.

5:35: If your job were a video game, what would your power-ups be?

Riley jokes that his ideal power-up would be a “two or three beer head start” to loosen up before talking on a podcast or working at a sportsman show. He says that kind of social “power-up” would make selling safes easier and more fun — but definitely not something they’d use during deliveries!

When talking about safe deliveries, they agree that while super strength might help, it’s actually not the most important thing. Despite the image of heavy lifting, safe delivery is more about skill and teamwork than pure muscle. Even smaller team members can handle tough jobs with the right technique and partner. The work often requires problem-solving and technical know-how more than brute force.

7:41: Where is the strangest place you've installed a safe?

Riley admits he hasn’t done many installs — maybe around 100 — but others share memorable stories. One of the most interesting installs involved a hidden room behind a moving wall that led to a secret space where the safe was kept. Another job was in a house that had no basement access except for a closet with a ladder made of rebar.

To get the safe into that basement, the crew had to use a pulley system to lower it down piece by piece. They were installing a Dakota XP model that could be assembled from the inside. The ceiling was so low that they had to crouch the entire time, making the job physically exhausting. Despite the difficulty, it stands out as one of their most memorable experiences.

There have also been some less expected places the crew has installed safes — like a business that stores collectible cards such as baseball and Pokémon cards. It’s a reminder that safes aren’t just for homes or jewelry stores — people use them for all kinds of valuable items in all kinds of spaces.

9:45: What's your biggest pet peeve when you show up to a delivery?

• Leaving Cars in the Driveway: One major issue is when customers leave their cars in the driveway or don’t clear a path for the delivery team. This makes it harder and slower to bring the safe in safely.

• Pets—especially dogs—Can Become a Big Problem: While many customers believe their dogs are friendly, things can quickly change. Gary recalled being bitten by a dog right after the owner said it was safe. And if you know your pet is aggressive or protective at all, they absolutely need to be put away during the delivery.

• Messy Spaces — especially dog poop or cat urine in the carpet: During one delivery, Gary recounts helping a customer pick up their backyard for a delivery and picking up a piece of plywood covered in poop. He had to handle it with his bare hands, which was frustrating and avoidable.

12:05: What is the heaviest safe you've ever had to move, and how did you do it?

Gary moved a large safe weighing around 4,000 pounds. While that’s heavy, it’s not the biggest safe they’ve handled. The delivery started out easy on a flat surface, but as soon as they hit a slope, it got much harder to push.

Gary adds that with extremely heavy safes — like ones that weigh over 8,000 pounds — brute strength isn’t enough. Instead, technique and the right tools are key. For most installs, they use “slick sticks,” which are padded boards with rails that work like a temporary track system to slide the safe across a home’s floor.

For even heavier jobs, they switch to steel pipes and PVC rollers, similar to how people believe the pyramids may have been built. By placing pipes under the safe and rotating them carefully, they can steer the safe around corners and through tight spaces. The process may look old-fashioned, but it’s surprisingly effective. The team jokes that maybe ancient people used the same technique — or maybe aliens helped, if you believe what you hear on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

14:17: Would you rather move a 1,500-pound safe up three flights of stairs, or deliver ten small safes in one day?

There are two typical types of delivery days:

• Installing a very heavy safe

• Delivering multiple small safes

What kind of day the delivery crews prefer depends on how much they’re being paid and how complicated the job is. If the pay is good, a 5,000-pound upstairs delivery might be worth it. But overall, delivering ten smaller safes is usually more efficient and profitable, especially when jobs are close together and only take 35 to 45 minutes each.

On busy days, doing quick deliveries makes the time fly. However, difficult installs, like getting a large safe up multiple flights of stairs, can take two hours or more. These jobs feel longer and more draining. Still, the team agrees that handling big, complex jobs is what sets them apart from most of their competition. Few people are able—or willing—to do these kinds of deliveries.

These installs offer a real sense of pride and accomplishment. You learn more and push your limits. It’s tough work, but it displayed the skill and value of the delivery crew.

16:52: How many deliveries do you do on average during a day?

Around 2016, Northwest Safe saw a big increase in demand and expanded to two delivery crews. That helped balance the workload, bringing the daily average back down to 5 or 6 deliveries per crew. Over time, though, they built back up and now often handle 7 or 8 stops a day, with some days reaching 12, especially when the deliveries are simple, like garage installs or lighter safes.