Gun Safe question, bolting to the floor

[vontar]

hardwood floor with a crawl space.

 

I put the safe in a corner on an outside wall where there should be a couple floor joist close together.

 

I will inspect that a little better when it warms up.

Edited January 27, 2013 by vontar

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I believe most bolts from the box stores are from china.   That's why they snap so easy.

 

Gun Smith, just for curiosity, where would you go looking for lag bolts that are not so easy to twist off the head? I also shop a lot at Ace. I like the local Ace but they are rather thoroughly eat-up with made-somewhere-else fasteners as well.

[Mark A]

[quote name="mikegideon" post="896368" timestamp="1359181623"]. If they don't, you need allthread long enough to go to a 2x6 or piece of unistrut that spans the bottom of a couple of floor joists. Learned it from a safe guy[/quote][quote name="mikegideon" post="896368" timestamp="1359181623"]


That is how I did mine. It is very solidly mounted.

Mark Edited January 28, 2013 by Mark A

[peejman]

Subfloors are almost always laminated. That gets distributed. Think about it... would a 400lb person punch thru a floor?

 

 

Punching through isn't the issue, sagging is.  People are considered "dynamic loads" as they don't sit in the same spot for years.  The safe will sit in the same spot for years and years.  The floor will begin to sag and pull the adjacent walls with it.... the sheetrock will crack, doors won't swing or shut properly anymore, and it's easily prevented.  As Lester suggested, some blocking between the joists, a post footer, and a floor joist jack.  Should cost less than $100 and take a couple hours to do. 

 

Blocking between joists and they've laminated additional joists to the existing ones.

 

 

Floor jack post.

[Glenn]

I believe Lowes has high quality bolts, you just have to look for them. What you want are grade 8 bolts.

Edited January 28, 2013 by Glenn

[Jonnin]

Ours is not bolted down, but to get it out would require air-lifting it with a chopper or serious pulling power. 

 

If yours is accessible and could easily be pushed out of the house and onto a truck, then it should be bolted down IMHO.

 

Remember its the weakest link --- if a hammer can bust the pad and release the bolts, it did not accomplish much. 

Edited January 28, 2013 by Jonnin

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I believe Lowes has high quality bolts, you just have to look for them. What you want are grade 8 bolts.

 

Thanks, Glenn.

[mikegideon]

Ours is not bolted down, but to get it out would require air-lifting it with a chopper or serious pulling power. 

 

If yours is accessible and could easily be pushed out of the house and onto a truck, then it should be bolted down IMHO.

 

Remember its the weakest link --- if a hammer can bust the pad and release the bolts, it did not accomplish much. 

 

It's also a lot easier to get into a safe if you flip it on its back. Stealing the whole safe isn't the only concern.

[Dennis1209]

I haven't read all the posts here, however... I think one of the sponsors here is "The Safe House" in Nashville. I bought a Liberty Fat Boy safe from there and couldn't be happier. Anyway...

 

If you go to their website they have a wealth of information there. Should you not find an answer to your particular question, they are fine folks and I believe they would be happy to answer any of your questions.

 

With the possibility of your floor warping or caving in, and to place and anchor it properly, I suggest calling a professional that does it for a living. JMHO.

[mikegideon]

I haven't read all the posts here, however... I think one of the sponsors here is "The Safe House" in Nashville. I bought a Liberty Fat Boy safe from there and couldn't be happier. Anyway...

 

If you go to their website they have a wealth of information there. Should you not find an answer to your particular question, they are fine folks and I believe they would be happy to answer any of your questions.

 

With the possibility of your floor warping or caving in, and to place and anchor it properly, I suggest calling a professional that does it for a living. JMHO.

 

They just told me how they do it.

[battleop]

These are very good.  These allow you to drill your hole, move the safe over the holes, drop these in through the safe and hammer the "nail" down.  To remove safe, you remove the nut and washer and lift the safe off the bolt/stud.

 

They come in a variety of sizes and lengths.  Home Depot or Lowe's and the like won't have them.  You'll have to go to a construction oriented hardware store or to a Fastenal or similar.

 

I've bought these at Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware many times.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

The video above shows how I did mine. I learned the hard way doing the same thing with a big tank air compressor that

wouldn't sit still when I first got it. Same rules apply. I got those bolts at Lowes, also. Just had to look a while. They work

quite well. You need a good heavy duty drill and a high quality masonry bit, or it will take all day.

[hardknox00001]

 I got those bolts at Lowes, also. Just had to look a while.

 

I stand corrected.  I will look for them there the next time I need some.