Help with floor safe

[Gustufsun]

I bought a house with a floor safe. The house was built in 1986. The previous owners didn't know anything about it. It reads Fortress, so naturally I contacted Fortress Safe Co. They said it wasn't theirs, but it was made by Fortress International, which I can't seem to find. Any information or guidance on this would be appreciated.

[MartinHewitt]

I haven't fount information about a safe like this. From how it looks I would say it has a basic bolt work and a group 2 lock, which can be manipulated. The dial ring looks not right. The opening and change indices should be on the top, which is determined by the reading orientation of the inscriptions. Maybe someone changed the index, because the safe was used from the other side. The change might have been done correctly or not. So if you want to attempt a manipulation do not look for the contact points only at the standard locations. If you do not want to manipulate, but want to drill, then you are wrong here.

[Squelchtone]

It was made by Keep / Safe, Fortress is the model name.

Looks like a Lagard 3330 and Martin is right, the dial ring is 180 degrees out of whack.

You could try dialing the factory combination where all three wheels are set to 50.

Turn dial Left past 50 three times and stop on 50 the fourth time around.

Turn dial Right slowly until the dial retracts the bolt and stops turning.

Then turn door handle and pull door open.

Is the dial ring behind the dial loose and free spinning? The dial ring has the two white lines on it.

Squelchtone

[Gustufsun]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your time. The dial ring does not move its securely in place. I tried the 50-50-50, nothing. Is it easier to pick or impression the keyway or manipulate the combination?

[Squelchtone]

That key lock on the dial doesn't open the safe, it just locks the safe dial so people don't free spin it for fun.

You can manipulate a Lagard 3330.

[Gustufsun]

Ah, I see, thank you. I'll start reading on safe manipulation. Anything specific to the Lagard 3330 that I should know?

[Gustufsun]

Can I safely assume that the bolt will retract with a dial turn to the left when facing the safe such that the index mark is at the top. In other words, everything is reversed from "normal"?

[MartinHewitt]

It is a right hand door and I do expect the bolt to retract when turning right. I also have never seen a left handed 3330. But it really is not that important for a manipulation. When you have all gates aligned you will feel the drop of the lever. And then when a right turn doesn't open the lock you can try a left turn and voila.

[Gustufsun]

Thank you MartinHewitt and Squelchtone for your comments and advice. It was a fun exercise and I learned alot.

How it began and how it ended

[MartinHewitt]

Awesome! It seems you had fun with it. Any dead spiders inside?

[Gustufsun]

No, just dust. There was what I believe to be the original carpet from 1986 over it. I discovered the safe when the carpet was being replaced after I bought the house. It may very well have not been opened since installation. For other newbies reading this, I spent about 2 hours watching and reviewing YouTube videos, about 30 minutes fooling around with a gun safe I had (that I could take the back off of and see the wheels moving), and about 2 hours "cracking" the floor safe. I would for sure use a camera for amplification and a fixed perspective. I think I also got lucky in having an easy wheel pack. It went 3-2-1 with obvious indicators.

[MartinHewitt]

The first safe I opened contained construction waste. On would think a safe that is used is cleaned before use, so I guess it also was never used.

PS: Thanks for reporting back!

[Squelchtone]

Man, that was quick. You're a natural!

Nicely done and thanks for sharing your success with us!

Squelchtone

[Gustufsun]

Thanks! I remembered that there was a safe at a foreclosed house I bought about 16 years ago. It was outdoors lying on its back. My mom wanted it for yard art, so it's been sitting outside this whole time. Today I stopped by to visit mom. The dial spins pretty freely. If the handle is moved it will lock up the dial. From reading here and poking around online a bit, it would appear to be a Yale HE or OB...? Sadly, it's about 10 miles away so I wont be able to fool around with it for a while. Any advice on its manipulation would be much appreciated.

[MartinHewitt]

It should be a Yale HE. There are two ways. Either by the shift of the contact point(s) or by how far the handle turns. I would start with the CPs first because it does not need as many tools. The left CP (on the dial left) should be more helpful than the right CP. Both methods do require a constant tension of the handle which is on the light side. Some do it manually, some use weights or rubber bands. If it is the HE the bolt work will first make contact with the fence and then the fence will contact the wheels. Work with the second contact.