1938 double door

Hi there and welcome to the forum!  I can try to answer your questions.

The double door units typically have a CK30 or CK35 cooling unit on them. This weighs about 150 to 200 pounds.  The  cabinet weighs about another 200 pounds. Those numbers are from  memory but should be close enough to help you move it.

It's important to remove the cooling unit from the cabinet if you have to lay it down, because nothing but gravity holds the cooling unit to the cabinet top. 

There is very little fire hazard with the machine its self. The cabinet and cooling unit are steel and noncombustible. Any combustible materials used in the cabinet are sealed in the walls and isolated from air so that burning isn't going to be possible. The worst which would happen is the power cord its self shorts and arcs and some spars are produced. That could be a hazard near other combustible materials, but not likely. You would be wise to do a rewire if it hasn't been done already to eliminate this risk altogether. 

Mechanically, all the rotating parts of the motor and compressor are sealed inside the compressor dome and run in an oil bath. There is no maintenance to be done to this part.  However, there is a mechanical thermostat and overload control which can wear over time and may need cleaning and lubrication. There is also a start-relay which is used to momentarily engage the compressor's start winding at each start. This contains contact points which wear out over time and may need to be replaced. Other than those two parts, there is nothing mechanical which would need servicing. 

The door gasket may need to be replaced, to  minimize frost and moisture accumulation, as well.

Hope this helps!

Also, your barn theater sounds amazing! Hope you are able to share some pictures of that when you have time!

Sincerely,
David

Cooper, the top does lift straight off. There may be some sticking of the gasket under the top, but it should lift off. Normally we lass a nylon strap down through the fins and place a couple of rods through the strap eyes to form a lifting sling for the top assembly. You can use your fork truck to lift the top off. Look around on the site for "cooling unit crate" or "top crate" and you can see the wooden support most of us use to support the unit. The unit can be laid on its side once it's removed but it should not be set down on the evaporator (freezer part) nor should it sit on the front where the control knobs are going to support weight. 

The cabinet will survive fine upright on its legs, as long as the ride isn't terribly rough. I have moved many of them and never had the legs fail while in transit.  They can be damaged by sliding or twisting the cabinet on the ground, though. So manual moving of the cabinet needs to be done carefully. 

You can keep the top in place with straps while moving the whole fridge, but again I would recommend leaving it upright. The top is very heavy and the center of mass is above the cabinet top. It's very easy for the cooling unit to dislodge, even partially, and break the evaporator or refrigerant lines. That will release the sulphur dioxide and cause a severe fume cloud. 

Thank you again for all your advice! The refrigerator made it to its new home safely. It runs super quiet and cools down very quickly. However the power cord is original and sketchy looking. I'm going to take your advice again and replace it. Is this something I should get an electrician to do or is it as simple as it looks? If I do it myself anything I should be careful of? And what do you suggest for a replacement cord? I was thinking of buying one of those orange extension cords,cutting, and using that as the cord. Thank you again for everything! I love this fridge!

Once again thank you