This question was given to me in the form of a long article. I hate to have to compare the Ark to pagan objects but it is the only way to show real examples. Please remember that the 3D illustration of the Ark does not give an exact measure of how tall the cherubims are or the thickness of the gold/wings/seat. It was made to illustrate the position of the cherubim and wings on the Ark according to Ron’s witness who is no longer with us to give the rest of the details.

The Bible does not reveal the size of either the cherubims or the staves used

to transport the Ark. Nor does it say anything about how heavy it was, how much gold was used or how thick the gold was. It does not even say the cherubims were gold all the way through or if it was hollow inside.

The ark itself was just covered with gold. However, this was not the case with the mercy seat and the cherubims. Large cherubims would amount to a very heavy ark which is why most think of them as small and therefore depicts them that way without considering the design might have been different than traditionally assumed. The biblical concept of the wings creating a cover and being on two different sides creates problems for the illustrator when the cherubims are small. And so popular illustrations often break the rule of them standing on each side and place them more in the middle.

However, Exodus 36 indicates the two cherubims were made from one piece and that piece was hammered gold.
This is not a problem in Ron Wyatt’s Ark discovery, by having the angels large they can be even made in one piece and then shaped to stand at the sides at the same time.

The Bible does not say the gold of the cherubim was neither pure nor solid but lets us still assume that it was as no other material is mentioned in the construction. Because if they weren’t then the weight problem is not as much of an issue. But in case they were made of only solid gold, let’s look at the construction possibilities.

So what do the large cherubim tell us about the transportation of the Ark? Would it make the Ark too heavy?

The only measure we are given is the size of the box which was made mostly of wood. The box was 1,3 meters long, 76 cm high and 76 cm wide. It was only covered with gold which would not make it as heavy and the gold could be relatively thin. The size of the box does indicate a limit to the size of the mercy seat and the cherubims so that we can compare with other discoveries and make a rough evaluation of its weight.

The largest gold item that exists today is a Buddha statue in Bangkok Thailand, it is solid but the purity varies on the different parts. It weighs 5.5 tonnes and made over 200-400 years ago it was made to be divided into 9 parts so it could be transported. 
To compare, The Ark would likely weigh far less than any one of those 9 parts. 

Because the Ark was carried on the shoulders of priests common sense says there must be a limit to how heavy it could be. Although we do not know how many men carried it at the same time or if or how often they would change the bearers, we do know historically that they often moved very heavy objects in those days. 

Is it even a problem?
If made to be a problem we will discuss all the possibilities connected to this design of the Ark in this article. However, our first comment is that it is not a problem. Ron estimated (guessed) was that the Mercy Seat along with the cherubim is about 900 pounds/400 kg. The lower part only being wood covered with a layer of gold adds to the weight which means it then would end up weighing close to half a ton.
For the modern average man, it is estimated he can carry over his head (overhead press) the weight of 45 to 60 kg. The ark was carried more simply than that, on the shoulders which makes it even easier to carry heavy. But it also has to be lifted to its position.

The record set for holding something up with the shoulders (raw squatting) is the crazy amount of 1268 lbs (575 kg). That’s one Ark on one man, but he would most likely not be able to walk. But for a normal untrained man (raw squatting) it is estimated to be around 40-50kg and for a trained individual over 100 kg. If we believe six people carried it then they would carry the weight of approx 83 kg each. If we believe in the Bible that the physique and age of man have degenerated, they might even have been stronger than then the average man today and the lift been easier. But to be really difficult, let us assume they were like men are today. You can still carry the Ark with six fit men.
If you have eight carriers carrying a total of 500 kg they carry about 60kg each, which is not a problem for strong-fit men at all. If they were ten people the weight would be 50kg each. And so if Ron’s estimate is correct the Ark discovered is not too heavy to carry as some critics say. Our answer can stop here and we can let this be the answer. But people who look for “faults” where there is none can come up with many problems that in reality are not a problem. And so let us for fun’s sake dive into all the problems anyone can think of. Let us assume Ron’s estimate was wrong and that the design makes the Ark heavier than he estimated. Can you get 400kg from that design with large cherubims or would it have been heavier? Is the tall illustration of the Ark correct or the lower one? Let us make some problems and then see if there is a solution to them.

The Ark according to Ron’s design has to be a lot heavier than anyone can carry?
So what if it was heavier than Ron estimated and it consisted of gold all the way through. How could it have been done? Many more might have helped carry than previously thought or God gave them strength or helped them supernaturally to carry it. We know God chose specific men to carry it and in the Bible, we have the story of Samson who was unusually strong. We are told Samson’s strength was divinely derived and not the result of physical training. He slew a thousand men with a jawbone and caused a building that contained thousands of people to collapse. When God immediately took his strength away Samson was just as strong as an ordinary man.

And so God has proven that when He chooses someone for a special task He can equip them with supernatural strength for their task. And so this is not a problem for God, just for the Bible skeptic. (Jdg 15:16; Jdg 16:27-30) God did do other miracles in the wilderness. Even something as peculiar as for their clothes and shoes not to wear down for 40 years. Which is also impossible. (Deuteronomy 29:5) If God wanted He could even have only two men carry the Ark even if it was half a ton. If we believe in the Bible we should believe that anything is possible. Even if Ron estimated wrong about the weight and it was much heavier it would not be a problem and if it was so heavy it was a problem, God could have helped them carry it.

Does the design support the weight of 400 kg?
We do not know the size of the upper body of the cherubim, nor did Ron tell it. And so this potential problem is only a problem created in someone’s imagination. Let us anyway except this to be a valid argument. If they were too big to, with the seat, to be only 400kg how can the design still be correct?
This problem would have been solved if we consider that the cherubims were made of solid gold but were hollow inside. The Bible is silent on the matter. But it was not unusual to shape gold in that way, in fact, it was rare they made golden objects in any other way. The fact that the cherubims are the only part said to be of hammered gold indicates that the gold was flattened into a thinner shape. And so the information about it being hammered might give away that it was.
If the cherubims were hollow, the Ark would not be too heavy at all and no super-strength would be needed. It would absolutely fit with Ron’s description and his estimate of the weight.

One example of solid gold created in a hollow form is the Burial Mask of Tutankhamon (54 centimeters (1.8 ft) tall, which weighs over 10 kilograms (22 lb). However, its face and neck are gold but not pure gold. Or the Gold burial mask of King Psusennes I (48 cm high) which was made with hammered pure gold and is also hollow inside. 
To compare the width size of the ark is only 76 centimeters which is the width of where the cherubims would stand. However according to the drawing of what Ron Wyatt saw the cherubims head and body only covered part of this width. When considering the Ark is 76 centimeters high it shows the limit to the length of the lower body of the cherubim. If they were a hollow rounded shape the amount of gold used would be far less than many assume. The upper body could rest its weight on the end of the mercy seat so that the lower body would not need to be very thick at all.

Not to mention the inner coffin of Tutankhamon which too was made with solid gold but was hollow inside to fit Tuts body and it was 1.88m in length, 0,5 meter wide and high and its weight was 110.4 kilos and that’s the weight without considering the gold inside as well including the mask. And so shaping gold hollow was often done in those days. This coffin was, like the cherubim on the Ark, beaten from the heavy gold sheet, and the gold varies in thickness from .25 to .3 centimeters. And in theory, the cherubim of the Ark could have been made in a similar thickness. Tut had been cemented to the gold coffin and so it would have been moved with its content including the mask of 10-11 kg and an additional amount of gold (jewelry, necklaces, etc) making the weight somewhere from 122 kg and up.

In the book of Zachariah God’s seven-armed candlestick is said to be «all of gold» but yet part of the gold is hollow shaped as seven pipes (Zac 4:2). This shows that God is no stranger to the use of hollow gold shapes.

What we know for sure is that we do not know for sure. The Bible does not give all the details on the construction of all the items for the sanctuary but presents a limited description. The point here is not to explain how it was done but to show the uncertainty of some of the construction related to the Ark. The conclusion is the uncertainty of the weight and the construction can have many possible answers. We can believe Ron’s testimony, or that it was heavier but they got the strength to carry it on their shoulders or that the secret is in the construction of the cherubim and that they were not as heavy as many think.

One thing is certain though, no 3D-illustrations or drawings can do the Ark justice right now and it is likely more detailed and advanced constructed than we can imagine that they were able to do. The secret of the construction of the ark is still a mystery to the public.

(Biblical references: Exo.25:17-18, Exo,37, 6-7, Jdg 15:16; Jdg 16:27-30, Zac 4:2, Deut. 29:5

What about the gold? Would it not lose its shape over time?
Gold is one of the softest solid metals, which is why gold is often mixed with other metals when it is used. So why would solid pure gold be used in the construction of several of the items in the sanctuary, including the candlestick and the mercy-seat? Why not mix it to make it tougher? We don’t know if the cherubim were made of pure gold, could it even have been? If it was not, then there is no problem as archeology has found many solid gold items like the ones mentioned in perfect shape. So this problem might only be a problem if we think the gold of the cherubim was pure like the seventh armed candlestick. And if so, we need to question if the candlestick could have been preserved as well. Then it is not a matter of questioning Ron’s ark discovery but the Bible itself which is clear on the material of other objects. So let us explore the possibility of the cherubim were made of pure gold and pure gold only, even though the Bible does not say they were. Is there still hope for a large design keeping its shape perfectly?

In the book of Revelation, the new Jerusalem is said to have been built with pure gold. So what does God know about the properties of Gold that might have been unknown to us? Why does God use it as a building material?
“And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass” (Rev.21:18).

Very recent research discovered that gold, under certain conditions, could change properties. And it took them by surprise. They found that although heating gold softens it if they heated it very fast with very high temperatures it would become more solid instead of soft. They explain: «it was heated at rates too fast for the electrons absorbing the light energy to collide with surrounding atoms and lose energy,” “This means the electrons are on average further away from the atomic nucleus and there is less screening of the positive nuclear charge by these heated electrons. The bonds between atoms actually got stronger.» (www.sciencedaily.com & https://phys.org) The result was hard pure gold that could not be easily bent.

This might explain how God can make a firm solid pure gold city but how in the world can a tribe out in the wilderness get the temperature and speed needed to do the same? Now this is my suggestion. According to the Bible, the Shekinah rested over the ark, the Bible even say it rested especially above the cherubim. Now we do not know the nature of the Shekinah, but God could very well have used this method to change the properties of the gold. God is the greatest scientist and knows His creation well, and what man discovered in 2009 God has always known. We often see how Gods touch, or Christ presence work with nature in ways unknown

to us. Jesus walked on water, made water to wine. When God was in the burning bush, the bush did not burn up. He made the water stand as a wall so that Israel could cross the ocean. When God wrote the law the touch of his finger on the stone had an effect that is not there when we humans touch stone. God always works with elements above our understanding.
He created all the elements and knows very well how to manipulate them. And they tend to be affected by His touch. God adding His powers to man’s efforts is clearly evident throughout Bible history.
In fact in the Bible God’s presence is often compared to heat. In the book of Revelation, The Lord’s feet are described as if they were burnt in a furnace. When God descended on the mountain it was by fire. And in Ezekiel’s vision, God’s throne is described to be as like a fire (Eze 1:4 , Rev 1:15) . Therefore, there is a possibility that God’s presence, had an effect on the gold of the Ark that can be compared to what science now has learned about gold. Could God have strengthened the bond between the atoms as He ascended into the sanctuary and could that be why He ordered the use of pure gold in spite of its soft nature?
“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exo 40:34-35). 

If we believe in the Bible, we can also see that God’s presence could have made an impact on the Ark. It would sure be amazing if He has changed the properties of this gold. God did call His sanctuary furniture holy and special. This could explain why the gold on the sanctuary items discovered by Ron Wyatt, is in perfect condition. The only way for us to know is by analyzing the gold that was discovered. The fact is that God’s presence did at one-time rest over the Ark, how this affected the Ark we do not currently know.
From Exodus 40 we learn that God’s presence came very close after they put the Ark together and placed it in the holiest.


CONCLUSION:
For the skeptic:
If constructed hollow like other gold items in those days the Ark from Ron Wyatt’s discovery could have been carried by a group of men. All depending on the size and thickness of the cherubim. This is information the 3D artist did not have and so it should not be used to calculate the amount of gold.

For those who think God did a miracle:
If they were not hollow God would have to create some sort of miracle to have it transported. Either by the help of angels including the carriers or by giving the men special strength.

The conclusion is therefore that either one way or another, Ron’s Ark discovery is possible and does not have to be discredited because of the great amount of gold used.
And remember, it was not the gold of the Ark that was the treasure of the Ark, it was the law inside. Men seek gold and money. God tells us His treasure is His law, His character, and His mercy and compassion. This is the part that matters. This is why He wants to put the law in our hearts rather than in a box of wood and gold. God values humans above gold and we are His treasure as well. The gold of the Ark was just a building material and never the treasure itself.
Deu 6:5-6,Lev_19:18; Mat 22:37-40, Luk 6:45