Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[sixdogs]

Tool cabinet is first class. There are many posts on them in this thread and lots of guys say they compare to items that cost multiples of the HF price. Great idea to make a bench as shown in your photo. Pricey but a great idea.

 

[DFB]

Anyone have experience with the $99 motorcycle lift/jack?

Gosh some of the HF reviews are scary

Modifications may be necessary :laughing:


I guess it all depends on what your lifting.

So I just spent some time online looking at bike lifts. The choices are pretty limited it does seem, either HF and similar branded variations or the bigger and better lifts (but of course much more expensive).

I was searching to see if I could find the "BlackJack" bike lift I have had just about 20 years now but no luck.

But it is virtually identical to a PitBull bike lift. I got my lift at Laconia Bike Week with special show pricing. The sales pitch was pretty impressive a dressed Harley bagger fully lifted and a person hanging off of the side while another moved it around. I wanted the xtra height for easily removing the rear tire with a full fender. Ahh to long for the days of hinged rear fenders.

Overall the floor frame on these are 42" long and 24" wide and 4 inches closed, and the frame contact point width is 16 inches and can lift almost 24inches high where as the import versions are only 32" long and 16" wide, a 14" frame contact width and 16 inch lift. The length of the contact arms are both the same @ 12".

I have my shovel on it right now




I also see some of the newer model motorcycles have issues usings jack lifts without shims and adapters or some sort of modification. I intially had a problem using the jack lift with my 92 FL and I couldn't quite understand it at first as it was the same as the display bike. Turned out after my investigative work :laughing: that these models have cross plate welded in to tie the frame rails together at the rear of the bike behind the transmission and that plate has formed edges of about a 1/4 (I guess for strength) But...some bikes had the plate edges facing up and some had the plate edges facing down. How's that for quality control!

I looked at dozens of similar bikes. It doesn't really matter for anything except for lining up a lift! :shocked:

Simplest solution is if you have the down facing support plate to space out the left side frame contact bars slightly on the lift and let the rolled edge fall between the two bars or you can even just remove the one of the bars if need be.

If the brace was facing up you were golden and had perfectly flat surface under the bike for the lift to contact

IMO if your planning on lifting a big bike I would say search for a used Blackjack, Pitbull, or JS lift in the classifieds or on CL

Now what about that HF table lift

Anyone???

 

[lostcreekranch]

Anyone have experience with HF Inside Track Club? Are there enough savings to be a benefit? They are offering 2 years for $44 now.

 

[sixdogs]

Anyone have experience with HF Inside Track Club? Are there enough savings to be a benefit? They are offering 2 years for $44 now.

Only good if you plan on spending hundreds of $$ a year. The deals are often no better than regular coupons. I was a one year member and I'll bet there are lots of others here.

 

[Howling]

I'm considering a couple of their 44" tool drawers. Anyone with good or bad experience with them?

Roller Cabinet - 44" Red Rolling Tool Cabinet w/ 13 Drawers

I'm think of installing 2-3 of them side by side, one wall of shop, with a work surface on top to time together. Remove side handles so they can be pushed together.

Something like this.

View attachment 465023

View attachment 465024

I have it with the matching top box loaded with tools. Nice box, slide work well. Have matching red (Milwaukee) cordless tools piled in top.

 

[dragoneggs]

I'm considering a couple of their 44" tool drawers. Anyone with good or bad experience with them? Roller Cabinet - 44" Red Rolling Tool Cabinet w/ 13 Drawers I'm think of installing 2-3 of them side by side, one wall of shop, with a work surface on top to time together. Remove side handles so they can be pushed together. Something like this. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=465023"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=465024"/>

That sure looks nice. Handles and wheels removed I'm guessing. Maybe weld up a frame for them to nest in?

 

[lostcreekranch]

That sure looks nice. Handles and wheels removed I'm guessing. Maybe weld up a frame for them to nest in?

DE! I have no idea as pics were some I found on the Internet. My plan would be to slide em up against a shop wall, probably remove side handles, and either build a top or buy a pre-made 12' Formica kitchen counter. They will be in my woodworking shop so, will have a few WW bench top tool, on the top.

 

[tjkubota93]

I'm considering a couple of their 44" tool drawers. Anyone with good or bad experience with them?

Roller Cabinet - 44" Red Rolling Tool Cabinet w/ 13 Drawers

I'm think of installing 2-3 of them side by side, one wall of shop, with a work surface on top to time together. Remove side handles so they can be pushed together.

Something like this.

View attachment 465023

View attachment 465024

Those are some nice freaking benches made out of the HF toolboxes. I never really considering buying a HF toolbox but that's really cool.

 

[California]

Anyone have experience with HF Inside Track Club? Are there enough savings to be a benefit? They are offering 2 years for $44 now.

As I recall I paid $29 first year and got a $10 coupon, net $19. There was some expensive item in the ITC ad that made it worthwhile on the first purchase. I bought a few more items out of the ITC ads later in the year but a 20 or 25% coupon would have accomplished the same thing - and would have been more flexible in what was available at the time I needed it.

I signed up a second year and that wasn't worthwhile. I missed spending the $10 coupon within the month limit. And I went to buy the 6 horsepower shredder ($450 today, I think it was mid-300's net price then) then bought it cheaper than the IT 'special' price by using a 20% coupon. I've never renewed.

The main problem is a limited range of products at special prices that then aren't offered at a discount on the day you actually need the tool, so ITC is sort of a pretend savings.

I think it can be worthwhile IF you are building a tool collection from scratch and don't mind waiting months to save $10-20 maybe $40 a few times during the year. Or if you support a crew of idiots who lose/destroy tools so you buy items 5 at a time. Otherwise - just use 20% coupons on everything and save a lot of aggravation waiting for the item you want to appear in the ITC list.

 

[TNTurf]

Here is a 25% off coupon and some good freebies.


http://view.harborfreightemail.com/?j=ff061574776505&m=fe9512717066027874&ls=fec815707c6d067f&l=ff9c1572&s=fec715707c6d0478&jb=ff951d71&ju=fe9a1c757567057f77&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1216b&utm_source=1026&cid=mEmail_s1026_c1216b&r=0

Wonder if that 1.5 ton hydrolic floor jack would be worth the beans?

 

[tjkubota93]

Wonder if that 1.5 ton hydrolic floor jack would be worth the beans?

My friend bought one for his 3 wheeled can am spyder. It's nice, just smaller than a conventional floor jack. I have the 3 ton. It's nice.

 

[lostcreekranch]

The aluminum 1.5 ton is a great jack. I caught mine for $49 a year ago.

I already have a Craftsman 3 ton.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I think it can be worthwhile IF you are building a tool collection from scratch and don't mind waiting months to save $10-20 maybe $40 a few times during the year. Or if you support a crew of idiots who lose/destroy tools so you buy items 5 at a time. Otherwise - just use 20% coupons on everything and save a lot of aggravation waiting for the item you want to appear in the ITC list.

My next major purchase is 3 of the 44" tool cabinets as in above posts. The discount coupons are not valid for tool boxes, cabinets etc. so, hoping I might get a better deal with the ITC. They are $390 each unless a "super coupon" comes out.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Oh, current HF ITC offer is $45 for 2 years and $10 gift card.

 

[California]

My next major purchase is 3 of the 44" tool cabinets as in above posts. The discount coupons are not valid for tool boxes, cabinets etc. so, hoping I might get a better deal with the ITC. They are $390 each unless a "super coupon" comes out.

You might ask an experienced clerk whether those tool cabinets ever appear in the ITC mailer. If they do that would make ITC very worthwhile if you aren't in a hurry.

 

[stuckmotor]

Anyone have experience with HF Inside Track Club? Are there enough savings to be a benefit? They are offering 2 years for $44 now.

Now that there's a HF store less than 5 miles from my house, I go in often and see very good prices on ITC items on the shelves. I don't know whether these prices appear on line or not.

 

[California]

I think those shelf ITC prices are also shown in the ITC extra pages inside the monthly mailer, and in email.

 

[sixdogs]

I've had their aluminum jack for maybe five years with zero problems. It's my go-to jack. No leaks and easy to move around. I only use the steel jacks for ag equipment now. The aluminum jack is one of their better products and I'm surprised it's built so well.

 

[aczlan]

I'm considering a couple of their 44" tool drawers. Anyone with good or bad experience with them?
Roller Cabinet - 44" Red Rolling Tool Cabinet w/ 13 Drawers
I'm think of installing 2-3 of them side by side, one wall of shop, with a work surface on top to time together. Remove side handles so they can be pushed together.
Something like this.
View attachment 465023
View attachment 465024

Here is the build thread for that workbench: HF Toolboxes Workbench - Phase 3 - The Garage Journal Board

Aaron Z