Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

downsizingnow48 · Sep 17, 2018

Saw one of these at the dump yesterday pretty slick about $1400.

prichard · Sep 17, 2018

Someone posted that they tied to the front of the tarp and pulled. That would work great if the tarp or attachment points don't tear.

PILOON · Sep 17, 2018

dragoneggs said:
Wow! If I understand you, had to be a very light load or you defied gravity.

Roofing material is not exactly a light load, probably helped that the truck bedliner was the lengthwise narrow ribbed style, also the 'tarp' was very HD material that I had on hand. I also had wrapped the pulling end around a large dowel B4 looping the pull line.
Not all different than the crank out system only I eliminated a crank by attaching to a tree and used the truck power for extraction.
LOL, sometimes referred to as 'system D' or McIver's way.

dragoneggs · Sep 17, 2018

PILOON said:
I also have simply laid out an old HD tarp that had a loop of rope attached which I'd hooked onto a tree and drove away.

PILOON said:
Roofing material is not exactly a light load, probably helped that the truck bedliner was the lengthwise narrow ribbed style, also the 'tarp' was very HD material that I had on hand. I also had wrapped the pulling end around a large dowel B4 looping the pull line.
Not all different than the crank out system only I eliminated a crank by attaching to a tree and used the truck power for extraction.
LOL, sometimes referred to as 'system D' or McIver's way.

Gotcha... obviously not a HF blue tarp. I have tried pulling on them dragging heavy material several times and always rip them up. Takes very little (branches, etc.) to puncture them. That being said, I love them as disposable dropcloths for yard waste, etc. or just coveing piles to keep the contents dry.

KubotainNH · Sep 17, 2018

I've been meaning to buy the little light in the link for a few weeks now and finally got one last week. For $4 it's hard to beat for tight spaces like under a car. The magnet is quite strong and the unit is rugged. It has two light levels. So easy to just stick it in place instead of balancing one of the free flashlights and having it fall on your head. I'll probably pick up a couple more so I always have a unit with good batteries. I've used it for about 3 or 4 hours so far and it still has the crappy batteries that came with it with no noticeable loss of brightness.

https://www.hfqpdb.com/coupons/2650_ITEM_215_LUMENS_POCKET_WORK_LIGHT_1535244280.4042.jpg

newbury · Sep 17, 2018

downsizingnow48 said:
Saw one of these at the dump yesterday pretty slick about $1400.

View attachment 571228

Is that in the HF catalog? Haven't seen it in the stores

downsizingnow48 · Sep 17, 2018

newbury said:
Is that in the HF catalog? Haven't seen it in the stores

well yes you are right, a bit off topic. I thought I would offer something in between the HF dump thing and a dump trailer. Northern Tool has them which is sort of an upgraded HF at least I think of it that way!

PhysAssist · Sep 23, 2018

Has anyone bought/used one of these?:

https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-portable-scaffold-63050.html

Which I could not find a coupon for in the database, but I'm pretty sure I saw in a sale catalog for $179.99?

I think they would be way easier on my old knees than using ladders for a bunch of applications, so I've been shopping between HF and Northern Tool for them:

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200441242_200441242

At Northern Tool I have a $-off coupon for $50 off of a $250 purchase, and they're currently on sale for $159.99 there...

BUT I called to see how much it would be to have them shipped to my home.

[I have free regular shipping as part of their version of "Inside Track" which I think is called NT Advance.]

But these are truck-shipped, and that adds >$200 to the cost, so it negates both the $20 less per each AND the $50 off coupon, and makes the HF version significantly less expensive, even with sales tax, but that's only good IF they're at least serviceable.

I don't really think there's likely to be a huge quality divide between a generic HF and generic NT item, but you never know.

I did go ahead and buy a set of these- on sale at $114.99 minus my $25 off coupon for total >$100= $89:

Metal-tech Scaffold 24-inch outriggers.jpg

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200441244_200441244

so I can stack them 2-high to use in my barn- because they also qualified for the free-shipping.

Can anyone offer any feedback on these?

Or any otherwise helpful tips for scaffold use in general?

[Besides "Don't fall off", and other inane common-sense thoughts.]

Thanks in advance!
PA

4570Man · Sep 23, 2018

I have 2 sets just like that of unknown brand. I also have the optional outriggers and railings. It’s a great piece for working inside a house. Stacking 2 pieces together is a little shaky for my taste. Pulling the legs together with ratchet straps helps some. If you plan on only using it with 2 pieces high and fitting through doors isn’t a problem I recommend going with the standard 5x5 scaffolding.