New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
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- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
Well, I replaced my much loved (short owning time) black tool cart with another one (one of my granddaughter’s husbands has it now; he is just starting his garage setup and was looking at the same one anyway).
I had to give up the larger storage bin under the drawers so I end up having to find another place for one of my tool specialty tool tool boxes.
This is what I had…
… this is what I now have and it is another HF tool box. The quality of both were better than what I am seeing at Sears now days. The new one has a 750# weight carrying capacity and rolls on 4” wheels with the casters having Zerk fittings. The black one had 4 casters while the new one only had two. At first I wasn’t what you might say: over joyed with all of the casters, but I soon got very used to them as they allowed me to maneuver into tight places easily. The main drawback being that the CG of weight can be shifted when all wheels are facing the same direction. It wasn’t a worry as much as a: what it I got stupid and did something that would make this really a problem (it might be easy to do when you are concentrating on one thing when you should be concentrating on something else).
Old upper tray…
… new upper tray. The overall dimension of the new cabinet is slightly larger. I haven’t taken measurements but it is slightly longer, wider by several inches and deeper by a couple of inches… I think. The white drawer organizer you see in the picture is sitting on top of something else which is a bit wider than an inch; when the top is closed there is no contact. When it sat in the black box the distance from it to the top when closed is about the same as it is in the now box. The new box has sir struts while the old one had arms to hold the lid up.
The old box showing tool storage in one of the drawers…
… tool storage in the new cabinet. There is much more room to jam stuff in and allow for the storage of some long armed vice grips I have in one of the other drawers. Over all I have been concerned about where to put things as I am not use to the extra room which means… more tools are needed!
In both cabinets the drawers are on slides with ball bearing action. The open and close very well even when loaded. The gauge of the metal is OK which is strong enough for a home garage for sure. The top on the new one is at the max without having beading done to keep it from flexing. To be honest, I think it might be a bit too big myself. I installed a rubber mat on the top to protect it which is a good idea as I think it is designed to be a light weight utility top; this doesn’t mean you can do medium to heavy work on it. It is more for placing tools out in the open when switching from one to another during a work session.
There are thin rubber mats on the bottom of the lower and upper storage trays and in all the drawers. Quiet and protecting the drawers.
The rack on the one side is for cans or things like that… something I will probably figure out another use for. It still only has one handle, another one would be handy to have on the other side to use for shop towels to be laid on. I could add a bar/towel for paper kitchen towels to be used but I think I will come up with something else better.
One thing I wasn’t too enamored with was their version of carriage bolts. Let me start this way… as a package, it was heavy! It took two young guys to load it into the back of my almost a truck. The box it came in was a three piece affair with a top, bottom and a single piece four sided piece that all fit together quite nicely; heavy duty cardboard tied together with strapping. All the pieces were supported/protected by a lot of thick foam... flat and formed. The lower tray was already formed and had bolt holes in it. The four lets were tightly wrapped together in bubble wrap as well were the doublers for the mounting of the top box to the legs. The legs were slotted allowing for finagle room. The bottle tray is secondary structural and was slotted as are the four upper shelf frames (the two longer ones had locating stops built into them) all of which had holes. The upper box had holes and the handle had slightly oversized holes which gets me back to the first sentence of this paragraph… the carriage bolts.
The fasteners came in two packages: one package was for the assembly of the wheels, legs, can storage and lower box support and contained only the serrated nuts with included washers and the funky carriage bolts which the other package for the mounting of the upper box having carriage bolts, washers and locking nuts. The 8mm carriage bolts…they are probably not like anything you probably seen before! I don’t think they are formed but cast as the lower edges are rounded; the square portion or the shank is also not very deep. They are designed to fit in the slots only and use them as a locking device when tightening the bolts and can easily walk out of the slots even when hand tightening things up (recommendation is to hand tighten then when everything is in place go back and tighten with a 13mm wrench… a very good piece of advice!!!). When you are trying to holed the carriage bolt, the inner corner brace (on the upper box) and the handle in place while lifting the box and holding everything else in place; the carriage bolt walking out of the slot and turning is not appreciated! Also, the carriage bolt is a coarse thread design which is OK but it does not have the “easy on” taper we rely on here in the states so the threads can jam when trying to put the nut on. Patience is not only a virtue but a necessity here! I think the design of this is OK… once finished but getting there can be a test of ones character; the carriage bolt is a “get even thing” from off shore!
The two sides of the top box are the same part so they have holes at both end for the air struts; you can grab the wrong hole unless you are paying attention to the pictures. There is one error to the instructions… in the pictures. Figure 3, the second picture shows the end of the shorter of the two upper supports, frame “B” sitting over the longer frame “C” but the slots do not allow this to happen; frame “B” has to be on top which makes more sense. The box is located on frame “B” and it does not sit on either frame after it is bolted in place, it does rest on the two “B” frames until it is lifted up to bolt it in place on the legs.
The instructions also warn you that the legs could accidently be assembled upside down; the slots are located lower on the bottom than they are on the top… by maybe 3/8th inch. The holes for the can tray are also below the center of the legs which is another help in locating things.
Once I get the two casters greased, I think it is going to be a handy rolling cart like the black one was.
Lee
I had to give up the larger storage bin under the drawers so I end up having to find another place for one of my tool specialty tool tool boxes.
This is what I had…
… this is what I now have and it is another HF tool box. The quality of both were better than what I am seeing at Sears now days. The new one has a 750# weight carrying capacity and rolls on 4” wheels with the casters having Zerk fittings. The black one had 4 casters while the new one only had two. At first I wasn’t what you might say: over joyed with all of the casters, but I soon got very used to them as they allowed me to maneuver into tight places easily. The main drawback being that the CG of weight can be shifted when all wheels are facing the same direction. It wasn’t a worry as much as a: what it I got stupid and did something that would make this really a problem (it might be easy to do when you are concentrating on one thing when you should be concentrating on something else).
Old upper tray…
… new upper tray. The overall dimension of the new cabinet is slightly larger. I haven’t taken measurements but it is slightly longer, wider by several inches and deeper by a couple of inches… I think. The white drawer organizer you see in the picture is sitting on top of something else which is a bit wider than an inch; when the top is closed there is no contact. When it sat in the black box the distance from it to the top when closed is about the same as it is in the now box. The new box has sir struts while the old one had arms to hold the lid up.
The old box showing tool storage in one of the drawers…
… tool storage in the new cabinet. There is much more room to jam stuff in and allow for the storage of some long armed vice grips I have in one of the other drawers. Over all I have been concerned about where to put things as I am not use to the extra room which means… more tools are needed!
In both cabinets the drawers are on slides with ball bearing action. The open and close very well even when loaded. The gauge of the metal is OK which is strong enough for a home garage for sure. The top on the new one is at the max without having beading done to keep it from flexing. To be honest, I think it might be a bit too big myself. I installed a rubber mat on the top to protect it which is a good idea as I think it is designed to be a light weight utility top; this doesn’t mean you can do medium to heavy work on it. It is more for placing tools out in the open when switching from one to another during a work session.
There are thin rubber mats on the bottom of the lower and upper storage trays and in all the drawers. Quiet and protecting the drawers.
The rack on the one side is for cans or things like that… something I will probably figure out another use for. It still only has one handle, another one would be handy to have on the other side to use for shop towels to be laid on. I could add a bar/towel for paper kitchen towels to be used but I think I will come up with something else better.
One thing I wasn’t too enamored with was their version of carriage bolts. Let me start this way… as a package, it was heavy! It took two young guys to load it into the back of my almost a truck. The box it came in was a three piece affair with a top, bottom and a single piece four sided piece that all fit together quite nicely; heavy duty cardboard tied together with strapping. All the pieces were supported/protected by a lot of thick foam... flat and formed. The lower tray was already formed and had bolt holes in it. The four lets were tightly wrapped together in bubble wrap as well were the doublers for the mounting of the top box to the legs. The legs were slotted allowing for finagle room. The bottle tray is secondary structural and was slotted as are the four upper shelf frames (the two longer ones had locating stops built into them) all of which had holes. The upper box had holes and the handle had slightly oversized holes which gets me back to the first sentence of this paragraph… the carriage bolts.
The fasteners came in two packages: one package was for the assembly of the wheels, legs, can storage and lower box support and contained only the serrated nuts with included washers and the funky carriage bolts which the other package for the mounting of the upper box having carriage bolts, washers and locking nuts. The 8mm carriage bolts…they are probably not like anything you probably seen before! I don’t think they are formed but cast as the lower edges are rounded; the square portion or the shank is also not very deep. They are designed to fit in the slots only and use them as a locking device when tightening the bolts and can easily walk out of the slots even when hand tightening things up (recommendation is to hand tighten then when everything is in place go back and tighten with a 13mm wrench… a very good piece of advice!!!). When you are trying to holed the carriage bolt, the inner corner brace (on the upper box) and the handle in place while lifting the box and holding everything else in place; the carriage bolt walking out of the slot and turning is not appreciated! Also, the carriage bolt is a coarse thread design which is OK but it does not have the “easy on” taper we rely on here in the states so the threads can jam when trying to put the nut on. Patience is not only a virtue but a necessity here! I think the design of this is OK… once finished but getting there can be a test of ones character; the carriage bolt is a “get even thing” from off shore!
The two sides of the top box are the same part so they have holes at both end for the air struts; you can grab the wrong hole unless you are paying attention to the pictures. There is one error to the instructions… in the pictures. Figure 3, the second picture shows the end of the shorter of the two upper supports, frame “B” sitting over the longer frame “C” but the slots do not allow this to happen; frame “B” has to be on top which makes more sense. The box is located on frame “B” and it does not sit on either frame after it is bolted in place, it does rest on the two “B” frames until it is lifted up to bolt it in place on the legs.
The instructions also warn you that the legs could accidently be assembled upside down; the slots are located lower on the bottom than they are on the top… by maybe 3/8th inch. The holes for the can tray are also below the center of the legs which is another help in locating things.
Once I get the two casters greased, I think it is going to be a handy rolling cart like the black one was.
Lee
- aircooledtechguy
- Posts: 1709
- Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2001 1:01 am
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
I saw that one at HF last weekend when they were on sale. Nice cart and a nice price too!! Congrats.
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- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
It will be on sale again in the last part of November according to a flier stashed in the bag I got; I think it will be ten dollars cheaper then.
So far it is going to serve the purpose.
Lee
So far it is going to serve the purpose.
Lee
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- Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 12:57 pm
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
Just wait!!
71 Ghia Coupe........For Sale
71 Super-Beetle Convertible.....returning to DD status
63 IH Scout 80 (beater)
71 Super-Beetle Convertible.....returning to DD status
63 IH Scout 80 (beater)
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- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
Yeah, ain't it the truth. Luckily I had someone worthwhile to pass the old one onto. I have a work table I am going to have to shorten by several feet soon or tear it completely down and build a good welding table and a stand for my small parts washer.
- Hedrock
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Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
I spy an Arkansas tag. Where did you live in Arkansas?mountainkowboy wrote:Just wait!!
Collecting parts again... No I'm not going to say why!
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Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
Hedrock wrote:I spy an Arkansas tag. Where did you live in Arkansas?mountainkowboy wrote:Just wait!!
Never been there.......I live in Cali.............that's on my wall of plates! Don't remember where I got it.
71 Ghia Coupe........For Sale
71 Super-Beetle Convertible.....returning to DD status
63 IH Scout 80 (beater)
71 Super-Beetle Convertible.....returning to DD status
63 IH Scout 80 (beater)
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- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
One of the problems with the black tool cart and now the red tool cart was the only having a push handle on one end; you chose when putting the cart together. I usually put a fabric shop towel on the other handle of the cart ready for emergencies but not it is a wad on top of the cover and falls off when you open the lid which because I grind a lot the top stays down and the drawers closed.
the other day in the HF newspaper I get I saw an add for a towel holder and my eyes lit up.. another cross-bar!
I had some other business in Everett (WA) so I stopped by the HF store and went looking for a long box. Eventually I noticed a short stubby box saying shop towel and the numbers matched the add. I bought it anyway hoping for the best so when I opened out came two short nicely painted/powder coated end pieces... another dream unfulfilled!
This is what I got: Both of the end pieces each have two magnets on the bottom which, as it turns out that the pair are very strong! You would have to yank pretty hard to work them loose; even changing towels is harder than doing it in the kitchen but maybe not as hard as the toilet roll when the center piece decides to be stubborn. Even with the one sitting on the rubber protector on top of the cart, the end piece is strong enough to not move when opening up the top.
This is what it looks like ready to go. I have found that it is so handy that I am now able to get something to use on the fly rather then search for something in an emergency. With the second handle I would be able to put a fabric shop towel on the handle where I push then it would fall off and be in the way. The other option was to place a towel on the top of the cart which would fall off when I opend up the top (I grind a lot and so I keep the top and drawers closed which helps only some)
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... wel+holder
I have since seen some other tool places carry something very similar... Hmmmm!
Lee
the other day in the HF newspaper I get I saw an add for a towel holder and my eyes lit up.. another cross-bar!
I had some other business in Everett (WA) so I stopped by the HF store and went looking for a long box. Eventually I noticed a short stubby box saying shop towel and the numbers matched the add. I bought it anyway hoping for the best so when I opened out came two short nicely painted/powder coated end pieces... another dream unfulfilled!
This is what I got: Both of the end pieces each have two magnets on the bottom which, as it turns out that the pair are very strong! You would have to yank pretty hard to work them loose; even changing towels is harder than doing it in the kitchen but maybe not as hard as the toilet roll when the center piece decides to be stubborn. Even with the one sitting on the rubber protector on top of the cart, the end piece is strong enough to not move when opening up the top.
This is what it looks like ready to go. I have found that it is so handy that I am now able to get something to use on the fly rather then search for something in an emergency. With the second handle I would be able to put a fabric shop towel on the handle where I push then it would fall off and be in the way. The other option was to place a towel on the top of the cart which would fall off when I opend up the top (I grind a lot and so I keep the top and drawers closed which helps only some)
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... wel+holder
I have since seen some other tool places carry something very similar... Hmmmm!
Lee
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- Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2001 12:01 am
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
I have that paper towel roll holder too. The great thing is you can squeeze them closer for a tighter fit so they don't unroll when you don't want them to.
Steve
My Baja Build
My Baja Build
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- fusername
- Posts: 6806
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:26 am
Re: New to me roll-a-way style of tool box
interesting on the towel holders. I have been wanting to find a set for both the barn and for in the back of my car and was planning o kmart or something for something cheap, but magnets might be bettter!
give a man a watch and he'll allways know what time it is. give him two and he can never be sure again.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.