Modifications to the HF 4 and 5 drawer service carts - what changes have you made?

[alpinewhite]

Finished up the frame yesterday. A coat of hammer tone paint that was left core from another project. Hopefully I can get the rest of the holes drilled in the cart and cabinet ant get it finished up today.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but have you tried loading up the cart and side cabinet using your planned setup? I have a feeling that the lower connection between the two will be too much pulling stress for the bottom part of the cart. Without middle wheels, weight will try to separate the two halves putting strain on the lower connecting bolts. The cart bottom shelf will become distorted from the pulling stress.


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[hr31hr]

Finished. Had to trim the lip off. Used tape and cardboard to protect the paint.



"weight will try to separate the two halves putting strain on the lower connecting bolts. The cart bottom shelf will become distorted from the pulling stress."

Does not seem to be a problem. If it does I will put a plate inside the cart on the bottom shelf.



Looking now to put a vise on the cabinet. Will post better pictures when I can pull it outside.

 

[hayhauler71]

Looks sweet ^^^^^^^^

 

[jmscollinsiii]

Nice job!!!

 

[nine4gmc]

Not a modification but I just saw a HF red cart on Velocity channel "quadski" episode in the manufacturing plant.

 

[kool_BOY8323]

Finished. Had to trim the lip off. Used tape and cardboard to protect the paint.



"weight will try to separate the two halves putting strain on the lower connecting bolts. The cart bottom shelf will become distorted from the pulling stress."

Does not seem to be a problem. If it does I will put a plate inside the cart on the bottom shelf.



Looking now to put a vise on the cabinet. Will post better pictures when I can pull it outside.

looks cool! can you get more pics thow? im curious as to how the lid shuts, why you trimmed the lip off, and if the bottom of the two are flush. its the same effect but with a different twist than what i did.

by the way, their 2x6's, not 2x4's

 

[alpinewhite]

Modifications to the HF 4 and 5 drawer service carts - what changes have you ...

looks cool! can you get more pics thow? im curious as to how the lid shuts, why you trimmed the lip off, and if the bottom of the two are flush. its the same effect but with a different twist than what i did.

by the way, their 2x6's, not 2x4's

Time to replace your 2x4's, Koolboy. ;-)

 

[hr31hr]

Will post some more pics soon. I trimmed the lip that you hang the side cabinet onto a tool box with from the side cabinet so that it would fit closer to the cart.

 

[AndrewV]

331,
I believe anything is possible....depending on your fab skills, tools available and most importantly....TIME. The drawer slides are riveted to the sides, which are tack welded to the underside of the main area which has the hinged lid.

Here is the one I cut up and heavily modified. I finally finished it & gave it to my son as an early graduation present from MMI.




Bob

Hope to do what ford guy did soon. But lime green

 

[AndrewV]

But here's mine at work. Looks like **** compared to others.

 

[ChadTexas]

There is allot of good work being done here.

Here is mine it holds my small compressor and 50ft hose. This setup is mainly for light work at home.

[/url]
DSC01823 by cawthon_engineering, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[619DioFan]

There is allot of good work being done here.

Here is mine it holds my small compressor and 50ft hose. This setup is mainly for light work at home.

[/url]
DSC01823 by cawthon_engineering, on Flickr[/IMG]

Love the XL, what year is it ? looks super clean. I rode a thumper for many years back in the day. not near as clean as yours though. always thought the mirrors were a waste as they vibrated so bad ya couldn't see anything in them

 

[FOCUS.FREAK]

But here's mine at work. Looks like **** compared to others.

Is that an extra drawer on the bottom?

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[ChadTexas]

Love the XL, what year is it ? looks super clean. I rode a thumper for many years back in the day. not near as clean as yours though. always thought the mirrors were a waste as they vibrated so bad ya couldn't see anything in them

Thanks. It is a 1983 all original and only has 2400 miles. The mirrors do vibrate so bad you cant see out of them. For being 30 years old it still runs great. The guy I bought it from had a maintenance manual and he documented every maintenance activity.

 

[Mike.ASC]

Finished ma' paint job

That looks really nice , good color choice .

 

[hr31hr]

A couple of shots of the lid closed...

 

[eyeballengineer]

Any of those $99 coupons for the 4 drawer? I live 3 hours from the closest hf. But a friend is going tomorrow. I want one

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Any of those $99 coupons for the 4 drawer? I live 3 hours from the closest hf. But a friend is going tomorrow. I want one

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3702514&postcount=4567

Coupon Code: 96907512

 

[AndrewV]

Is that an extra drawer on the bottom?

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Yeah, notched the frame so the 28" drawr would pass through the frame.

 

[eyeballengineer]

Thanks should it work just telling them the code at check out or do I need to print it? After looking through this thread I got some good ideas for it

 

[kool_BOY8323]

A couple of shots of the lid closed...

i see what you did now. i went a more conventional way, used the lip on the cab over the top of the edge of the cart, and bolted the bottom. then i stacked three 2x6" and mounted the casters that way:



i bent the edge of the lid a bit outward, enough to fit over the lip of the cab, and took the cut off wheel to the back of the cart's lid so it closes across the back of the cab, as well as notched the front of the lid to close over the small edges on the front:





its not pretty, but going on a year in march and its held together just fine. the wood isnt even oil saturated yet.

did you add anything to the top of the cab to attach it there as well as the holes in the bottom? i like what you did to reinforce the bottom of the cab, i may do that and add additional steel pieces to get the casters all the way down, or go with the full frame idea.

 

[AndrewV]

Thanks should it work just telling them the code at check out or do I need to print it? After looking through this thread I got some good ideas for it

Just show it to the cashier from the phone. Print outs work to.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Thanks should it work just telling them the code at check out or do I need to print it? After looking through this thread I got some good ideas for it

I heard from folks on here you can just give them the code to type in, haven't tried it personally though (I just print them since I don't have a fancy phone).
Expiration date on that coupon looks to either be 5/15/14 or 3/13/14 (I saw you asked in the other thread).

 

[Bruce4310TX]

Just found this thread, where i work the mechs have boughtat least 100+ of these 5 drawer carts beats rolling the big box 1/4 mile il try and get some pics of the modded ones.

 

[AndrewV]

Just found this thread, where i work the mechs have boughtat least 100+ of these 5 drawer carts beats rolling the big box 1/4 mile il try and get some pics of the modded ones.

Wouldn't mind getting some ideas for future mods.

And check through the thread. Lots of good stuff posted.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

But here's mine at work. Looks like **** compared to others.

I might need to add one of those drawers, just for all the Milwaukee M12 tools I've been adding.

 

[kball]

Hey guys, new member here.

I have the 5 drawer cart as well. Had it at work for about 8 months now. No problems with it so far and it's loaded up good. I've enjoyed reading through all the mods. You guys are very creative! I was surprised though that so many have added the $200 side cabinet but no one has bought a second 5 drawer cart and attached them together side by side since the cart is cheaper than the side cabinet.

Maybe in the future I might do this but hopefully I won't need that big of a cart since I just ordered HF's new 72" rollaway. It should hold everything I need for stationary storage.

As far as mods to my cart, I added this shelf but I screwed it into the cart just below the top so I wouldn't have to bend or trim the lid.


http://www.sears.com/craftsman-plastic-side-shelf/p-00965209000P

It was only $20 so it was cheaper than the Sunex ones you guys have been using. If I wasn't in a hurry to get a side shelf I would have bought the Sunex one, it looks better and now that I mounted the plastic one I can't fold it down. Oh well....

 

[jakemac]

Hey guys, new member here.

............... I was surprised though that so many have added the $200 side cabinet but no one has bought a second 5 drawer cart and attached them together side by side since the cart is cheaper than the side cabinet. .........

First, welcome to the forum.

I haven't added on to my cart but I suspect that for most who've done it, they chose the side cabinet due to length vs storage capacity. Adding another cart creates a long cumbersome train with less storage capacity, when for only a few dollars more (with coupon) you get a shorter roller with more capacity.

 

[alpinewhite]

I haven't added on to my cart but I suspect that for most who've done it, they chose the side cabinet due to length vs storage capacity. Adding another cart creates a long cumbersome train with less storage capacity, when for only a few dollars more (with coupon) you get a shorter roller with more capacity.

I've always wondered why people add the 7-drawer. For the price of the toolcart ($169) and the 7-drawer ($199), one could get a HF 44" ($359), right? And it's smaller ( 44" vs. (37.75+16)" ) and definitely holds more than the toolcart/7drawer combo.

 

[Hopalong604]

Installed a HF magnet on the lid. Super handy for my small tools i keep losing

 

[ex-x-fire]

What's this on the inside of the lid? Is it for holding repair orders?

 

[jakemac]

Yup, that bracket is for manuals, receipts, and what other paper you can stuff in there. I use the one on my box to hang tape measures off of. My cart doesn't have one.

 

[AndrewV]

I might need to add one of those drawers, just for all the Milwaukee M12 tools I've been adding.

I mainly hate the second key for the cart, but its worth it.
But link and part number for the one i got. Attachted it the frame of the cart.
linky

 

[AndrewV]

I've always wondered why people add the 7-drawer. For the price of the toolcart ($169) and the 7-drawer ($199), one could get a HF 44" ($359), right? And it's smaller ( 44" vs. (37.75+16)" ) and definitely holds more than the toolcart/7drawer combo.

I agree, but thats not a cart. So its a give and take scenario there.

 

[kool_BOY8323]

I've always wondered why people add the 7-drawer. For the price of the toolcart ($169) and the 7-drawer ($199), one could get a HF 44" ($359), right? And it's smaller ( 44" vs. (37.75+16)" ) and definitely holds more than the toolcart/7drawer combo.

for me it was a better setup, and more cost effective across my time span.

i'd had my cart for almost 2 years when i added the cab. i couldnt spend all 370 at once when i got my cart, so i had to wait.

as far as the setup goes, the 44 doesnt have the lid like the cart, which i like. it doesnt have vertical prybar and screwdriver storage. the smaller drawers on the cart are better suited to the way i use my tools. there's nothing like losing a tiny bit or single hex key in the bottom of a 40" wide, 16" deep, and 8 inch tall drawer and having to dig it out. the 44 also would offer a better work top than the cart/ cab combo, however the small 'table' that you get from adding the cart is often all i can put in my workspace, and more often more than i actually need. the 44 also wouldnt have the can try attached to the one side without adding it, or the wide open bottom for larger bottles and awkward shaped tools, like brake caliper compressors, bearing packers, sure shot cans, etc.

to each their own, but these are mine

 

[kool_BOY8323]

Yup, that bracket is for manuals, receipts, and what other paper you can stuff in there. I use the one on my box to hang tape measures off of. My cart doesn't have one.

i use a magnetic hook on the back of the lid for my keys, and i made a hook that hangs over the lid when its up, that i can remove to take down, out of coat hanger to hang clip boards and paperwork. i also find myself using my snap on flashlight holder to hang stuff to the lid, like kids artwork on a fridge..

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I mainly hate the second key for the cart, but its worth it.
But link and part number for the one i got. Attachted it the frame of the cart.
linky

Thanks for the PN/Link.

I already added a locking prybar holder to the side of mine, so I know what a pain the 2 keys can be already. If I add another drawer, I'll probably invest in a set of Snap-On barrel style locks with 1 key and cut the holes to fit them.

Problem is that could get expensive fast if I put 3 in the cart, 1 in my old Snappy top box, and 1 or 2 for a bottom box when I find one...

 

[AndrewV]

Thanks for the PN/Link.

I already added a locking prybar holder to the side of mine, so I know what a pain the 2 keys can be already. If I add another drawer, I'll probably invest in a set of Snap-On barrel style locks with 1 key and cut the holes to fit them.

Problem is that could get expensive fast if I put 3 in the cart, 1 in my old Snappy top box, and 1 or 2 for a bottom box when I find one...

If i was going to add a full rack of drawers.
I was thinking of drilling holes through some of the drawers. Bending a metal rod, and setting it in an upper drawr, to hold them in place.
Would be a quick fix, not pretty, but it would work.

But im planning on a welding 2 drawer sections together, like ford guy did.

 

[chris.mcneill.756]

Bump


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[adamb1286]

excellent work. you've inspired me to so something similar.