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

[polexican23]

for a dummy that hasnt done it. why are you lopping off the top of the locks?

 

[aka Larry]

for a dummy that hasnt done it. why are you lopping off the top of the locks?

So you can open the drawers with the lid closed.

 

[darkzero]

I could be wrong and I frequently am, however I think that is standard for them. The black bumper pads I ordered from them were also always out of stock as well but I ordered them anyway and two weeks later I had them. I'm sure there are alternatives including almost any safety lid support for a child's toybox could be adapted, but if I were you I'd just go ahead and order the Snap-On ones here.

Let us know how long it takes if you do.

^^^^--- this

I just ordered them so we'll see what happens.


I think I f'd up though. Qty 1 is for one set of hinges? I ordered 2 not realizing it said "set". Oh well.

Yep you guys were right. I ordered the hinges yesterday & it said backordered. Just got shipping notification for them.

I also emailed them last night asking if they could change my order to just 1 set of hinges. They emailed me this morning telling me they took care of it.

I should of ordered them a long time ago but on my gen1 I never opened the lid anyway. That is going to change now & also cause my shocks on the gen1 dont seem to be working right anymore.

Thanks

 

[darkzero]

.....But to my credit, I managed to share photos of my work (unlike darkzero) without including background shots of my nice lathe and vertical mill with a right angle indexing chuck, nor my bandsaw. (darkzero, you ****!)

 

[fartymarty]

for a dummy that hasnt done it. why are you lopping off the top of the locks?

So you can open the drawers with the lid closed.

...And yet, if you decide to later lock it up, you can just slip the plastic covers with the cut off portion inside of them on top of the locking bars and it is returned to it's original functionality for locking.

I generally leave mine unlocked, but when the house is going to be empty for a few days because of a trip, I go about the house and garage to lock every thing that I can..no sense making it easy for the burglars as they like to get in and out fast (well, the smarter ones do). I even lock stuff that doesn't have valuables in them just to slow them down with decoys. I also have an obvious decoy book with the hollow center in it filled with old keys that don't fit anything.

 

[Greg85mcss]

Yep you guys were right. I ordered the hinges yesterday & it said backordered. Just got shipping notification for them.



I also emailed them last night asking if they could change my order to just 1 set of hinges. They emailed me this morning telling me they took care of it.



I should of ordered them a long time ago but on my gen1 I never opened the lid anyway. That is going to change now & also cause my shocks on the gen1 dont seem to be working right anymore.



Thanks

Ordered

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[Mighunter]

I'll add my frankencart to the thread here too.

I like this set up. Anyone see an issue with putting a locker on each side? I want a mobile set up to hold all my car washing and detail ****.

 

[Greg85mcss]

There's a guy with 2 side cabs on YouTube. Something like Ace repairs

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[dagofast]

I haven't read this whole thread, but on a related note to the HF tool cart, has anyone tried mounting the optional folding shelf on one of the bigger US General rollaways? Specifically the 72"?

I sorta lost my mind today and ordered a new lime green one along with a 44" & 26" top boxes and it occurs to me it would be nice to have a place to set all of the tools down after a job so I can wipe them down before putting them away.

 

[Bogie1632]

dagofast,

Quick solution for the folding side shelf. I used the HF black shelf on a Craftsman box with no mounting holes. I just lined it up where I wanted it, marked/drilled some holes, and used threaded nut inserts for the mounting hardware. This also worked well for a lamp mount. Sorry I have no pics available to show what the final product looks like but this was a pretty straight forward solution that met my needs.

I was careful to avoid anything internal to the box and it gave a nice, clean look if I ever need to take the shelf off.

V/R
Bogie

 

[dagofast]

dagofast,

Quick solution for the folding side shelf. I used the HF black shelf on a Craftsman box with no mounting holes. I just lined it up where I wanted it, marked/drilled some holes, and used threaded nut inserts for the mounting hardware. This also worked well for a lamp mount. Sorry I have no pics available to show what the final product looks like but this was a pretty straight forward solution that met my needs.

I was careful to avoid anything internal to the box and it gave a nice, clean look if I ever need to take the shelf off.

V/R
Bogie

Ohhh, nice idea! Now I get to buy the rivnut tool that I read about in the AstroPnuematic thread. This place should come with a warning label.

 

[fartymarty]

This place should come with a warning label.

OH Yeah!

Like anybody here reads those things.

 

[Blackwolfe]

Just read all 3452 posts on this 173 page thread and I don't even have one of the HF carts and most likely won't be getting one anytime soon. At this time I don't have a place or the need for one. I do like the carts but at this point a roll cabinet better fits my needs.

One of two things I don't like about carts are the open shelf area on the bottom That seem like crud magnets that collect all kinds of dirt, dust and stuff.. I'm getting a little older and for my knees and me, it's harder to get stuff out of down there. The modification with the sliding tray did catch my attention as a remedy.

A second thing that I don't care about the cart and top chest in general, are the hinged lid covers and the sometimes overly large space under them. The Harbor Freight chest aren't too bad but some of the other brands of top chest have what I consider to be huge areas of wasted space. I personally would rather have intermediate style chest for a top chest. I wish HF would make a 30-36 inch roll cabinet and intermediate chest.

I know that if I had one I would need to do the mod to be able to open the drawers with the top down. Don't get me wrong, I like the HF carts and all the mods that I've discovered on this thread. Lot of creative and talented craftsman here. I got lots of ideas for modifications and upgrades for work benches and roll cabinets. Down the road if I get a shop rather than a small work space in the basement I may have the space and need for the cart and get one then.

Thanks to all the people who posted their mods for the inspiration you have provided.

 

[E.T.]

@blackwolfe After purchasing a 4 drawer cart and doing some functional mods I would have to say that I agree with you. The cart is nice enough but I don’t use it much as a cart, the bottom space is ok for certain things but no clearance for drill boxes or tool cases without cutting, welding, etc.

I think a roll cabinet or even the US General 26” would’ve served me better. I’ve accumulated so much much stuff in a single car garage there’s no room to roll the cart if I wanted to. Lol

 

[Greg85mcss]

So the hinges came 3 days after I ordered them. Got them installed today and I drilled the holes a little too far forward. I can see the lid slamming down at the wrong time.
For those who did this mod is it better to have it a little past 90 degrees? Seems like that would be better.

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[PelicanPines]

So the hinges came 3 days after I ordered them. Got them installed today and I drilled the holes a little too far forward. I can see the lid slamming down at the wrong time.
For those who did this mod is it better to have it a little past 90 degrees? Seems like that would be better.

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The right snapon hinge should have a drop lockout. Mine was calculated well... nailed ninety degrees.

 

[Greg85mcss]

If that's the piece that slides over the edge of the joint then yes. Just doesn't seem like there's much support on the other side. It works for me as is.

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[PelicanPines]

My lid has serious weight on it... if you are close to 90... don't worry about the left. Doubt you have more **** on your lid.

If you are that far off... redrill the bottom holes or slot the hole. Use a simple small bolt to create a block if you slot... so nothing slips.

 

[Jduke]

I’ve spent about an hour looking all over this thread for pics of the snap on hinge mod

Older posts have lost pictures and I can’t seem to find any pictures in the newer posts.

I have 2 of these carts, and as expected the one with less use has gas struts that are getting weak.

Duke

Finally sifted enough and found a picture page 157

Post 3135

 

[PelicanPines]

I’ve spent about an hour looking all over this thread for pics of the snap on hinge mod

Older posts have lost pictures and I can’t seem to find any pictures in the newer posts.

I have 2 of these carts, and as expected the one with less use has gas struts that are getting weak.

Duke

Finally sifted enough and found a picture page 157

Post 3135

Get new gas struts... the snap on mod is for the cart version one... not aware of how it will work on the series two.

 

[darkzero]

I’ve spent about an hour looking all over this thread for pics of the snap on hinge mod

Older posts have lost pictures and I can’t seem to find any pictures in the newer posts.

I have 2 of these carts, and as expected the one with less use has gas struts that are getting weak.

Duke

Finally sifted enough and found a picture page 157

Post 3135

You must have scrolled too fast, there's a pic in post 33, pg 1 for me but I have my preferences set to 40 posts per page.

As said, if you have the gen 2 cart the SO hinges won't work cause the brackets on the lid are in a different location.

Have had my gen 1 cart for yrs & rarely opened the lid. Not sure if the struts are going bad due to age or they were always like that but when opening the lid the shocks extend slow. Closing the lid the shocks compress fast. That's annoying, if it was the other way around I wouldn't have cared. They still hold the lid up fine though. I'm finally putting the SO hinges on it. Recently got a gen 2 cart & it's shocks don't do that.

 

[Coloradical]

I needed to have just a few tools at my new job so I went and picked up a 4 drawer cart the other day. Im used to my Snap on service cart that was a bit shorter so before I put the cart together I chopped off 4" off the legs to better suit my needs. I will be using the top to move product around (turbos) so the lower height helps. For the same reason I went ahead and ordered a mat from amazon to lay over the top. This mat was cut to size and adhered to the top so I can have the top open most of the time and not scratch it up when I load it up. And just because I had one sitting around, I installed a Snap On handle, looks much nicer than the HF one for sure. Hehe.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D1Y77X2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[darkzero]

Got my hinges installed. Decided to stick with the cotter pin method. Never knew clevis pins were so expensive unless purchased in bulk & couldn't really find the sizes I wanted. Don't know why I even bothered looking, I just made my own clevis pins out of SS304 & spacers out of delrin.

Thanks to jjjrmx5 for posting that drawing, your measurements were dead nuts (or spot on for the metric guys). I checked before drilling the holes, the lid ended up just slightly past 90°, pretty damn close to my gen2 cart, & is exactly where I wanted so the hinges lock into place. No chance of the lid falling closed even without that sliding safety lock.

 

[thr3squared]

I needed to have just a few tools at my new job so I went and picked up a 4 drawer cart the other day. Im used to my Snap on service cart that was a bit shorter so before I put the cart together I chopped off 4" off the legs to better suit my needs. I will be using the top to move product around (turbos) so the lower height helps. For the same reason I went ahead and ordered a mat from amazon to lay over the top. This mat was cut to size and adhered to the top so I can have the top open most of the time and not scratch it up when I load it up. And just because I had one sitting around, I installed a Snap On handle, looks much nicer than the HF one for sure. Hehe.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D1Y77X2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Looks good What did you use to adhere the mat to the lid?

 

[PelicanPines]

DARKZERO, Yes... you do need a combo of spacers to nail the hinges correctly. Awesome job. I used bolts with jam nuts. Has not loosened up yet... 4+ years... holy ****... i'm getting old. In hindsight... I would have used cotter pins as well... I had no stock in the right length etc... at the time of fabrication...

Thanks for the great pictures.

 

[darkzero]

Thanks Pelican!

 

[Coloradical]

Looks good What did you use to adhere the mat to the lid?

Well I tried 3M spray adhesive, that held for like an hour...

Resorted to good ol’ superglue after that [emoji28]

 

[svrider]

Looks good What did you use to adhere the mat to the lid?

Well I tried 3M spray adhesive, that held for like an hour...

Resorted to good ol’ superglue after that [emoji28]

I mounted similar rubber mat to my HF 5-drawer just like Coloradical. Scuffed the powder coat with a scotch brite and used Weldwood Contact Cement. Worked like a charm.

 

[LaTuFu]

Got my cart about a week ago, been slowly getting it the way I want.

Painted the trim and added edge guard. I have a work mat for the lid and the shelf. I plan to put that on this weekend.

 

[jmhinkle]

30% off items under $10 coupon goes live on Friday. I was going to say now is the time to get your cart accessories. Looking on the website, they bumped up the prices by $2 on everything so coupon won't work now. Glad I got mine back in July before they did that.

 

[darkzero]

Man I have really bad luck with broken drawer latches. The latches **** on the gen2 cart. When I bought my gen2 the 1st cart I bought was damaged. Exchanged it & the second one had 3 broken drawer latches. The 3rd one I got had 1 broken drawer latch. Luckily I didn't return the 2nd one yet so I swapped the whole drawer out to make a good cart then returned it. I was so pissed that I "forgot" to include the side tray with the one I returned.

1 month later, all was good until today. Latch broke on the bottom drawer. The plastic used for the latches is soft plastic. The plastic latches on my gen1 cart is much harder & I never had a problem with my gen1 cart. I doubt they sell replacements cause it's not really a user replaceable part since it's riveted on.

Here's what I did to fix it. Hopefully the pin & epoxy will hold. Super glue doesn't stick well to this type of plastic. I'm really tempted to removed all my latches to pin all of them.










In case anyone was wondering, the piece on top right is what's riveted to the drawer. It needs to be removed in order to reinstall the fixed latch.

 

[jmhinkle]

Having no issues on my Series 2 cart or toolboxes, I'm curious as to why some see this issue and others don't. Clearly it snapped at the wedge to round transition. This suggests excessive torque on that joint. Are the drawers being yanked on when the lock is holding it closed? The spring will absorb the impact of transition on the wedge side, but pulling against the flat side will create the exact failure you have shown. Any details on when the ones in use have broken on you? Arriving broken seems like a whole different issue, that again I have not been able to replicate either.

 

[darkzero]

I haven't yanked on my drawers without releasing the latch on my gen2 cart. I'm sure I have on my gen1 cart by accident over the years but I have never broke or chipped one. The plastic is harder on the gen1 cart, almost looks fiber reinforced but I didn't check it with a knife so I could be wrong. Plastic on the gen2 cart is very soft.

I don't think I did it though. This cart doesn't get moved around often, stays stationary. Only when I clear the garage out to work on my truck but I haven't done that yet since getting this cart. I went to open the drawer today & just as I touched the release lever the thing flew off. I haven't even opened that drawer all that much yet, barely got it a month ago.

I'm thinking it must have already been cracked from shipping & was about to break off. Of the 3 carts I bought 2 of them had broken latches so I think that's what happened. When I returned the final cart the store manager told me he's had a bunch of returns recently on the carts. He thinks the forklift guys aren't being careful with them. The 2nd & 3rd ones I got didn't have any damage to the box/packaging but they both had broken latches. 1st one I got the top rear was smashed, was able to open the lid but the drawer lock bars were stuck so none of the drawers would open.

 

[jmhinkle]

Man, that *****. Sounds like a rash of bad luck. I originally bought an orange cart and opened it, but changed my mind on color after having it in the garage. No broken latches there. I swapped it for green and bought the 72" bottom and 56" top tool box to go with it. No broken latches on them. My cart gets rolled out in the my pebbly driveway, which is a bit of a sharp angle as well and I've had no issues with the latches. Definitely seems weird. I never had a series 1 cart to compare with. My series 1 tool box was a 44" so it didn't have latches. Time will tell and people keep saying I'll have problems. I saw in a thread somewhere that you can order the latches to replace them.

 

[PelicanPines]

The pinning of that part is smart... great idea. It's something I would have done (without the benefit of a lathe)(too poor)(no room for one)

If I went thru the trouble to fix that one... I would have probably yanked all the clips and drilled and reinforced all of them. Wow... yea... a lathe would help do that to a NOT BROKEN yet clip. Drill right thru the angle into the shaft and insert epoxy and pin.

 

[darkzero]

Man, that *****. Sounds like a rash of bad luck. I originally bought an orange cart and opened it, but changed my mind on color after having it in the garage. No broken latches there. I swapped it for green and bought the 72" bottom and 56" top tool box to go with it. No broken latches on them. My cart gets rolled out in the my pebbly driveway, which is a bit of a sharp angle as well and I've had no issues with the latches. Definitely seems weird. I never had a series 1 cart to compare with. My series 1 tool box was a 44" so it didn't have latches. Time will tell and people keep saying I'll have problems. I saw in a thread somewhere that you can order the latches to replace them.

Yeah seriously, but yeah I agree, think it was just bad luck but it's fixed now.

The gen2 cart has detents on the drawer slides to help keep the drawers in the closed position. The gen1 cart doesn't have the detents, it's only the latches keeping the drawers closed aside from the lid locks. Maybe the enginerds felt it was ok to cheap out in the plastic because of this. Also with the other damaged carts I had, on some of the broken latches the very tips of the wedges were snapped off too.

Looking at the latches installed the latch housing should support it enough so the shaft wouldn't break where it did even if you pulled on the drawer without releasing the latch. But who knows what the cause is.

The pinning of that part is smart... great idea. It's something I would have done (without the benefit of a lathe)(too poor)(no room for one)

If I went thru the trouble to fix that one... I would have probably yanked all the clips and drilled and reinforced all of them. Wow... yea... a lathe would help do that to a NOT BROKEN yet clip. Drill right thru the angle into the shaft and insert epoxy and pin.

Dead on, exactly what I was thinking to do. Just drill through the wedge & press pins in. Would be quicker too, no need for setup on the mill like I did to repair the broken one. I was thinking to not even bother using epoxy for the ones not broken, just a friction fit for the pins, then fill the hole with epoxy. But I suppose if I'm going through the trouble might as well add a little epoxy. I added a bead of epoxy around the base of the shaft of the repaired one, maybe I'll do that too on the good ones.

I wasn't planning to do it now cause I don't think anymore will break but probably should play it safe & just do it. Didn't feel like drilling out more rivets. Well you've gave me the push, I guess I will, off to go paint some more rivets black then.

 

[darkzero]

Pinned the rest of them. Epoxied in & used epoxy putty to fill the holes. I'll wait for the rivets to dry overnight & reinstall them tomorrow.

I know you guys are probably sick of all my latch posts. Ok no more. That should be the end on my drawer latch saga.

 

[PugetDude]

Nice job on the repair, and thanks for posting the fix. Keep us posted as to longevity.

 

[darkzero]

Will do. Thanks.

 

[jmhinkle]

It's definitely a great fix. Thanks for all the detailed pics of what you did as well.