First post and a useful mod for railed socket holders.

[Presto_z]

First off I'd like to say hello, and thanks for having me. I've frequented this board from time to time and decided it was finally time to join.

There is a lot of debate over harbor freight tools, and that's for good reason. Many of their items are good for nothing, while others are surprisingly useful and somewhat durable.

I was in drastic need of organizing my sockets and have tried many different methods, this method seems to work the best for me.

I picked up a few 3 packs of HF socket rails that were on sale for $2.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-14-38-and-12-socket-rail-set-68101.html

Once I got home the brainstorming started, do I combine multiple sets on the same rails, or do I have tons of half full socket rails to keep them organized?

I ended up modifying the socket rails to fit my needs. Each set is on its own rail and there is no wasted space.

Here is what I did

This is an unmodified rail

I loaded up sockets and found I could fit two sets into certain rails. I then cut them in half.

Once they were cut they wanted to slide off the end so I took a soldering iron and melted the plastic on the bottom side of the rail

Here is the finished product

I was able to organize them with only 3 sets, let me know what you think.

I also posted this from my phone, so please excuse and misspelled words or poor grammar.

 

[930dreamer]

Welcome, that's a great mod for the HF rails.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

I didn't know hf sell those socket rails. well, it was only matter of time.

welcome.

 

[Presto_z]

Thanks guys, I recently purchased a new chest and will be setting it up over the next few weeks. Ill post any other out of the ordinary set ups.

 

[greasemonkey44]

much cleaner than my solutions
running a self tapping screw through it
and melting the end with a lighter

 

[Catamount]

I'm a huge fan of the HF rails... I have hundreds of sockets on them!

 

[airdale]

Good job! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Fedwrench]

Never thought of heat. i always used a couple of drops of super glue to keep the last peg from falling off of cut down plastic rails. Welcome to the board!!!

 

[Jason280]

Looks good!

 

[fourjeepin]

Wow. Catamount has a serious socket habit.

 

[bbrins]

I just wrap the end with electrical tape to keep the studs from sliding off, that way I can just unwrap it if I need to replace one of the studs or reconfigure the rail. I don't have the HF rails though, mine are Craftsman.

Anybody know if the HF and CM studs are interchangeable?

 

[greasemonkey44]

I just wrap the end with electrical tape to keep the studs from sliding off, that way I can just unwrap it if I need to replace one of the studs or reconfigure the rail. I don't have the HF rails though, mine are Craftsman.

Anybody know if the HF and CM studs are interchangeable?

yup
same with sk rails too afaik

 

[cmandp]

I'll have to post pics of my solution. No where near as quick or as easy (still get that abs smell though), but if I ever want to remove clips I can.

Edit:

 

[dirtydogintex]

I just wrap the end with electrical tape to keep the studs from sliding off, that way I can just unwrap it if I need to replace one of the studs or reconfigure the rail. I don't have the HF rails though, mine are Craftsman.

Anybody know if the HF and CM studs are interchangeable?

One says 'Craftsman' the other doesn't.... otherwise they're identical AFAICT.


When new, clips can be popped on/off the rail sides rather than sliding on/off the end of the rail. A small flat screwdriver helps.
Dunno if the rail/clips will age becoming too stiff/brittle to pop the clips on/off....

 

[bbrins]

The ones I have are at least ten years old now, at this point, I'd be worried about them snapping if I tried popping them off the side. Thanks for the info, I might have to pick up a few sets next time I happen to be in the vicinity of a HF store so that I can organize some of my spare sockets.

 

[decableguy2000]

Harbor freights work on the Craftsman, the HF rails are cheaper than extra clips from sears.

Jeremy

 

[jetmech09]

Good idea. Thanks for sharing. Might have to do that in my personal box. I just don't think those rails would hold up in a professional environment. Skydrol and plastic don't mix.

 

[Trey T]

I would be lost going through your socket drawer. is SAE and Metric all in one drawer?

I'm a huge fan of the HF rails... I have hundreds of sockets on them!

 

[Gregg33]

I've used these in various brands, U.S. made Kobalt & Craftsman and Taiwan made from Princess Auto for several years. Other than a couple times when the detent ball popped out of a peg (I just replaced the peg), I've never had any problems with them. In fact I find they hold the sockets better (and they can be removed easier) than when using the more flimsy metal rail and clips. Plus certain brands of the metal rails...not the SO, but the ones Gray sells need to be fastened to the box or they fall over. I also find they are more portable and take up less space than the Hansen style racks.

 

[dirtydogintex]

Good idea. Thanks for sharing. Might have to do that in my personal box. I just don't think those rails would hold up in a professional environment. Skydrol and plastic don't mix.

They hold up well in the auto, equipment and industrial professional environments to name a few.

Oldest rails ~10yrs w/only a coupla the socket detent balls rusting in place.
Popped the old ones off, popped the new ones on.

Tried many other types and these by far work the best (esp. if one tends to drop entire rails!)
while being the biggest bang for the buck.
They work well in boxes, drawers and bags.

The rails are available in black and gray - black for SAE, gray for metric unless one wants to go just the opposite! *L*