RSVRMAN
Well-known member
I'd love to get one of these. How often do they go on sale for $699? I've been wandering the tool/menards stores for awhile and I think this is the best made chest for the price.
Review: Harbor Freight US General 56" rolling cabinet
- Thread starter fixiteer
- Start date
98TJ
Well-known member
OK y'all asked for it here it is - sorry for crappy cell picture , top box fresh out the crate. Northern tool 56" meet Harbor Freight 56"
[/URL]
You know, I was really debating one of those top boxes for my 56", but in hindsight I'm glad I decided to build the hutch.
I believe Rural King also sells Torin top boxes that will fit.
dttheliman
Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2012
- Messages
- 17
First impression is the top box is the same quality, if not a bit stronger build , uses the exact same slides as the bottom, I thought the colors would be closer, but no biggie, I will pull the locks and get some replacements that are keyed alike and I may just get adventurous with my Iwata and some paint, however I will live with it a little longer and see how much it annoys me , being OCD (really CDO , alphabetical like it should be 
) That will be the real test , meanwhile I have to sort out what is going where , and move some stuff to find a slot for it in my shop
) That will be the real test , meanwhile I have to sort out what is going where , and move some stuff to find a slot for it in my shopWould like to report 1 year and change and my 56" is still perfect and I am still damn proud of it. I love it and it has been fun filling it up and there is still more to come. Instead of a top box I may end up with a 5 drawer cart. If anyone has a doubt about quality well it's a waste of time and all the money on the more expensive boxes could be used for tools.
rsieracki
Well-known member
I got the 56" box last August, upgraded from an outgrown 44" HF box. Im having issues with a sey of slides on The 56, second drawer down which is my ratchet/extention drawer.. its a bit loaded but almost feels like the slide is ready to break. Anyone else have this issue? Any one upgrade or replaces a slide yet. I'm Not a working mechanic so the box is mainly for storage sso I can't see a slide going bad so soon
Tribalvision
Well-known member
I always check my HF store for this box and it's never been there to see. i dont want to buy blind, I want to see one in person. I always get the same"should be in soon" answer when I ask.
same thing here. i think some stores just don't stock this one maybe because they don't sell a lot of tool boxes of the larger sizes. they'll usually have the 44" one around, but only a few stores seem to actually have this one. i might suggest calling around your area to find another store that might have it in stock and on display for you to check out. although all the reviews seem to be positive, i too usually like to see and "feel" a product like this before I pull out my credit card.
I finally got to see this chest in person yesterday. For the 1st time, my local HFT had it on display. I have to say, I'm a little bit disappointed. It's nice, not saying it's not worth it for the right buyer, but I don't think I would have it in my garage. The 1st most annoying thing is the hidden latch switch. It's just like the ones on the 5-drawer red cart, which is a great idea on a small cart that you plan to move around a lot with. But on a 56" wide roll-away that you don't necessarily intend to move around every day, it's just annoying. I would be happy with just a friction or spring catch in the back of the slides and that would be sufficient. If I'm worried about drawers opening when I move it, I can just lock the box up on the rare occasion I move it. The 2nd annoying thing is the silver trim pieces that go vertically between the drawer sections; it's just plastic **** that they glued on or screwed on. If it was part of the metal skin, just polished metal with a clearcoat or something like that, that would be cool... but as an after thought plastic trim that is probably going to fall off one day, it just irritates me. The rest of it, as far as functionality goes, seems like it is well built, but that latch would get really annoying really fast for me. If anything, I would rather spend the same amount of money ($700) on 2x $350 44" roll-away chests; those are awesome and I actually like the new shiny red versus the older matte red. Although, I would much prefer if they sold it in a different color all together, but if it bothered me enough I can get out my spray gun.
Edit: also, another thing I noticed is that although the cart itself is deeper than 18", the drawers are not. so you might have larger work surface on top, but don't expect the drawers to be much deeper... if anything, they might be like 18.5" deep... that was annoying too. Again, I think the 44" wide is a better buy, but I wish it were a different color and had more shallow drawers.
Edit: also, another thing I noticed is that although the cart itself is deeper than 18", the drawers are not. so you might have larger work surface on top, but don't expect the drawers to be much deeper... if anything, they might be like 18.5" deep... that was annoying too. Again, I think the 44" wide is a better buy, but I wish it were a different color and had more shallow drawers.
Last edited:
I just picked one up about 4 hrs ago with the $699 coupon. Me and a buddy deskidded it. Very nicely packed. Tool box seems awesome. The draw latches don't bother me I kinda dig um. I didn't play with it much but I did notice it was missing a caster bolt as someone else mentioned there's was also. This is strictly for my garage as I have a race car and wrench on my daily driver. Size is def professional box worthy. All and all it gets my approval and recommend it to a mechanic starting out and diesnt want to spend 5k on a box or for the weekend warrior.
Next thing is a stainless top lol. Anybody pirate one one yet? Who makes a nice one for 56" other then the obvious snap on and Mac's?????
Next thing is a stainless top lol. Anybody pirate one one yet? Who makes a nice one for 56" other then the obvious snap on and Mac's?????
Its a piece of painted aluminum diamond plate, I have since placed a thick rubber mat on top of it because the paint was chipping. Now it had a solid base and the rubber top to beat on, plus it cleans up easy.
Attachments
balane
Well-known member
I like this idea. Where did you buy your rubber mat and how much was it? Thanks, looks good.
I hung the side box on my 56". I also fixed the latch problem by putting small plastic cubes cut from a socket rack in them. Just hold them open far enough for the latch to open smooth and insert the plastic underneath and it holds them open. A couple of the drawers opened by themselves after that. A quick 1/4 shim under both front wheels and the drawers work like a regular box.
Thanks, its been working out well but unfortunately I didn't buy it it was an old piece of belting material I found in the shop so I can't be any help there.
nit2wn
Well-known member
Both if you bolt them on there.
balane
Well-known member
That sounds like a good thing to have around. I went ahead and bought a roll of this stuff here. Hasn't come yet but I think it's going to be pretty tough. I got it in all black. Probably over-paid but it works well and lasts I'll be happy.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290645831134
Ok so it comes with 2...thats cool
smokey0066
Well-known member
Not sure if anyone knows but how does the 44" compare to the 56" they seem pretty similar to me but I only spent about 5 minutes looking at them.
i don't own either, but i've spent some time looking at them at the store. both seem pretty heavy duty and are well built. the slides are pretty good quality and those drawers would meet most people's needs.
the 56" one does have the "hidden slide latch" like the 5-drawer red cart. Basically it's a hidden switch behind the drawer pulls that you have to pull to the side to unlatch it from the frame to pull out. to me, it's an annoying feature since that means you have to have your hand towards the middle of the drawer pull to open it, you can't just reach from the very left side and open a drawer. the idea is a good one for a cart that might move around a lot, but I don't see a 56" wide tool chest being one that a owner plans to move around a lot with. I also don't like the plastic trim pieces on the 56" which looks like an afterthought someone put on because they thought a little chrome plastic would look good with red. if you plan to store a lot of larger heavy tools, then the 56" is the better choice. otherwise, you're better off spending the same amount of money on two 44" boxes. neither of these have shallow drawers, so if you're like me and want to store a lot of smaller tools, i would look elsewhere.
Just picked mine up last night thanks to your guys' coupon post. Love this website.
Old vs new:
First day on duty:
Drawers (wayyyy more room then I had before)
Little update, it's been 5 months (had to search back to my old post to figure that out) since I bought my box, been used every day since (full time mechanic and this is my work box) and its held up well, drawers aren't showing any signs of stress (they're much fuller than they were in this picture). Coating is holding up as well.
Only gripe I have is the castors, one of them (front left) looks like its "flat", like the rubber is starting to fall off, and I've only moved this box once, I changed jobs about 2 months ago, and that was the first time the box moved since setting it up, it was very difficult to roll, and one of the castors appeared to be seized, anyone have any suggestions for upgrading/replacing the castors?
I wish I could get a hutch for this (a real, locking one)
Also, unslow1, is that the side cabinet designed for the smaller HF box?
losttechnician
Active member
I have owned this cabinet for a couple of years and think a lot of it. I am not a big fan of the casters either, but mine gets moved very little anyhow.
Mine sits in my garage, was moved from the last house, and will be moved to the next house, seeing as I am "between shops" right now due to my job moving me around fairly frequently for a while. It gets used often however, even though I have little room to work, and even less room to get the drawers open......
I work in an industrial setting though, and the mechanics at my plant are furnished tools and boxes, which are all the 40" ones from HF. The welding shop crafts a square tube frame with side cabinets, industrial casters, and a steel top then slides the boxes in from the back (minus caster) and welds a little 45 degree corner in to keep the box in place. No matter the brand of box, rolling over the grating destroys them, so this has worked out grand. The drawers get used/abused, and they hold up real well, so it sold me on HF for my home.
As for a top box, HF *DID* make one that fits right on it. I own one on my box, it was a clearance item when I bought my box, and it bolts right on it. Only issue is it is the crinkle finish, and the bottom is the shiny. Top box part number, if you can find one on CL or ebay, is 944947. It bolts right down onto the top of the bottom box, just like it was made for it. Fits absolutely perfect.
Issues on top box... It has a big drawer that for me is essentially useless. It also has a lid that I can't seem to stop piling junk on, making the nice shelf under the lid kinda hard to get to.
Finally, obviously the top and bottom are keyed different. HF was completely, totally unhelpful trying to get new locks for the boxes. I called a dozen times, they got tired of talking to me, and finally agreed to sell me new locks, but they would be shipped from china. Was pretty cheap, so did it.I got one lock, with one key.. No wonder it was so cheap. Kinda hard to replace 4 keyed different locks (with two keys each) with a single lock, but I just gave up on it.
Overall, good box, especially with the top box on it. I ALMOST have enough room to store the tools I don't get to use as often as I would like. And a few other things that really have no place in a tool box.
ktmracer
Well-known member
Any advices on how to buy this 56 HF box for less than $799?
TwoInch
Well-known member
TwoInch
Well-known member
quick google search, here is one good til mid august
ktmracer
Well-known member
Thanks very much. I will put it to good use!
Can't compare this box to a snap on KRL, look at the likeness of the KRA5213 in the video. The storage space is pretty much the same. I have the us general 56 and have no complaints except, once u unpackage it retorque the casters. Mine were loose. And so were my friends
Last edited:
im in the market for a 56 or 72" box . i was looking at snap on heritage and matco 4s. i can get them both new at very cheap price. but at 750 after tax , the harbor freight box is still half price of the 56" from either snap on or matco .
prices aside, im more interested in the toughness and durability of the HF box. we have plenty snap on matco boxes at school, here is the my comments on the snap on matco boxes. all the drawers are very firm up and down, side to side when you try to move it really hard. i wieght 170lbs , feels solid when i stand or sit on any drawers of snap on and matco box. on the other hand the 44" HF box drawers are very " flimsy " and loose , there is a lot of side to side, up and down movement , . i tried to put my weight on the big drawers, it feels like it could break off if i sit on it. i was wondering if the 56" HF box is built the same as the 44". because there is no 56" on the floor at my local HF store.
long question , thanks in advance
Zhi
prices aside, im more interested in the toughness and durability of the HF box. we have plenty snap on matco boxes at school, here is the my comments on the snap on matco boxes. all the drawers are very firm up and down, side to side when you try to move it really hard. i wieght 170lbs , feels solid when i stand or sit on any drawers of snap on and matco box. on the other hand the 44" HF box drawers are very " flimsy " and loose , there is a lot of side to side, up and down movement , . i tried to put my weight on the big drawers, it feels like it could break off if i sit on it. i was wondering if the 56" HF box is built the same as the 44". because there is no 56" on the floor at my local HF store.
long question , thanks in advance
Zhi
Fastbird
Well-known member
Was just wondering this myself. I was in HF yesterday (CP Teflon Lug Nut socket set) and got to finally look one of these cabinets over. WOW is all I can say. Both it and the 44" were VERY impressive, and far and beyond sturdier than my Craftsman BB/Griplatch 40" combo. I know what my next box WILL be.
I bit the bullet and purchased the 56"
If anyone else is looking at one, here is the coupon code for it for $100 off:
77161841
http://imageshack.us/a/img534/3451/img0725aw.jpg
If anyone else is looking at one, here is the coupon code for it for $100 off:
77161841
http://imageshack.us/a/img534/3451/img0725aw.jpg
Last edited:
Cedge
Well-known member
Redwood
I just bought 2 of the 56" HF boxes today. What publication has that original coupon? I'm not sure they'd take the printed photo. Any way you could scan it flat?
Steve
I just bought 2 of the 56" HF boxes today. What publication has that original coupon? I'm not sure they'd take the printed photo. Any way you could scan it flat?
Steve
burgie
Well-known member
Fixiteer...
I've frequently checked that box out at HF and was pretty impressed with it. Lots of storage and the fit and finish seemed very good. Now, I can't speak to weld quality as some other posters have mentioned; however, I will throw in my 2 cents. I know and have known hundreds of people with tool boxes of every size, make and model and have NEVER heard of anyone having issues due to spot welds bursting at the seams (so to speak).
Good luck with the box...
I've frequently checked that box out at HF and was pretty impressed with it. Lots of storage and the fit and finish seemed very good. Now, I can't speak to weld quality as some other posters have mentioned; however, I will throw in my 2 cents. I know and have known hundreds of people with tool boxes of every size, make and model and have NEVER heard of anyone having issues due to spot welds bursting at the seams (so to speak).
Good luck with the box...
HI Steve, sorry I can't be of any help, but I am not the original scanner of the coupon. I happened across it on a coupon website. I used the code number on HF's website and it worked.