Sandy/Gritty drawers on HF top box....

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Didn't clean out the truck bed all that great before picking up the HF 44 top box. I had to take it out of the cardboard to make it fit with some other items and it got a lot of dust/dirt in the slides of a few of the drawers.

They're pretty rough/scratchy upon open and close. How can I disassemble them to fix this or clean them? Or does someone have a better solution? Spray liberally with WD40? Or will I just have a big mess then.

ihateminimumwage · Jul 28, 2012

Compressed air if it's just dirt (I don't have one of the HF boxes, so don't know the details of getting the drawers out, I know the Craftsman drawers are easy). I wouldn't oil the slides until you get whatever it is out of there, or it's just going to gunk up and give you more issues.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Gotcha. That's what I was thinking, it might just cause more problems.

If anyone has insight as to how to take the drawers out, let me know.

Burgerkong · Jul 28, 2012

If they are ball bearing, slide the drawer out and on the sides you should see a black plastic latch that lifts up or down to release the lock.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Hmmmm. Lemme go check.

HubbaBubba · Jul 28, 2012

Blow it!

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Got em out!

There is A LOT of sandy gunk in the slides. Drawers are out, slides are still in...any way to take the slides out?

Burgerkong · Jul 28, 2012

Same way? If not, they could be either riveted or welded. Perhaps the hacksaw method works?

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

I don't think they're riveted. Before I go prying on them, let's see if someone's got some experience with that specific part.

Mickey O · Jul 28, 2012

EmptyWallet said:
They're pretty rough/scratchy upon open and close.

Than sounds normal for a HF box, I wouldn't worry about it.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Mickey O said:
Than sounds normal for a HF box, I wouldn't worry about it.

It sounds no where close to sounding like any of the other drawers. Not even slightly. It's basically sand that's in there.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Burgerkong said:
Same way? If not, they could be either riveted or welded. Perhaps the hacksaw method works?

Hacksaw method?

Burgerkong · Jul 28, 2012

http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/67000-67999/67421.pdf

Page 3.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9832

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

I figured out how to get PART of the slide out. You take the rubber piece/end cap off and pull out what I think is the inside track? The part that is actually connected to the chest, that's what I can't figure out how to get out.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

I found a rivet. I think. I think it's riveted.

SMKS · Jul 28, 2012

Mickey O said:
Than sounds normal for a HF box, I wouldn't worry about it.

That sounds normal for Mickey's B-S trolling.

I thought Mickey O got a temp ban a while ago for his constant trolling, but I could be misremembering. I know he choose to leave for quite a while, until people on another site got a little sick of him, too. Now he's back here complaining.

To the OP-
Ignore this member.

I can't remember how much grease is in the slides when the box is new. I would guess there is junk caught in the grease, which may mean you can't blow it out with compressed air. It may take brake cleaner or another solvent under pressure to clean out all the grease and gunk. Then you'd have to re-grease the slides.

Burgerkong · Jul 28, 2012

It could also be spot welded in, not too sure.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

stephen9666 said:
That sounds normal for Mickey's B-S trolling.

I thought Mickey O got a temp ban a while ago for his constant trolling, but I could be misremembering. I know he choose to leave for quite a while, until people on another site got a little sick of him, too. Now he's back here complaining.

To the OP-
Ignore this member.

I can't remember how much grease is in the slides when the box is new. I would guess there is junk caught in the grease, which may mean you can't blow it out with compressed air. It may take brake cleaner or another solvent under pressure to clean out all the grease and gunk. Then you'd have to re-grease the slides.

I kinda figured that out about him. Thanks.

Hmmmm, I know I found a rivet, so it at least must be riveted in.

I've some cans of compressed air. I'm gonna try that first.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

I know there are members who have painted this box. So they must know how to take it apart.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

Thought of something else. I don't actually need to take the part off that is riveted to the case. I need to get the slide off of it.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

What kinds of awful things could happen if I took all the drawer and slides out...and ran the hose all over the thing for a half hour?

Burgerkong · Jul 28, 2012

Nothing. Except if you reassemble without it letting dry out first. And don't forget to regrease.

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

I think that's exactly what I'm going to try. I'm gonna take all the drawers out and hose the whole thing down.

You're specifically talking about regreasing the slides, right?

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

What should I use to regrease with?

yjWrangler · Jul 28, 2012

EmptyWallet said:
What kinds of awful things could happen if I took all the drawer and slides out...and ran the hose all over the thing for a half hour?

Rust?

machine_punk · Jul 28, 2012

I think I popped the slides out on my HF 7-drawer end box...If I remember, you just push them 'up' (towards the top of the cabinet) and they pop right out...sort of a fancy French Cleat situation, where there are mating sheet metal parts, held together by gravity.

I don't think there would be a problem with hosing them down, but I'd be much more inclined to grab a shop rag/blue towel/paper towel and go through each slide by hand. Won't take long (in the big scope of things), then a quick squirt of silicon lube spray on each ball bearing, then reassemble.

The water sounds like it is saving you time, but you will end up wiping down every nook and cranny to dry it out, so why not just do that in the first place?

M_P

EmptyWallet · Jul 28, 2012

machine_punk said:
I think I popped the slides out on my HF 7-drawer end box...If I remember, you just push them 'up' (towards the top of the cabinet) and they pop right out...sort of a fancy French Cleat situation, where there are mating sheet metal parts, held together by gravity.

I don't think there would be a problem with hosing them down, but I'd be much more inclined to grab a shop rag/blue towel/paper towel and go through each slide by hand. Won't take long (in the big scope of things), then a quick squirt of silicon lube spray on each ball bearing, then reassemble.

The water sounds like it is saving you time, but you will end up wiping down every nook and cranny to dry it out, so why not just do that in the first place?

M_P

This seems right in theory, and is basically what I did to start out with. However, there are three pieces to the slide. The piece that connects to the chest, the piece that connects to the ball bearings to that piece, and then the piece that connects THAT to the drawer. I can get the ball bearings out, but not the sliding piece after that.

I'm gonna goof around with it some more. The main problem is I can't get the large slide piece off the chest itself.

Burgerkong · Jul 28, 2012

yjWrangler said:
Rust?

As long as it's thoroughly dried out in a warm place/blowgun, rust should be minimal, especially on a new box.

Sandy/Gritty drawers on HF top box....

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member