I can tell by the squeaking noise your drawers are making, you need to tighten the drawer slides by riveting the track slides to the drawers, and to the chassis. To do this youll need to remove all the drawers, get a bunch of 3/16 short rivets. Drill two holes in each track attached to the drawers, one in the middle and one towards the back. Youll see there is only one rivet to begin with at the front of each drawer, and the tracks are loosely slip fit. Adding rivets here alone will make the box feel an order of magnitude nicer quality and will eliminate that squeak noise, as well as some of the flex. Lastly, with all the drawers still removed, mark spots on each slider deep toward the back where you want to add a rivet. Use masking tape to protect the slides below from metal shavings as you drill holes. Vacuum up metal shavings with shop vac as you work. Pop a rivet into the back end of each drawer slide to tighten them to the box chassis. If tou search RU-vid for this topic youll find more information, I've owned a 44" series 2, 56" series 2, and now a 72" series 3, and I cant begin to tell you how big of a difference this makes.
Compared to working on a car it feels like you’re on vacation. It not only makes the drawers work better it makes them work longer. Those slides don’t like that lateral movement and will be spitting out ball bearings after a while. Something else you could do is take a body hammer & dolly and snug up those clips that hold the slides to the drawer. Don’t worry about getting the slides so tight they start to bind. There’s still plenty of slop.
@@davehaggerty3405 if you add a rivet to the back of each slide where it attaches to the drawer, you don't have to worry about bending the clips. I did that method first without rivets and it did help some but there was still some squeaking and flexing. Just make sure the drawer weight is fully resting on the slide clip when you drill your hole for the rivet so that the rivet does not have to take the weight load.
My father turned wrenches till he was 70, well over 50 years. He's 78 now and has all his tools still from 50+ years of his automotive career . All of his boxes are snap-on with the biggest one is a 70+" box , it will still be going strong when my 11yr old son is my father's age. It a total tank! So that would be why you would buy a top tier box. Many of my tools are Harbor freight, but I don't do it for a living either. As a side note he has a floor jack that was made in the early 60s that still works, a little tiny leak every so often but he still uses it anytime we work on one of our trucks. Most people don't need it to last like that for the price you pay for it now.
I don’t care how expensive the box is, any metal constructed like a toolbox drawer has, will shake if you want it to or push it off center. It’s physics and construction technique.
One pro tip, have a reasonably strong friend around when you get the top box. Unless your wife is a Viking, she's not going to be helping you put that thing on top 😂
This is why I need to buy a fork lift attachment for my JD series 1 tractor.....so future me can put the top box, which I do not own, on my USG roll cab.
Just found your channel today and subscribed. I appreciate your review of the 56" USG roll cab. I have the older 44" series 2 and find myself wishing I had the 56".
Welcome to the channel! I appreciate your sub! Please feel free to provide any feedback on my videos! I also have a USG 42” that I’d like to do a review on soon. Problem is that HF has damaged three different upper tool chests and it’s not complete yet lol. Been waiting for months.
I just got the same set-up in red, although I do like your Ford blue. I am trying to figure out how to lift the top box on to the roll box. I may have remove the drawers as it is very heavy. Awesome video!
One thing i like about the harbor freight toolboxes, is that like you were saying it would be nice to have another bank on the side, you can pick up the side cabinet fairly cheap, which gives you about that much more room.
I actually have a video on the channel all about the side cabinet. I was pretty lucky and got one when they were on sale for barely a couple hundred bucks.
I had the same issue with the bottom deep drawer not opening easily. I did a video comparing it to my husky 56" on my channel if you want to see it. Love your review man!
@@DemoDad101 I have a gen 1 box (72”) with a 56” upper. The drawers get a ton smoother whenever you hit them slides with some silicone based garage door lube. The factory grease is pretty sticky. Maybe once a year they get a good cleaning, and some fresh lube on the slides. Pretty sure the stuff I use is made by PB Blaster
If you had decided to get it replaced when Harbor Freight offered you could have replaced it with the Yellow. I know the yellow boxes are not to popular but I like the look of the yellow box myself.
I didn’t replace it because I didn’t have the time to wait for another box. They wanted this one back first. I don’t have another good place to put all the tools. Organization of that tool box took many hours. For me, time is money!
not gonna lie…was curious about the back and forth flex of the drawer so I asked my buddy with a Snap on box to do that to his drawer. Very similar flex. So I wouldn’t feel too bad.
Demo Dad.. Cool review. New Subscriber here. Yeah I can't decide which one to get. I was thinking maybe their 42" top and bottom or maybe another 34" full bank cart to go with the one I already have. But now I'm thinking about the 56". My 87"x31" Matco 6S triple bay with hutch is full. So is my full bank cart and my smaller husky toolbox so I definitely need more storage.. Just can't make up my mind. LOL
The top is High only for the Height-challenged... I'm 6'4" and look down into the top, and would only get the top cabinet, not the Hutch as I would have to duck under the cab top to use it. The Top box would be the perfect height because the top opening is shoulder height, and I can see the whole top and into all of the drawers easily. The total height of the two boxes you have is ~70" (To the top of the closed upper cover, which opens ~6" below that height). The total Height with the Lower box and Hutch is the same overall. so it's about equal to my Chin... For the drawers Shaking?? My buddy's 15K Snap-on also shakes side to side almost to the same extent.
I wish they kept the older green they had from the series 2. Or offered the purple they have on the small boxes. They don’t offer enough colors in the Icon.
That’s what I did but if you needed a space for a computer or something….the hutch would be a good move. You can always get the side boxes for more tool storage.
@@DemoDad101 I'm a DIY mechanic for friends and family. The laptop isn't a huge deal at this point. I was debating on a TV in there or speakers but storage is always more important 🤣
I have the Blue 72 “ the original version and I like it. I jus have the bottom & like you been looking at the 24” bottom box as well. Maby latter adding the top chest but I like having the 72” bottom chest to work off of. Good video
If I did this over again...I would do the hutch for the 56 and the chest for the 42. I just brought my old laptop out to the shop and I have no safe place for it!
I just ordered this weekend a 72 series 3 top n bottom a side box annd a side locker. End of april delivery. I checked several diesel mechanics boxes before i purchased. For my home garage working on corvettes its all that is needed. The snap on is just way to much . I spent 3400.00 spanp on would be 20k. Not worth it. The bragging rights stopped years ago on snapon
They’re decent. Certainly better than the Milwaukee toolboxes. Aside from my kitchen…I don’t see a place for soft close drawers lol. I just don’t like the flat paint most of the Husky stuff has. They’ve been around a long time though. Very popular box. Especially if you have a Home Depot nearby and a Harbor Freight far away.
I purchased the 52" Husky in January. My coworker assembled his 72" USG today. I have to say I REALLY like the soft close feature. Especially now that I'm able to compare both boxes at the same time. That feature alone could make me stick with Husky in the future if I upgrade boxes again
I don’t know if they can compete with SnapOn quality but I just don’t see a realistic need for super expensive boxes. Most techs abuse their tool carts and their boxes are just bulk took storage. Seems like a stupid way to spend a lot of money. If anything…splurge on the tool cart…
i’m on the fence with this same situation, i have an old krl7022, the big thing for me is going from a 30inch deep box to 22, i feel like it would be going backwards. but i really like the new series 3, and the blue, love the blue!!
Go buy a $50,000 snap on box put all your tools in it and shake the drawers and you get the same damn results! Also nobody makes a top chest that will hold those tall t handle wrenches…. That ford hoodie says a lot! 🤪
I seen the new ones today, 56, 42 and 27 i think. They all look sweet, i really liked the green 42 its a similar size to my old kra3800 box at the house that i still dont have filled up yet
Enjoyed your video. Looking at getting the 42” roller cabinet, top chest, and a 15” side cabinet from HF. I am a Golf Cart mechanic and don’t need a whole 56”+ size of a toolbox. But out of curiosity, have you thought or considered maybe seeing about upgrading the drawer slides to something higher quality? Something I’m considering.
Word of advice… a toolbox is like a shop, go bigger than you need. I’m not a full time wrench but my side hustle is fixing tractor implements, and I am busting at the seams for tools. A 56” is in my future… any serious tool use and you to will grow into it.
Interested in grabbing one of these setups. Quick question what is the height of the bottom wide drawer on the top box?I cant seem to find drawer dimensions anywhere.
Ordered the 72 inch with the top hutch on Black Friday. But the more I think about it, buying 2 56 inch boxes seems to make a lot more sense especially since they’re on sale for $750 with inside track right now. You get a whole lot more storage for the same price, plus you can buy a top hutch for one and a top chest for the other and only have a few hundred more dollars in the whole set up.🤔
Holy cow! $750 is a steal! I just verified that online. Mine was $899 for the cab, $599 for the top chest, $266.97 for shipping, and $141.36 for sales tax in NYS. $1908.32 less the $324 they took off for damage. So $1584.32 is what that setup cost me. Pretty amazing value.
That's exactly what I'm doing. 2 56" + A side cabinet, Hutch for one and top box for another. Even though they aren't super deep boxes it will have PLENTY of storage for the stuff I have.
I think I'm going tomorrow to get the 56" roller bottom. $899-20%=$719. It definitely is not as well constructed as the Icon box but for a schmuck working in his garage it's more than I'll need. I'm going GREEN!
I just bought mine via the $750 "Inside Track" membership deal. I then also bought the top box at full price of $600 like you. BUT... the salesman had a 20% off one-item coupon, so he rang up each separate, getting me the lower for $600 and the upper for $480, Total of $1,080. But wait! He signed me up for the credit card with an introductory 10% off, for another $108 discount, bringing the price down to $972. To do this, I bought each piece separately on my own credit card, getting me 20% off each. Ordered for in-store delivery, and when they arrived, cancelled the order and repurchased using the Harbor Freight credit card with the 10% off first order option... AND, the credit card could make zero-interest payments for a year if I choose. I pick up from the store, no delivery fees. I did have to pay sales tax and buy the year membership, which added $100 back on to the total, for $1,072 out the door. I have a low deck motorcycle trailer I loaded them on, then enlisted my sons to help unload and lift the upper box into place.@@DemoDad101
Damn, who else can say the manufacturer wanted to replace the damaged goods and I just wanted a discount. You can't say they didn't do nothing for you.
@@DemoDad101 That's pretty cool. I'm glad you made this video because I've been thinking about what box to get in the future. I think I'm going to just get a top chest for my US General 44" and hopefully that will hold me over until I can get a bigger space then I'll upgrade to the ICON 56" as a permanent box
I looked at the Husky also. It was a lessor build quality. The drawers were also shallower and less deep. The one I looked at only had one full bank drawer. This finish wasn’t as nice.
Drawers on my old Snap-On shake side to side. How tall are you? I have the exact blue 56 box. Waiting for top box. Im 6’3”. Im wondering if I will have height issues.
It could be. I think the tolerances of the box are just not as precise compared to more expensive boxes with better designs, assembly process and materials.
@@DemoDad101 I get that, such as the Icon that feels like its really worth the extra money the way its built and the drawers slide out. but the US general does do the job. I have the 26" us general and I think because of its smaller size using the same gauge material and slides feels sturdier, but way less bench or box space and not much options for long things.
I have a 42 and just ordered a 27 today. I went with the 42 because the power drawers on the 56/72 were pointless to me. HIGHLY recommend removing the plastic latch thing. So much better not having to slide the latch to open drawers constantly. The 72 is also wildly more expensive than every other combination of their boxes possible as you stated. Just a heads up the 42 and 27 are shorter in height. You'll need to change the casters for them to be the same height with the 56. The actual box is the same the casters are bigger on the 56/72.
You can likely order them from harbor freight. The 72 has the suspension casters, the 56 like yours just has a bigger mounting plate on the same wheel size as the 42. @@DemoDad101
been looking at these as a snap on box owner also the icon, great value but just the quality is so cheap and the drawer locks are horrible. opening and closing all day heavily won't last
I agree. The locks are awful. I don’t lock mine. The drawers seem to be holding up very well. But yes, they don’t “feel” as perfect as some of the Snap-On boxes that I’ve handled in the past. Granted…these are also not $15,000 so…
@@joshingram8582 I am. Although, now that I’ve had them for awhile (10 years)…I wish they were not stainless steel. It’s a lot of extra work to keep them clean and shiny.