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Harbor Freight at SEMA - US General Series 3 and other Updates

Bebop said:
I have 2 HF floor jacks.

The 3ton super duty (snap on copy) and the 4 ton heavy duty.


The 3 ton (which was $290 or close to that) blows the 4 tons out of the water on every aspect. Worth the money for sure.
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Yeah I have the 3 ton jack and it kicks ass. I am looking at this new jack for use outside in the dirt. I had been eyeballing the Eagle off road jack for the same use but the price:eek: The HF at half the cost is looking better.
 
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How long before Series 2 isn’t in the store anymore?

Maybe I should stop procrastinating getting some other pieces before they’re no longer available. 😆
 
How much of a difference is there between these new generals and the icon chests? Was gonna pick up 2 for the new shop.
 
_ogre said:
I've never seen so many guys excited about harbor fright before. I won't buy any buy anything hf with a cord cept for $10 grinders. That said, hf tool boxes have really come up over the years. I wouldn't think twice about driving one into a new job. If it falls apart in ten years, the replacement will still be 10% snap on price
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As I said in my response to BustedCrank, I really feel the HF USG boxes are the best locally available bang for your buck out there. The ICON stuff is really nice, but even that has a premium price that is more than I need.

Other than that, their new tool lines (past few years) have really stepped up the game for the price - ICON, Doyle, Quinn, Bremen, etc. I'm still hesitant about the corded/cordless tools, but their new warranties on stuff has me rethinking even that.

They still have their older brands - Pittsburgh, Chicago Electric, etc - which continues to be meh. I typically only consider that if I'm looking for something disposable.

Chkn said:
How long before Series 2 isn’t in the store anymore?
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They say in the videos that the 72" cabinet, hutch, and end cabinets is coming out "Spring 2023," so it sounds like it will be a slow rollout - 72" first and then the other sizes (56", 44", etc) later on. No idea if that is going to be weeks or months between releases. I'm going to guess that as the new stuff comes out they'll have sold out of the Series 2 stuff, so particularly certain colors may be hard to come by as the new releases get closer. If I wanted something specific, I'd probably be looking at buying it by the end of the year.

ThePanzerFuhrer said:
How much of a difference is there between these new generals and the icon chests? Was gonna pick up 2 for the new shop.
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I'm going to guess that they're going to maintain a separation between the USG and ICON lines. The ICON is wider (25" vs. 22"), a bit taller, and nearly double the working load of the USG. It doesn't sound like any of that really changes for the Series 3.

Initially I was more excited about the Series 3 just because it was in the color I had wanted - slate gray. But really, the power drawer doesn't mean much to me at home (I have chargers and such elsewhere), the hutch really doesn't do me any good at home, and I'm used to the drawer latches at one end as opposed to the new full length setup. The bigger end cabinet is nice. I might upgrade the one I have at the shop I work at to one of the new ones for the extra space.
 
This morning I bought the HF ICON 73" Roll Cab, 73" Top Chest, And the 73" single overhead.
once it gets here and I see how it fits my space, I'll probably end up with a single End Cab.
 
I just saw online that the off-road jack is shown as in stock at the local HF. Have to at least get over and see it in person - also the Doyle drill press and hitch vises which they also say are in stock.

I'm really curious about the wheels on the off-road jack. From the pictures, they look plastic and I'm not sure how that is going to hold up to use on asphalt, gravel, and such.
 
I must of missed the hitch vise anouncement. Just looked at it on their site...looks nicer than the tractor supply one I bought.

Interesting that it also has a flat base mount.

I've been meaning to put a receiver on the edge of my trailer to mount one - many times it would have been handy for camp repairs while wheeling. For that matter, I need to make a storage spot on my wheeling rig to mount it while on the trail.

1670096250934.png



This is the one I have from TSC

1670096235087.png
 
There are times it would be handy on the back of a vehicle, but I'm also thinking of mounting a couple receivers various places (basement, Bobcat, trailer) to be able to plug a hitch vise into - places I end up working on things that it would be nice to have a vise available, but not that I need one there all the time. The Bobcat might sound strange, but it ends up being a mobile work center at times. I'll carry stuff out somewhere with it and then end up using it as a sawhorse / scaffold / whatever.
 
Tldr
Who said
Hazzard fraught @sema:lmao:

Talk about watering down the genePool

Eta
Or izzat "truth in advertising "? :smokin:
 
Watching videos of the Badlands Off-Road Jack, I have no doubt that it is solidly made and may be a good option for people depending on their needs.

Honestly, I don't see taking it off-road with me, but the lift height and the larger wheels have definite advantages over the standard floor jack for taller vehicles and working on things other than a smooth shop floor. Even "around" the shop, I have a gravel driveway where I'm basically dragging the floor jack through the stones rather than rolling it to where I'm working.



However, I'm realizing (yes, it should have been obvious) that it has a major drawback for my use in the shop - maneuverability. One of my frequent uses of a floor jack is lifting something (vehicle or otherwise) and dragging it into position. With the swivel wheels on the back of a standard floor jack you can maneuver things around, limited only by how easy it is to drag the floor jack and whatever is on it around your shop. With the fixed wheel on the Badlands jack, you're only going to be able to drag things in a straight line and then would have to lower the jack, turn it, lift it again, and then drag it in another straight line.

As I say, this should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't really sinking in. As I said, the larger wheels are still going to be an advantage if I'm working out in the gravel driveway, but I see myself going for the regular floor jack in the shop when maneuverability is something I need.
 
PAToyota said:
Watching videos of the Badlands Off-Road Jack, I have no doubt that it is solidly made and may be a good option for people depending on their needs.

Honestly, I don't see taking it off-road with me, but the lift height and the larger wheels have definite advantages over the standard floor jack for taller vehicles and working on things other than a smooth shop floor. Even "around" the shop, I have a gravel driveway where I'm basically dragging the floor jack through the stones rather than rolling it to where I'm working.



However, I'm realizing (yes, it should have been obvious) that it has a major drawback for my use in the shop - maneuverability. One of my frequent uses of a floor jack is lifting something (vehicle or otherwise) and dragging it into position. With the swivel wheels on the back of a standard floor jack you can maneuver things around, limited only by how easy it is to drag the floor jack and whatever is on it around your shop. With the fixed wheel on the Badlands jack, you're only going to be able to drag things in a straight line and then would have to lower the jack, turn it, lift it again, and then drag it in another straight line.

As I say, this should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't really sinking in. As I said, the larger wheels are still going to be an advantage if I'm working out in the gravel driveway, but I see myself going for the regular floor jack in the shop when maneuverability is something I need.
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That's what wheel dollies are for. :flipoff2:
 
I plan to get the jack as soon at I get to a HF store in town, probably be next year before I get back into town though. Most of the work I do on my vehicles is in the barn and it has dirt floors, so this should work out fine there.
 
Do any of you have any experience with one of these? Icon 43in Professional Creeper

Since I have a shitty shop floor, thought it could be nice but don't want to buy if an Irate already knows it's a piece of junk...
 
PAToyota said:
From here:



Most of the video is just rehashing stuff - the Badland jack, the power tools, the tool storage - but they show a geared engine stand for $280.

HF.png


They don't give any specs, but judging from the price point I'm guessing it is similar to this one from Eastwood: Eastwood EZ Turn Engine Stand
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Looks like the geared engine stand is rolling out. None of my local stores show as in stock yet, but it does show as in stock at stores 60+ miles away. Also looks like the price went up.

Screen Shot 2023-02-01 at 7.42.06 PM.png


It is also more robust than the Eastwood one for the same price - 1500# instead of 1000#, an extra pair of casters, and crank down "stabilizing feet."
 
PAToyota said:
Here's that tripod thing I mentioned - looks like a rolling jackstand of some sort:

Screen Shot 2022-11-01 at 6.47.42 PM.png


You can make out holes and a pin for adjustability.
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The released the tripod dollies - 3600 lb. Pinch Weld Vehicle Dollies, 2-Pack: 3600 lb. Pinch Weld Vehicle Dollies, 2-Pack

Screen Shot 2023-04-13 at 9.48.26 PM.png


I find it a bit curious that they sell those in a 2-pack, but that the wheel dollies come singly. Neither one is particularly useful by itself and mo' bettah with two pair. The shop bought two wheel dollies - so you have to move one end of a vehicle at a time... :shaking:

A pair of wheel dollies are 2600# capacity. These give you another half ton of capacity. You have to go to the manual to find it has a lifting height of 10" to 14". More of a car thing than a truck thing - and don't have too much suspension travel.
 
PAToyota said:
I find it a bit curious that they sell those in a 2-pack, but that the wheel dollies come singly. Neither one is particularly useful by itself and mo' bettah with two pair. The shop bought two wheel dollies - so you have to move one end of a vehicle at a time... :shaking:
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Wheel dolly by itself is basically a super heavy duty dolly after you throw a 2x4 scrap in the middle and a piece of plywood over the top.

Plenty of people buy them just to use them as a normal dolly.
 
Really? People buy a single $150 1300# wheel dolly to throw a scrap of plywood on when you can get a 1000# dolly for $10? Or even one with the wood already on it for $30? Not to mention with the tire rollers and ratchet arm in the way the wheel dollies would be pretty awkward to use as a regular dolly.
 
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