Harbor Freight (U.S. General) 30" 4 Drawer Tech Cart Modification

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2 жыл бұрын

In this video I take two Harbor Freight 30" 4 Drawer Tech Cart Assemblies and make them into one 8 Drawer Tech Cart. This custom modification will take roughly 4-6 hours to complete. It may take less time, but I am just giving a rough guess based upon my engineering of this project. I am curious if others complete this project as to what the average time is to do this build. So, please feel free to comment on the video and if there was quicker ways and other shortcuts to the end product... please share them for others to benefit from.
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As a disclaimer: All Harbor Freight products used in this video are used only for customization purposes only. They own the copyrights to their designs and their boxes.
See their boxes at: www.harborfreight.com/tool-st...
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Пікірлер: 117

@Papaws_Garage Жыл бұрын

I have no plans of doing this conversion but enjoy watching them and the creativity of people doing them ,which can lend ideas for other projects. This mod has to be the most thought out and well executed one that I have seen. Great job on the box !

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@mikeske9777 Жыл бұрын

I went for years without a service cart as I went from the Air Force for 7 years and 3 years as heavy line mechanic in and worked in the same 2 bays as a heavy line. My toolbox was always about 4 steps away. Then I trained as a aircraft mechanic and ended up working 30 plus years in aviation. When I retired 5 years ago I took all my tools home and did my setup in my shop and I am still only a few steps away from my tools so for me it is not needed. I got to say I enjoyed watching you do the one cart out 2 it fun and interesting for this old retired guy.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@PatricioGarcia1973 7 ай бұрын

So where you had your tools? Hanging from a peg board? And how you have them now?

@jwperry63 Жыл бұрын

Informative and detailed, thank you!

@dodgesportsman772 2 жыл бұрын

280.00 each as of today... 6/30/22 total of 560.00, plus time and energy building it out.. or for the same price get a full size Husky top and bottom tool box! Bigger, deeper, and cheaper... That being said... I love this idea and might do it myself

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

The purpose of this conversion was to make more room with a smaller box. You can purchase other boxes like the Husky and it is bigger, deeper and might be cheaper, but do you plan on being mobile with it? This box was built to be mobile all day long in a fast paced shop environment. It all depends on what you're looking for.

@dodgesportsman772 2 жыл бұрын

@@jwsguitarshop4410 I get that and agree. It's much cheaper than my Matco cart and works just as well

@carltaylor8166 Жыл бұрын

229 and 199 on sale in Virginia

@RyjahMoto Жыл бұрын

I had the 4 drawer I originally bought and ended selling it for $80 and bought a used 5 drawer for 160. So basically got a 5 drawer used for $80. Then there was a special on the 5 draw for $230 brand new but I get an extra 10% off the $230 price tag if get on the harbor freight credit card so it's comes out to like $207 new So I'm at $289 for my build

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

@@RyjahMoto Wow! That's a good deal.

@xrphqlic9763 Жыл бұрын

1 of the best cart mods on yt! Great work. I would put 4 swivel wheel on both carts.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thats a good idea! Thanks

@plusdaddyyt Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I been looking for .. hands down the best explaining video

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Anthony! I tried to explain every detail in case someone else wanted to make one for themselves.

@garywaggoner1953 5 ай бұрын

Outstanding!

@karlx-1 Жыл бұрын

Very impressive! Sure, you could have bought a full bank box, but with this project you tested your ingenuity and skills!

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

@doublearon2k4 Жыл бұрын

very badass man, wish I had the want to make this happen for myself. Lack of welding and such will keep me away but this is awesome!

@TheSFFV Жыл бұрын

This is great. I think this is a great mod if you have a 4 or 5 drawer cart already but want to make it full bank. Awesome work.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I am using it every day at work and absolutely love it. It was well worth the investment of time and the money.

@GlockPointer 4 ай бұрын

Impressive clamp collection!

@dustingreen6210 Жыл бұрын

Outstanding build , getting to the point where all my tools our starting to overflow, might try something along this line or design the side cabinet that made for the bigger cart, into a role cart. Really un-ease my all that drilling and welding but great video!!!!!!!

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Dustin for the kind remarks. I tried making this custom build fairly easy for others to follow along with if they wanted to do it as well. It does require quite a bit of drilling and some welding, but it was fun to to and the end result is worth it in my opinion.

@Littlegun410 Жыл бұрын

Really nice job and thank you for the detailed video! I just bought 2 5-drawer carts to stack and your video is the best I’ve seen on the process. 👍🏼

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thank you!

@collinkane8673 Ай бұрын

Why not just buy the 27inch roll cab or the 34 inch full bank service cart…

@Littlegun410 Ай бұрын

@@collinkane8673 are you asking me or the OP?

@lazerbeam3928 Жыл бұрын

The US General 34 In. Full Bank Service Cart for $599 (without any coupons) is more or less the same thing. It has 6 full width drawers, plus the top area like a regular 4 or 5 drawer service cart. The bottom drawer is deeper than the other 5 drawers and the overall dimensions are bigger than the standard service carts. It also has four large, heavy-duty caster that all swivel and has semi-hard bumpers on the corners to protect the cart. It also has the slots in the top for pry bars and screwdrivers just like the service carts. Don't get me wrong, the cart you came up with is very nice and the extra roll around service tray cart is very nice. Its just the amount of effort you had to put into it seems to outweigh the benefit of making your own. BTW, I've seen several videos doing what you've done with the 5 drawer service carts, sans the single lock mechanism.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

I appreciate your opinion on the 34" cart. To be honest, I bought a green one and put it together and tried using it for a week. With the tools that I loaded in the cart it was rather bulky and would want to get away from me when I rolled it around. The 30" cart that I custom built makes it easy to move around and when I sit in my Matco roller chair I can lean over and look into the top of my service cart to pull out tools which I use all day long. It was impossible to sit in a roller chair and look over the top of the 34" cart that you have mentioned. You literally have to stand up to look into the cart which makes the cart undesirable for me. However, everyone has their own likes and dislikes when it comes to what works best for their specific job. This smaller custom cart works perfectly for me and I haven't found anyone that makes the size of cart that I have made.

@damien_nguyen 11 ай бұрын

1. The full bank is significantly taller, if you plan to use the top surface as a work surface comfortably, that can be an issue even if you're 6'0" 2. Full bank has 6 large taller drawers compared to the doublestack's 10 small/medium drawers. It's more versatile especially if you like to dedicate specific drawers to specific tools to avoid mixing tools in the same drawer. 3. Locking mechanism is important if you actually use the box professionally in a shop/hangar/etc rather than just at home.

@johnmartinez4943 6 ай бұрын

This is insanely cool. The attention to detail is impressive, you've thought of everything. I'm tempted to go to HF right now and grab 2 service carts and try this. For those saying he could have got a full bank box-yeah for $600. This awesome contraption of creativity $340 (service carts on sale for $170 right now)-and on top of that you get an extra roll cart on top of the deal. Well done!

@jwsguitarshop4410 6 ай бұрын

Thanks, John. I absolutely enjoy using my new set-up. It's not bulky like other roll carts and it affords me plenty of space for my tools. I appreciate your feedback. Please post a picture of your finished carts when you get them put together. Best Regards!

@ekimskaew5304 2 жыл бұрын

Nice job!

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@RyjahMoto Жыл бұрын

I think this was the best way to do it cause u didn't even have to cut and waist the top like some other videos great work man I'm working on myn later today

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind remarks! Yes, I agree, I didn't prefer the 5 drawer cart project because I didn't want to cut the top like you were referring to in those other videos. This 4 drawer cart is more my style.

@RyjahMoto Жыл бұрын

@@jwsguitarshop4410 so unfortunately I wasn't able to do it your method it's kind of hard for me of lining the structure of the cabinets so I think I'm going to have to cut it because cutting it looks like the easiest way but you end up wasting the top but yeah if I have no choice I'm going to have to end up cutting it but I'm going to try one more time if not I'm going to have to do it the easy way which is cutting it but this is definitely the best way to do it if you have the time and skills cuz I did everything but I just couldn't align the structure from the bottom drawer to the top drawer so yeah

@Isaiah-ft5nx 2 жыл бұрын

Nice bass in progress!

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

thank you!

@willwheeler4068 Жыл бұрын

Congratulations sir you have convinced me it's as big of a pain in the ass as I thought lol it's going on my to do list

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

lol

@mustangrebuilder Жыл бұрын

Nice job

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@user-sm6rw2dp6m 9 ай бұрын

The only thing I might have done differently is to cut the front of the bottom tray (put some rubber trim or something on the cuts) and used something else to hold the bottom box up. That would give you a little storage on the very bottom where you could stick things...

@PatricioGarcia1973 7 ай бұрын

Somebody did a mod like this, but he cut the bottom part of the cabined so that the bottom drawer would slide in and out, and when putting the 2nd cabinet on top, the holes for screws on the cabinet would line up with the ones on the side pieces. instead of 2x4 he put magnets to make up the gap.

@12mahottel 2 жыл бұрын

Sweet

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@joeysanchez5926 10 ай бұрын

I just purchased two 8 drawer service cars to stack!

@m.t.v.7934 Ай бұрын

That looks great! I would love to do something like this but I do not have the skills to attempt a job like this. I would be afraid that I would ruin the cart.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Ай бұрын

I was hesitant at first, but I just took one phase at a time and thought it through. Usually just test fitting things before drilling or making any cuts works out best for me. Making the right measurements before making any adjustments tends to help the project fall right into place.

@jinpark5324 Жыл бұрын

I got 5 drawers cart for $219+tax 2 weeks ago. Well build cart. I m now trying buy 2 US GENERAL 34” service carts, still waiting price to drop back down below $529. Had a chance to pick one up on black friday but the store I went would not load it to my SUV.

@marksickler Жыл бұрын

I stacked 2 of the 5 drawer carts together. My top box locks the bottom box but I didn't weld or rivet the bars together. I cut slots in the bottom of the top box and the bars match up with the bottom box. And it locks both boxes.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Nice! do you have a picture of how it looks?

@marksickler Жыл бұрын

@@jwsguitarshop4410 Yes. Just look under 10 drawer harbor freight carts and you might find my videos.

@airborne0416 10 ай бұрын

Drawer slide locks are one up one down to release drawer

@tanhtran8192 Жыл бұрын

👍👍

@rockettdrums4me Жыл бұрын

You did a great job with these 2 carts, combining them together and making that roll cart out of what's left. I don't think even harbor freight could've done any better. Do you think you could do the same with the 5 drawer cart they have, if so please let me know. Thanks you..

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

I have considered trying this. If I do, I'll let you know. Thank you

@blainerohlfs Жыл бұрын

I watched couple videos of this. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bLmKoK2SrtPJeXU.html personally for the cost of two 5 drawer carts, I would just buy the “full bank service cart” that they sell or even the 44x22 inch roller cabinet. Or the 26x22 single bank, and a matching top chest. All those solutions including the 5 drawer are around $600 at full retail price. Just my opinion

@midatlantictools Жыл бұрын

Great job with really no waste .

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I was impressed with the little amount of left over parts too.

@Isaiah-ft5nx 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve been wanting to do this to my 4 drawer cart as well. The 4 drawer has unmatched maneuverability.

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

You'll love the extra space if you make the cart into the 8 drawers and still maintain maneuverability.

@valleygrown_dieseltech3444 Жыл бұрын

The 5 drawer is better for the money

@buddelp1 9 ай бұрын

Would it have been less expensive and less time-consuming to buy a cart that you needed rather than do a modification, which seems like a ton of work?

@jwsguitarshop4410 6 ай бұрын

If there was something out there that was the height that I need when I am sitting in my Matco roller chair, then I would agree with you. However, I can't find anything anywhere. That's why I went this route.

@GickelsGaming 2 ай бұрын

Heya! Just out of curiosity, do you think this can be done to combine a 4 AND 5 drawer cart together? theyre both 30" carts

@jwsguitarshop4410 Ай бұрын

That's a good question. If I had the money, I would try that project.

@dellhart7076 Жыл бұрын

I wonder it it could also be done with the 5-drawer carts too?

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

I wonder that too. It looks like the videos that I've seen have the two 5 drawer carts modified to fit on top of each other. However, I would imagine there are multiple ways of connecting them together with the side brackets. It would be fun to try that project too.

@FreezerRoblox 2 жыл бұрын

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, Freezerplays!

@WestLivin213 2 жыл бұрын

Wonder if this will work w the 30in 5 drawer

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

That’s a good question. Maybe you could check out the dimensions online and if they are similar, then it might work.

@marksickler Жыл бұрын

Yes it will work with the 5 drawer cart. I did it and my top box locks the bottom box drawers when the lid is closed.

@6atlantis Жыл бұрын

I noticed you have a different work top on your 48 inch multipurpose workbench. What materials did you use and did you put it on top of the mdf board or in place of it. TIA!

@jwsguitarshop4410 10 ай бұрын

Yes. It's a piece of plywood. It works much better than the thin board that came with it.

@6atlantis 10 ай бұрын

@@jwsguitarshop4410 thanks

@carltaylor8166 Жыл бұрын

I have plenty of room makes sense to keep them separate to me besides I'll probably get the full bank also, I have plenty of tools to fill them if not I will buy more toolz...... yay....

@johnnybravo4976 2 жыл бұрын

Only thing now is to find a full size drawer for the bottom half of the box. I would build one of these is they’re wasn’t all that much work needed

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

Johnny, I totally agree. It would be much cooler with all full size drawers on the bottom of the box. Yes, it was a lot of work, but I use it daily and absolutely love it! It was time well spent.

@brianbrooks1025 2 жыл бұрын

Very cool, but background music wasn’t the best.

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the input, Brian. It's hard to pick music that everyone likes. I had initially thought of not putting background music because I didn't want to distract from the video, but I've had people comment previously on other videos that not having any music made the video boring. So, it's usually a toss up decision.

@bean-matic9322 2 жыл бұрын

No worries bro, ur doing good

@OfficerBerto86 2 жыл бұрын

Like the vid. But the background music is distracting.

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

Alberto, thanks for your input. What is your preference when watching instructional videos? Some people like music in the background and others don't really care for it. I can go either way, but I am looking for input for future videos.

@m2useinu 2 жыл бұрын

I like it, but why not just buy the roll cart that has the drawers all the way to the bottom?

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

I have that cart as well. However, it is bulky and you can't sit on a roller stool and look into the top of that cart since it is considerably taller. Customizing these two 4 drawer boxes together makes similar storage space as the taller cart, but much more versatile. I absolutely wouldn't go back to the taller cart after building this one!

@jakethesnakeanderson7564 Жыл бұрын

Can u do this with a 5 drawer?

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

I am not sure. I would like to know that too.

@davyl3059 Жыл бұрын

For the cost of two carts, you could probably get a much larger and stronger unit.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

I like the smaller sized box. That's why I wanted to make this modification to the 4 drawer cart. I like the height and how easy it is to roll around.

@gtp1172 3 ай бұрын

I would've just got the big 6 drawer cart

@tammylandrum9179 29 күн бұрын

Music is Distracting

@collinkane8673 Ай бұрын

I don’t get why you didn’t just buy the 27 inch roll cab or the 34 inch full bank service cart.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Ай бұрын

I custom made this one to be at an eye level when I sit on my Matco Roller chair. I bought the 34 inch full bank but had to stand up every time I wanted something out of the top of the cart. It was very inconvenient and very bulky. This one that I made moves around easily even fully loaded with tools.

@VinSpacker Жыл бұрын

There must be an easier way of doing this. For example if you skipped the bracket extension and have the bottom drawers not lockable.

@jwsguitarshop4410 Жыл бұрын

That is definitely an option if you weren't concerned about the bottom drawers locking.

@chrisc9106 8 ай бұрын

seems like alot of work for 400.00 when u can buy the 30 inch 6 drawer cart for 499.99 now lol

@jwsguitarshop4410 7 ай бұрын

It all depends on if you want to tie up a weekend for the project. LOL

@jimmyflowers6597 Ай бұрын

I would just buy a tool box with a certain amount of drawers in it this seems like an oxymoron

@jcoul1sc 2 жыл бұрын

For the time you could have sold it and bought a new one

@jwsguitarshop4410 2 жыл бұрын

It's the best cart I have ever owned. Perfect size and weight. It was time well spent. I've owned all other major named boxes and this custom box beats them all in performance. At least in my honest opinion.